I know that with sending this on my Facebook/Twitter a lot of people reading will be or have been students, so let's start and see what the Government did there as an example of the current failings.
- Went and increased the average debt of a student leaving University (the original student loan idea was by the Tony Blair New Labour Government). The average debt someone leaving University has is well over the £40,000 mark. I can admit here, I'm lucky being in the last year before these changes, however I am not naive. These people are our future, but we've burdened them with ridiculous debt.
- The Last Governments System:The idea of paying towards this higher education is not something I will claim to be an evil idea. Up till a point there was evidence that graduates would get paid more in their lifetime than people who didn't attend university. Obviously these things have changed. Still paying for higher education probably is right. But £9,000? For a year of uni? That's way over the odds. Numerous reasons apply, especially the fact that other than a lecture per module per week and a few tutorials and meetings, how well you do in your degree really isn't up to the lecturer but your work ethic.
- There are alternatives and this is what needs to be stressed. Labour offer us a tuition fee decrease to £6,000 a year. Is this still too much? Yes. Perhaps the elitist establishments of Oxbridge, St Andrews and a few others could warrant £5,000 a year. But a tuition fee debt shouldn't really put anybody into more than £10,000 of debt. Although I believe that really, tuition fees shouldn't be charged like this, they shouldn't put one in debt. The Green Party are the other party that offer change by wiping tuition fees. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party have officially not ruled out rising fees OVER the £10,000 barrier.
- What Should Happen: Simple Really. Graduate Tax. Scrap tuition fees completely. The graduate tax would gain similar money back in comparison to the tuition fee system. The difference is the Government would not have to write off a debt in a few decades time for anyone. It also would send graduates into their working life with a lot less debt. These people are the future. Some people may say "But mature students may not work a lot more to pay these taxes", well true, but is this a problem? The art of learning and the ambition to learn whatever age you are should be encouraged. It's good to have multiple ages learning together at University as it sets people up for the real world. It's not like 19 year olds will all work with people within 2 years of their age group when they leave uni.
- Reality: The Graduate tax probably won't be enforced by any party standing in the election. However here you need to consider, which Prime Minister would listen to normal people should they come to this idea? I really doubt that David Cameron or Nick Clegg would. Miliband on Russell Brand's Trews implied that people should be active in political ideas all year round, not just at the election, an indication he may listen to some ideas. Although it would be unlikely that the Labour party would push this through, we could make steps towards it if we get Miliband in. Especially if the Green Party can also hold a voice in the next Government. Possibly even the dreaded SNP when it comes to the tuition fee idea considering the Scottish people do not pay fees,
Conclusion
It would be criminal to elect a Government who haven't ruled out increasing fees for the future generations. People shouldn't leave University with debt, they should leave with hopes and prospects and a career within sight. Giving them more debt in the last Government was a massive failure of trust, giving even more would be criminal. It has already left young people feeling alienated. Let's not completely lose them!
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The Job Market is another thing that's up for debate tomorrow when you vote. Now we hear all about the amount of jobs that are apparently there for us in comparison to when the Gordon Brown's Labour Government departed 10 Downing Street. However I would believe we need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to this statement. So here we go.
Job Quality
Obviously I am a graduate, as explained on most of my social networking accounts. I have been looking for full time work. I briefly held a pretty demeaning zero hour contract at Wetherspoons (personal advice, don't work for them, especially Lloyds Great Western in Cardiff. Management are a joke...but that's another story). But I can tell you from that experience, everybody should have the option to say that they don't want a zero hour contract. 700,000 people have their main job as a zero hours contract. Employers such as Wetherspoons, Sports Direct and more use these contracts. And you cannot say to these employers that you wish to have the security of a job with a certain amount of hours. This is wrong and these companies need to change. We need to force this change as a community. Sure some people may want zero hour contracts, but if you want the security of knowing you have 16 hours a week at least, you should have it. It should be your right to have it.
The other reality is that despite the claims of more jobs...39 jobs out of 40 created since the recession are part time jobs. These clearly have negative effects on people. They also lead to the question of what people who were in jobs with services such as the police in 2010 who had their jobs cut by the Government (34,000 of them!) are now doing. Are they earning similar wage packets? Gaining similar job satisfaction? Having their range of skills efficiently used?
The reality is, many are probably lucky if they're hitting half of what they were.
Then there's the other big dilemma here. The Conservatives want a country where you are rewarded for working. So if we have all these jobs, I'd like David Cameron, William Hague, Ian Duncan Smith or Eric Pickles to answer these questions:
Why is there a record number of working families below the poverty level due to low wages?
Why are food banks seeing the numbers of people significantly rise (almost to the million mark)?
Why in a country with a target of no children in poverty, why have we seen child poverty rise?
If we have these more jobs and if these jobs are a reason to claim success, these questions should not have to be asked. End of.
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My other issue is the issue of elitism, which also comes to the issues of equality.
We are in a nation that lives in a history of elitism. We saw women throw themselves under horses for the vote, we were one of the countries that led slavery. We still have a lot of people in this country with views on other people that are prejudice whether it be because of their nationality, skin colour, age, religion, gender or sexuality.
One thing we have seen a rise in the last 5 years though was the elitism in class. This elitism includes such things as the celebration of the boat race, the gaps between Eton and a normal state school. One that I noticed in a twitter argument with someone I can only describe as a biggot however was the idea of The Russell Group. The brilliant thing with this group is Russell is perceived as a working class name (bit of elitism coming there). We need to see elitist establishments realise they are no more special than any of the others. Eton should realise that they are no more important than a state school like my own Bideford College or a private school like Kingsley. Personally I'd scrap all private schools as it benefits to have all sorts of people in a school, well nearly all sorts but I guess I may come to that. But also private schools create an unhealthy divide. The best teachers should work with normal people. America failed with the American Dream but the American Dream should really be the British Aim. I'd also have Cambridge and Oxford realise they are no more important than Exeter University who in turn are no more important than Plymouth University. Allow underrated Universitys to become the countries top if they're run better. The reality is the days of Cambridge and Oxford producing all our MP's for instance should be over. It's elitist and isn't in the interest of anyone reading this. Just because you've gone to a different University it doesn't make you any less able.
Things like the boat race should be made so that all the Universitys have a chance to qualify. As someone who has rowed, I know it's not too hard for them t set up a time trial for instance with the top 2 going into a race. A proper boat race should take into account EVERY higher education establishment, not the two who have their heads up their own ass, thinking that their only rival is the other. We've moved on from the Tudor's.
Which brings me on to the other issue of elitism. As someone called James I was VERY worried by the outcome of the gender of the royal brat baby seeming it was expected a boy would take my beloved name. Luckily for me, it was a girl. But should we really be looking up to an elitist family we have no say on changing. No say on reforming. Should we really be happy about a baby we will never meet? Or should our politics actually be elected more so than it is today. Believe it or not I am in favour of the queen remaining queen, however I believe we should consider what to happen when she dies. Is it fair on George or Charlotte to live a life that is totally elitist. It's not. It's not fair on them or us. In a time where we cut benefits for people who can't get work we let these babies and their families live on cloud nine. In a world where they know little about a normal person. We need radical change. However, the monarch can wait...because my main issue, yes, you may have guessed it...is the House Of Lords.
The House Of Lords prevent us from having what would be regarded as a full democracy. We need to take a step into the end of elitism by making this house FULLY elected. From there, maybe our nation will take some steps forwards to become great once more. You'd also like to hope it could be a sign to the EU that we would also like an elected group of EU Commissioners.
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Should We Realise And Condone The Media Bullying Parade.
If it wasn't the day before the election this would be another post. But in the last 24 hours I have become the most liked post on a Daily Mail article, possibly with more than 10,000 likes pointing out one of the reasons they fear the Labour Government is to do with the whole idea that their owner will have to pay taxes. But are some of the media bullying Ed Miliband.
For instance here is the Sun's headline today:
Now I'm guessing we all knew bullies in school. But whilst some went to prison for thuggery and others ended up changing and improving as people...it appears some ended up at the Sun Newspaper and other tabloids.
Should we be allowing OUR papers to tell us who to vote for because they aren't shown incentives that will benefit by the party? Should we elect a man on his ability to eat a bacon sandwich? Or should we elect a man because he cares about the country, about normal people and wants to do his bit in changing the country to make it a better place?
If the Tories win tomorrow, it's because too many Sun readers (they're not the brightest, bless them) and Mail readers (to be honest, they're not the brightest either) have been scaremongered into voting for the Conservative party. Well here is the fact:
IF the Tories win, the Scottish Nationalists will swing further towards another cry for independence with a Government they don't trust and have a hatred towards. The Tories would then also stand a far bigger chance of winning elections WITHOUT Scotland and therefore slyly benefit to an extent once the Union is broken...
So tomorrow when you vote...and you should vote...if you live in Brighton, keep Greens in. But if you live anywhere else in England, Scotland or Wales, vote Labour, vote for the first baby step towards a better Britain, a brighter future.
Then on May 8th all the way through the parliament, don't stay silent on your opinion, let it be known. It matters. Tomorrow is the start of changing the country.
Just don't f*ck it up!
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