Student Riots

I do believe that in extreme circumstances political violence is justifiable, but only as a last resort. I really don't see the tuition fees issue as anything like a last resort.

We've handed sovereignty to Brussels at a frightening rate.Where were the violent protests then? We went to war against Iraq and Afghanistan. Where were the violent protests then?

Education has to be paid for, the question at the heart of these recent demonstrations is: "Who pays for education?". Should it be the taxpayer earning minimum wage? Or the student who benefits from the education system by getting a better paid job? Bearing in mind the repayments will only begin when the graduate starts earning over £21,000, and then at a favourable interest rate.

What has annoyed me these last couple of days is the idiot socialists who have responded in their usual simplistic manner. A Scouser on a radio phone-in today, had to be a Scouser, blamed the police fairly and squarely for the violence. When told that the media coverage suggested otherwise he came out with the usual conspiracy theory about media bias.

Then there was a Scotsman on the same show, Scotland where the tution fees voted on yesterday don't apply, singing the praises of the mob for damaging buildings. When asked how he would feel if protesters attacked his home he didn't have an answer.

There was the usual bull about education being free. How can education ever be free? Would lecturers do the job on a voluntary basis? Would builders build the universities for free? Would companies donate the teaching materials? It's obviously a stupid argument and shows how our education system has failed so many people. Education, healthcare and all the other services currently provided by the government cost money. We, the taxpayers pay. Or the government borrows money and eventually drops us in the brown stuff, a bit like now!

The voice of reason was a woman from Brighton who explained that the violent demonstrators had removed the right of her daughters to demonstrate because they were now scared to get involved after witnessing the violence of the demonstartors on a previous demo.

Another valid point is the total cost of the violent demonstrations. Who pays for that? Yes, you and me from our taxes. So they want us to pay for their eduation and to pay for their juvenile, if very violent temper tantrums on the streets of London and elsewhere. Well I've had enough of being taxed 'til the pips squeak so that other people can indulge themselves at my expense.

Let's truly open higher education up to the free market and see how long media studies courses, golf course management courses, retail management courses and the like survive. In the meantime the lazy scroungers rioting in London should get back to their studies and work hard, because many of them will probably end up working in some highly paid jobs in the very buildings they've been smashing on their totally selfish and self-indulgent wrecking spree.

And just in  case you were wondering yes, I have been on plenty of demonstraions ranging from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands. But we were extremely well behaved. Well, mostly!