Only Lib Dems would scrap tuition fees – FACT!
Comments(9) 
I think its fair to say that after our Bournemouth conference, rather than the ‘fresh-start‘ being the main take home story, its was whether or not our National party was going to dump its policy to scrap tuition fees!
At the time even veteran ex-leader Charles Kennedy waded in, stating that the policy was far too important to voters to be dropped.
This even led to some scandalous remarks from the Greenie-meanies suggesting it was a forgone conclusion that the policy would be jettisoned. Also, they stated their (authoritarian) party would be the only choice for liberal-students… hmmm… They of cause didn’t understand that we are a full democratic party and that the decision hadn’t yet been made!
Now, in the Times Higher Education supplement, it has been pretty much confirmed that we would, indeed, scrap tuition fees if we won the next general election.
Firstly a time-scale and how this abolition will be paid for, costing £12.5 billion, will be sorted out and announced later – but the policy remains!
Labour and the CONservatives refuse to address the issue of fees and there is a real danger that both of them would lift the cap on fees which could mean even more debt for students when they leave university. We think that is wrong and our policy will prevent it happening.
It is interesting to note that under a CONservative government, the current £3,000 fees would increase to £7,000 a year! So a lovely £21,000 of debt before you children have even started to work! Factor in student loans and you are looking at leaving university with between £30-40,000 worth of debt – what a great start 
So, updates to follow 
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[...] Glenn Goodall | Only Lib Dems would scrap tuition fees – FACT! glenngoodall.mycouncillor.org.uk/2009/12/19/only-lib-dems-would-scrap-tuition-fees-fact – view page – cached I think its fair to say that after our Bournemouth conference, rather than the ‘fresh-start‘ being the main take home story, its was whether or not our National party was going to dump its policy to scrap tuition fees! [...]
Would that be before or after they would support a referendum on Lisbon/EU? That promise certainly represntss the very highest standard of honesty to which any Lib Dem aspires – fact.
The Greens would scrap it, so there is at least one party with this policy. FACT? The LD now say would phase it over six years apparently. But before then they may have changed their mind once again.
Authoritarian? The LD have a party whip, the Greens don’t. Tell me why you are called Liberal? Your policies are a bit like the Tories.
Predictable comment
The Green Party has no MP’s, I’m talking about Parliamentarian parties which have a shot of being in power some time soon… [insert equally "You not getting in next time either" jibe here] Hmmm, probably could have phrased that better in the text.
Authoritarian in policy(!), i.e. FORCE people not to have kids, not to drive, not to eat meat, not to have any tech and basically live the way YOU want them too. That is the very definition of an authoritarian party… So in fact the Green Party is the same as Labour and the Tories – “Do what we say, or else!”
We would preserve Liberty as a matter of fact.
The Green Party doesn’t have a parliament whip because they’re not in parliament! Once upon a time they used to say they were different because they didn’t have a leader… how things have changed.
There are those of us in the Lib Dems who would like our MP’s to have ’3 free goes’ to go against the whip. That would make it all a bit more democratic, and interesting.
Thanks for using your real name, Adrian, always appreciated. We may not agree politically but you clearly have a bit of decency, unlike some Tory hacks!
Neil Craig – this has nothing to do with the EU, so I wont be dragged into your negative, CONservative, anti-climate change agenda
TA
The only point I made this time being that you cannot say it is a fact (or even a FACT) that your party would do something simply because they have promised it if they have a record of breaking manifesto promises, even on a different policy.
That you say it is improper to consider anything from somebody who agrees with the Conservatives on some traditional liberal things (obviously not on everything including the EU) but does not hold the same position towards Greens, who are totally illiberal in every philosophical direction shows how illiberal your party is.
“breaking manifesto promises” – Having not been in direct gov’t for a while I’m not so sure we have.
Also, I think there has to be a point at which you realise that you can’t achieve something, and need to move on… That said I’m firmly in the “EU referendum” camp, and I’m very pro-EU! I personally feel the EU has given us a lot. People say we are losing sovereignty and yet we can still illegally invade countries on a whim… red herring?
I think there are just more important things to worry about at the moment, in area’s we could potentially influence.
i.e. Doing something about the level of Child poverty, protecting students from debt, and protecting our human rights (Tories will scrap the Human rights act as soon as they get in!).
I was probably a little cruel branding you a Tory, so I’m honestly sorry for that. Looked you up on Google and drew conclusions! :S oopsy
But to brand us as ‘illiberal’ is a fallacy
I always comment in my own name Glenn.
You are quite wrong about Green Party Policy, there is nothing on forcing people not to have more children/not eat meat etc. It would be authoritarian, but its also not Green.
[...] but, in fact, the new Manifesto is a bit more realistic. Much was made of the national party not pledging to scrap tuition fees about a month ago. But this just wasn’t true, the policy was just [...]