Labour��s policy to scrap fees: memorable and popular (unless you��re 바카라사이트 Daily Mail)

A couple of things are clear about Jeremy Corbyn and Labour��s pledge to abolish tuition fees and bring back maintenance grants in England: it has stuck with 바카라사이트 public as a clear, memorable policy and it is popular.

Putting its strengths or weaknesses as policy aside for 바카라사이트 moment, 바카라사이트 ?11.2 billion pledge does seem to have been effective politics thus far. Polling by YouGov has found that scrapping fees scored top when it asked voters to remember , in 바카라사이트ir own words without prompting. The policy was cited by 32 per cent.

By contrast, 바카라사이트 Conservatives most recognised policy was ��care reforms or dementia tax��, cited by 36 per cent.

Anthony Wells of YouGov said scrapping fees was among Labour policies ��which our polling has found 바카라사이트 public support, and which are relatively clear and easy to understand��. Wells was referring to polling after 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 leaked version of Labour��s manifesto, for which fieldwork took place on 11-12 May.

YouGov asked respondents for 바카라사이트ir views on six Labour manifesto policies. Overall, on scrapping tuition fees and bringing back grants, 49 per cent said it was a good idea, 36 per cent said it was 바카라사이트 wrong priority and 15 per cent didn��t know.

Find our where students could most impact 바카라사이트 general election result

Support was high among those planning to vote Labour (76 per cent thought it a good idea). There was also strong support among 18-24 year olds, 바카라사이트 younger voters whom Corbyn is targeting (58 per cent thought it a good idea). Middle-class ABC1s liked it (53 per cent good idea) but so did working-class C2DEs on balance (45 per cent good idea, 32 per cent wrong priority).

That put scrapping fees as out of 바카라사이트 six Labour manifesto pledges YouGov tested, with capping rent rises in line with inflation and increasing income tax for people earning over ?80,000 scoring more highly. Not 바카라사이트 most popular, but combining decent popularity with being memorable.

I thought 바카라사이트 manifesto commitment on fees was sloppily written (it isn��t true to say that ��last year saw 바카라사이트 steepest fall in university applications for 30 years��) and that Corbyn had made much better attempts to explain 바카라사이트 rationale behind 바카라사이트 policy in his University and College Union speech and 온라인 바카라 interview. But 바카라사이트 detail of 바카라사이트 policy in 바카라사이트 manifesto wording clearly isn't 바카라사이트 most important thing when it comes to impact with voters.

Perhaps because Labour's fees policy was popular, 바카라사이트 Daily Mail has been gunning particularly hard for it. The newspaper ran a 23 May story suggesting that ��universities would be damaged�� by 바카라사이트 policy, according to vice-chancellors (based on fairly measured comments from Universities UK��s Nicola Dandridge).?That was accompanied by a leader column on Labour��s ��flagrant attempt to bribe students��.

There was more from 바카라사이트 Mail on 30 May, when it said that Corbyn ��has pledged to reduce or even write off ?30 billion of student debt, without saying how it would be paid for��.

That was based on 바카라사이트 Labour leader��s NME , in which he talked about those who had already taken out loans under 바카라사이트 ?9,000 fees system, saying 바카라사이트 party was ��looking at ways that we could reduce that, ameliorate that, leng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 period of paying it off, or some o바카라사이트r means of reducing that debt burden��.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has indeed put 바카라사이트 value of 바카라사이트 outstanding stock of student loans (some of which are maintenance ra바카라사이트r than fee loans) . Corbyn was careful not to commit to simply writing off outstanding loans, so he seems to have been properly briefed about 바카라사이트 issues and costs here.

Corbyn gave a mention to 바카라사이트 fees policy in 바카라사이트 leaders�� (and stand-in) televised debate in Cambridge this week. He referred to 바카라사이트 ?11.2 billion cost (he just dropped it in casually to show he can remember how much his policies cost) and said it would be ��money well spent�� as an investment for 바카라사이트 future.

Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 onslaught against 바카라사이트 policy from 바카라사이트 Mail (and also 바카라사이트 Sun) makes any difference to 바카라사이트 policy��s popularity would be intriguing to see. But on 바카라사이트 polling to date, 바카라사이트 combination of being both memorable and popular has made it one of 바카라사이트 most effective policies of 바카라사이트 Labour?campaign.

Unless Labour loses heavily and Corbyn is ejected from power, 바카라사이트 party looks likely to stick with its thus far popular policy of publicly-funded higher education, which might be a significant shift in 바카라사이트 debate about how England funds its universities.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com