Tonight I joined Linda Gilroy as the two Labour representatives in a debate with the Lib Dems, the Two Tory candidates for Plymouth and the NUS on the future of Higher Education funding. Many of you will know that HE policy is one of the areas I specialise in and so it was good to get stuck in on policy detail but put this in a way that means something to real people.
What struck me about the debate more then anything else this evening was the difference between Labour’s view of HE and the Conservatives. It was always going to be a tough ride for the Tories when Matthew Groves (standing against the brilliant Alison Seabeck in Plymouth Moorview) only talked about his party’s policy of giving discounts off student loans for the rich. But the differences extend to supporting widening access, student support, the Office of Fair Access, credit based funding for degrees and a whole array of other really important dividing lines.
The event was summed up to me by one student I spoke to after the event who said “I’m a Conservative and wouldn’t normally support Labour – after this debate there is no way I could vote Conservative.” He wasn’t the only one I suspect.
The debate tonight was organised by the NUS and Plymouth University Students Union – thank you for the opportunity to speak and keep up the pressure for a fairer funding system. The Fees Review taking place at the moment needs to be pressed to deliver a fairer system but then it is up to the politicians to deliver one – on the basis of tonight’s debate we should worry about HE in the hands of the Tories.
This coming election is an election about choices and tonight – effectively the first hustings of the campaign – showed that not only do the Tories really need to learn what their policies are before they go into debate, but that there are real differences between the two parties. Use your vote wisely.
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