Stop the Cuts - National Demonstration

Unfortunately, since the end of quasi corporatism in the early-mid 1980s we've increasingly had government by special pleading - whoever has the ear of government wins the argument. So now since the cuts have emerged - which would have happened whatever government was in power - we have pure government by special pleading, with every institution in the land bleating, exaggerating their case wildly. State spending is being 'cut' so much to keep overall spending flat over the next few years. The promises of the last part of the last government were just fantasies.

I'll protest when the ultimate aim of the protest is not to demand someone else pays for a benefit the protesters are enjoying.

I understand the sentiment of what you are saying, but think it is misplaced somewhat:

Tony Blair's confusingly random 50% figure of the population going to university was probably the worst thing possible for both higher education and the job market, as it did absolutely nothing to eliminate elitism or ensure people from a less wealthy background can afford to go. Now there are just lots of universally indebted people out there who expect a good job, although they maybe only have an average degree who's quality is dubious if you listen to what employers are saying about graduates now, and Universities became dependent on this 'income' from fees which seems to have replaced government spending commitments. Worst of all, rather than end elitism, it has just further stigmatised people that don't have a degree.

So yes, I'm inclined to agree it is stupid to subsidise so many people go to University if all they are going to achieve is a larger debt ratio per capita and a mediochre education, when they might be better served by good training schemes in businesses, but it doesn't discount the essential good that the higher education sector does the economy in stimulating growth, research and development, attracting intellectual/skilled people from abroad etc-it's all massively important and pays later on down the road to everyone's benefit and to a far greater sum than is put in. It would be perhaps more realistic to follow a Dutch/Scandinavian model of 15-25% of the population going on to higher education with the means-tested grant system in place as it will ensure people with the ability can afford to go, keep quality high and retain the value of actually having a degree in the first place.