Hell has officially frozen over again
This is the third or fourth time this year when something has actually happened which I would once have expected only after Hell had frozen over ...
I spent several years of my youth as a Conservative involved in Student politics during the premiership of Mrs Thatcher, including a year as one of the comparatively few Conservatives elected as a student union sabbatical officer.
It would be fair to say that the National Union of Students (NUS) was not the most fertile territory for Conservatives that I have ever campaigned on, and I never expected that I would ever read an NUS press release commending anything the Conservatives had ever said or done.
Well, it happened this week.
Here is the press release concerned.
NUS WELCOMES CONSERVATIVES' BACKING FOR STUDENT VOICE IN FEES REVIEW
• Willetts warns universities are yet to properly account for £3,000 top-up fees
• Case not made to students and their families for even higher fees
• Shadow Universities Secretary says he would probably oppose higher fees if a vote took place today
Thursday 29 October 2009
The National Union of Students (NUS) today welcomed comments from Shadow Secretary of State for Universities, David Willetts MP, who this morning told an audience of student delegates at NUS’ Higher Education Zone Conference in Manchester that the student voice must be heard in the imminent review of fees.
David Willetts also said that if there was a vote on the fees cap today he would probably not support any increase, as universities had not properly accounted for £3,000 top-up fees or shown the benefits of higher fees to students and their families.
Wes Streeting, NUS President, said:
“I warmly welcome David Willetts' call for the student voice to be heard in the imminent fees review, and his consistent argument that the student experience must be at the heart of the ensuing debate on higher education funding.
“Students are now expected by those in power to contribute significantly to its costs. Therefore, we have a direct and unique interest in a review that will determine the future of fees.
“As the democratic and national voice of students, NUS must have a place on the review group. The possibility that this process will be conducted without direct student representation would severely undermine its legitimacy.”
The Shadow Universities Secretary questioned the process in drawing up a recent CBI report which advocated an increase in fees, higher interest rates on loans and a freezing of student numbers, but which had not consulted students.
David Willetts said:
“It is very important that the student voice is heard; in relation to the CBI report, vice-chancellors and businesses seem to have got together around a table, at which students were not present, and seem to have agreed that the way to solve the HE crisis is for students to pay more. This is an entirely predictable outcome and underlines why the student voice needs to be heard.”
The Shadow Universities Secretary also warned that the case had not been made for higher fees.
David Willetts added:
“How would I vote today? I think I would say today, if the vote arose, that the case has not been made. This is not an argument that I believe the universities have won. They haven’t yet properly accounted for the first £3,000 they had, so I would say not unless and until you have shown what is in it for students and their parents.”
The Shadow Universities Secretary also praised students’ unions and NUS.
David Willetts said:
“On listening to students, I think that what students have done and the transformation of NUS over the past few years…and the kind of material that NUS put out, is the most powerful single way of making sure that politicians listen.
“I think that what NUS has achieved in the past few years, as a constructive contributor to the national debate on HE and what you achieve in your individual unions is something of which you can be enormously proud. Your concerns are the concerns that we all in politics need to hear.”
ENDS
I spent several years of my youth as a Conservative involved in Student politics during the premiership of Mrs Thatcher, including a year as one of the comparatively few Conservatives elected as a student union sabbatical officer.
It would be fair to say that the National Union of Students (NUS) was not the most fertile territory for Conservatives that I have ever campaigned on, and I never expected that I would ever read an NUS press release commending anything the Conservatives had ever said or done.
Well, it happened this week.
Here is the press release concerned.
NUS WELCOMES CONSERVATIVES' BACKING FOR STUDENT VOICE IN FEES REVIEW
• Willetts warns universities are yet to properly account for £3,000 top-up fees
• Case not made to students and their families for even higher fees
• Shadow Universities Secretary says he would probably oppose higher fees if a vote took place today
Thursday 29 October 2009
The National Union of Students (NUS) today welcomed comments from Shadow Secretary of State for Universities, David Willetts MP, who this morning told an audience of student delegates at NUS’ Higher Education Zone Conference in Manchester that the student voice must be heard in the imminent review of fees.
David Willetts also said that if there was a vote on the fees cap today he would probably not support any increase, as universities had not properly accounted for £3,000 top-up fees or shown the benefits of higher fees to students and their families.
Wes Streeting, NUS President, said:
“I warmly welcome David Willetts' call for the student voice to be heard in the imminent fees review, and his consistent argument that the student experience must be at the heart of the ensuing debate on higher education funding.
“Students are now expected by those in power to contribute significantly to its costs. Therefore, we have a direct and unique interest in a review that will determine the future of fees.
“As the democratic and national voice of students, NUS must have a place on the review group. The possibility that this process will be conducted without direct student representation would severely undermine its legitimacy.”
The Shadow Universities Secretary questioned the process in drawing up a recent CBI report which advocated an increase in fees, higher interest rates on loans and a freezing of student numbers, but which had not consulted students.
David Willetts said:
“It is very important that the student voice is heard; in relation to the CBI report, vice-chancellors and businesses seem to have got together around a table, at which students were not present, and seem to have agreed that the way to solve the HE crisis is for students to pay more. This is an entirely predictable outcome and underlines why the student voice needs to be heard.”
The Shadow Universities Secretary also warned that the case had not been made for higher fees.
David Willetts added:
“How would I vote today? I think I would say today, if the vote arose, that the case has not been made. This is not an argument that I believe the universities have won. They haven’t yet properly accounted for the first £3,000 they had, so I would say not unless and until you have shown what is in it for students and their parents.”
The Shadow Universities Secretary also praised students’ unions and NUS.
David Willetts said:
“On listening to students, I think that what students have done and the transformation of NUS over the past few years…and the kind of material that NUS put out, is the most powerful single way of making sure that politicians listen.
“I think that what NUS has achieved in the past few years, as a constructive contributor to the national debate on HE and what you achieve in your individual unions is something of which you can be enormously proud. Your concerns are the concerns that we all in politics need to hear.”
ENDS
Comments
Incidentally, NUS sent me an email pointing out that this wasn't their first press release this year welcoming a Conservative idea: see subsequent post "Hell Freezes over yet again" on 8th November.