By Joe Rukin
 Above: Belfast Demo, 15th October 2003 | There have been actions across the country in the build up to the national demonstration for free education on Oct 26th. From Plymouth to Belfast to Norwich, but none were more noticable- at least in column inches than the solo protest of Mark McGowan.
McGowan pushed a monkey nut seven miles with his nose from Goldsmiths college to Downing Street, with hazards such as Abusive alcoholics, curious children, unexpectedly wide cracks in the pavement and crossing roads. When he finally got there, he handed his nut in with a note, explaining that he expected the PM to accept the very special nut as payment for £15k worth of debt. For his troubles, McGowan got a cup of coffee in a 'stained mug' |
Despite having a plaster to protect his nose, McGowan was just a bit bedraggled at the end, saying;
"It was all quite hard. The streets of London are filthy. There's human hair, bird poo, spittle, all sorts of things down there."
In terms of the traditional protest organised through students unions, the University of Plymouth was first out of the blocks, with it's traditional annual demo at Exmouth on September 27th. After getting 250 out to thier freshers week event, they can be used as an example to us all, managing to raise £2,000 to help cover the cost of their coaches to the national demo. Welfare officer David Clark said;
"It's going to cost about eight grand to send free buses, but we've already managed to get two from the university and the teaching trade unions. The best thing is it's not been hard to get the money, it's just been a question of doing the work, sending off letters and following up with phone calls."
Next of course was the vigil where over 1000 students from across the country turned up to mourn the 'Death of Free Education' at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth. The demo was strikingly effective, with students dressed in black and marching behind the coffin of education in silence to the beat of a solitary drum. It would have been far more effective -in terms of publicity at least- if it hadn't been for the fact the debate at the conference on top-up fees had been moved forward a day (maybe so it wouldn't be on the same day as the demo) and that the news from the conference on the day of the demo was dominated by the fact that the leaderships plans for foundation hospitals were defeated.
Unfortunately the plans for top-up fees did not receive the condemnation of the party membership, partially because Labour Students still haven't made up their minds. Karim Palant, national chair of Labour Students, told the Times Higher Education Supplement that Labour Students were reluctant to become neddlessly troublesome in the way that the Federation of Conservative Students (which was shut down by tory central office) had been for the Conservative government in the 1980s. He said:
"We are not happy with the way things are going. We are not going to say we are are in favour of top-up fees until we see what it actually means. But we are not shying away from debate. The challenge we face is coming up with new ideas, still having a voice in the party, but still standing up for what we beleive in"
Sian Davies the South West Area NUS convenor said
"It is outrageous that the decision makers of this policy are in fact the ones that have benefited from a free education. Through my work with Unions across the South West I can safely say that students and Students' Unions will fight this because we believe that these proposals will kill the education system as we know it."
By the end of the week students at Bournemouth were voting to depose Charles Clarke. Students at Bournemouth University passed an emergency motion to make SUBU President Daniel Winch the alternative Minister for Education for all. His first official appointment was to make a tour of the University campus to whilst Charles Clarke did.
Winch said
"Student hardship is the biggest barrier to people entering education. This government say they want education fair for all but if only the rich can afford it, where is the fairness in that! Students and members of the public believe there is an alternative to the government's plans to fund higher education and today we will present these ideas to Charles Clark himself."
Clarke was there to open a new lecture theatre complex, and as he opened it so did the students. While he cut through a ribbon, they cut through a chain of debt.
Students marched through Belfast on Wednesday 15 October protesting against the threat to introduce top-up fees of up to £3,000 per year in Northern Ireland. Organised by the NUS-USI, the rally at Belfast City Hall heard speakers slam the Government's plans to plunge students into further debt. Given the fact that the NI Assembly has been suspended, the province is once again under direct rule from Westminster, meaning they could be hit by any top-up fees legislation, with both former employment and learning minister Carmel Hanna and direct rule education minister Jane Kennedy saying this is a possibility.
Ben Archibald, NUS-USI Convenor said
"Students are angry that, unlike in Scotland, our direct rule Government is still threatening to introduce this regressive stealth tax here. This demonstration had been called to tell Education Minister, Jane Kennedy not to bury our students and graduates under a mountain of debt by implementing this regressive policy in Northern Ireland. Student funding was the biggest issue on the doorstep at the last UK general election and with parties opposing the introduction of university top-up fees and the general public strongly against the idea, the government would be better of coming up with a new policy that will not stop students from non-traditional backgrounds from entering higher education. The simple truth remains that by allowing universities to charge higher fees this government will price thousands of talented students out of college and create a two-tiered higher education system. Graduates will see their debt increase and the very students this government says it is committed to attracting to university will be priced out."
Speaking at the rally Alliance education spokesperson Naomi Long said;
"Introducing top-up fees, like tuition fees, would deter those from poorer backgrounds from pursuing a third level education. Their introduction would create a two-tier system, with those only those who can afford the highest fees being able to pursue the careers of their choice at the best universities. Access to university would be controlled by ability to pay and not academic ability, and students will be saddled with additional debt."
Students at UEA protested last Friday to coincide with Charles Clarkes constituency surgery. Ned Glasier, communications officer for the Union of UEA said
"There were hundreds of people there and we hope we spelled out our message loud and clear to Mr Clarke and the Government. We are building awareness of the issues and making sure students are committed to fighting and pushing for this We believe in this 100% and have wide support now and people in government and local government are worried."
And just to show you how easy it can be to get press coverage, here is a link to an article in a local paper- the story is simply that the University of Hertfordshire SU is going to be sending students to the national demo!
This is Local London, Students join protest against top-up fees
Guardian, Student goes nuts over debt
Guardian, Students mourn 'loss' of higher education
The Sun, Nut completes protest
Sky, STUDENT MONKEYS AROUND
Yorkshire Today, Nut stunt student off to slow start
NUS, Northern Ireland students announce plans to rally
NUS, Bournemouth demo a success
BBC, UEA top-up fees protest
BBC,
Protest over student fees
NI Students, Students Protest against Threat of Top-up Fees
Belfast Telegraph, Alliance backs student pleas on fees
Ananova,
Former student protester appointed Cambridge vice-chancellor
Ananova, Hundreds of students join top-up fees demo
EDP 24, Students' protest over top-up fees
