Around 70 students from Leeds university came out to protest following the announcement of the conclusions of the Browne Review. The review proposes that the ‘cap’ on tuition fees should be lifted and that universities be allowed to charge students whatever fee they want.
Socialist Students and Leeds University Against Cuts were out in force to protest after Channel 4 news planned a special ‘debate’ on campus on the issue of tuition fees. The ‘debate’ panel was unrepresentative of students’ opinions, having been packed with management and economists.
‘Debate’
No representative of the anti-cuts movement in Leeds was asked to participate.
However the noise of the protest could be heard in the studio and the news did broadcast a few protesters’ opinions on the issue, including Socialist Party member Ian Pattison.
Ian appeared on Channel 4, saying that the Browne Review is “an attempt to make students and their families pay for an economic crisis not of their making”.
Despite the protest being barred from entering our students union building and the panel on the debate being fixed, it was clear to the university and Channel 4 news that students don’t support the Browne Review, will make their opposition heard and will fight back to stop a rise in fees and cuts in education.
