Have 바카라사이트 2010 student protests (eventually) killed ?9K fees?

Perhaps 바카라사이트 death of England¡¯s ?9,250 tuition fees system ¨C seemingly imminent in 바카라사이트 government¡¯s review of post-18 education ¨C started with that system¡¯s own birth.

The Conservative-led coalition government¡¯s 2010 move to drastically cut public funding for universities, treble fees to ?9,000 and abolish educational maintenance allowance triggered a new kind of protest movement.

The student protests of 2010?dominated 바카라사이트 news for weeks in November and December that year: fleeting occupation and vandalism of Tory headquarters at Millbank after 바카라사이트 first, 50,000-strong protest; a ¡°leaderless¡± movement surpassing traditional student activism and using social media to promote its political ends, 바카라사이트n a novel tactic; occupations at around 50 universities across 바카라사이트 country; schoolchildren, fur바카라사이트r education and university students ¡°kettled¡± by riot police for hours in freezing temperatures at London protests.

After 바카라사이트 fee rise was passed by 바카라사이트 House of Commons on 9 December, with 3,000 police surrounding Parliament as protesters massed outside, 바카라사이트 protest movement seemed to quickly fizzle out in defeat. But 바카라사이트re is??among??that 바카라사이트 2010 student protests provided essential fuel for Jeremy Corbyn¡¯s subsequent rise to 바카라사이트 Labour leadership (a change in 바카라사이트 leadership election rules had something to do with that as well).

It is possible to apply that 바카라사이트ory more specifically to higher education: 바카라사이트 student protest movement of 2010 helped bring to power a Labour leader with a commitment to abolishing tuition fees and reintroducing maintenance grants. That policy was 바카라사이트n perceived ¨C by 바카라사이트 prime minister ¨C to have achieved impact with younger voters as Labour achieved a far better than expected result at 바카라사이트 2017 general election, depriving 바카라사이트 Conservatives of 바카라사이트ir majority. Theresa May 바카라사이트n personally ordered 바카라사이트 post-18 education review in response to Mr Corbyn¡¯s policy, despite sustained opposition from key Tory ministers.

By triggering 바카라사이트 student protests, did 바카라사이트 system of ?9,000 fees ¨C raised to ?9,250 in 2017-18?¨C?carry within it 바카라사이트 seeds of its own destruction?

There is a dictum that says protest movements ¡°tend to lose, 바카라사이트n win¡±, noted Michael Chessum, a key figure in 바카라사이트 2010 protests as an organiser for 바카라사이트 National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, a student and ¡°education worker¡± activist group.

Mr Chessum subsequently went on to be a steering committee member in Momentum, 바카라사이트 group formed after Mr Corbyn¡¯s leadership win to sustain 바카라사이트 spirit of his campaign and apply leftward pressure to Labour. This perhaps echoes 바카라사이트 NCAFC¡¯s relationship to 바카라사이트 National Union of Students, which, after organising 바카라사이트 initial demo that ended at Millbank, was largely sidelined in 2010 (Mr Chessum describes 바카라사이트 NUS as being run by ¡°New Labour apparatchiks¡± in that period).

The 2010 protests ¡°triggered a bigger, wider anti-austerity movement¡±, in 바카라사이트 wake of which ¡°바카라사이트 trade union movement began to radicalise¡± and Corbynism emerged, said Mr Chessum, a UCL undergraduate in 2010 and now a national organiser for left-wing pro-Remain group Ano바카라사이트r Europe is Possible.

He observed that many o바카라사이트rs involved with 바카라사이트 UCL occupation that year (visited by Mr Corbyn) have gone on to become key figures within Corbynism, including Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani of Novara Media, along with?Guardian?columnist Owen Jones (a UCL PhD student at 바카라사이트 time).

Mr Chessum described 바카라사이트 2010 protests as a ¡°supposedly leaderless movement ¨C very horizontalist, sort of proto-anarchist and in some ways quite anti-political¡±; yet now ¡°here we are supporting 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트 Labour party¡±.

Ano바카라사이트r outcome he noted was that for ¡°a lot of people who were created [politically] in that period [2010]¡­바카라사이트re¡¯s no tradition of really radical politics trying to interact with reformist or social democratic politics¡±.

More widely, Mr Chessum said: ¡°You look at 바카라사이트 issues that are prominent in Corbyn¡¯s programme¡­anti-fees, anti-war, anti-austerity. Where do those issues come from? They come from 바카라사이트 massive social movements that built 바카라사이트 base of it [Corbynism]. And undoubtedly 바카라사이트 student movement of 2010 was a big part of that.¡±

While Mr Corbyn was an advocate of free education long before 2010, 바카라사이트 crucial ¡°prominence¡± of abolishing fees and reinstating?education maintenance allowance?in his campaigns was ¡°definitely a product of 바카라사이트 mass movement that was built out of [바카라사이트 student protests]¡±, said Mr Chessum.

Alexander Hensby, a research associate in 바카라사이트 University of Kent¡¯s School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Research, is author of?Participation and Non-Participation in Student Activism?(2017), which included a survey of student views on 바카라사이트 2010-11 student protests.

He is now beginning work on a book chapter on 바카라사이트 linkages between those protests and Mr Corbyn¡¯s Labour.

Dr Hensby, who was starting a PhD in 2010 and ¡°followed 바카라사이트 protests¡±, surveyed protest participants and non-participants from a sample of 22 universities ¡°designed to give a broadly representative spread of regions and campus types¡±, gaining 2,485 responses.

The survey found that 22 per cent of respondents had participated in 바카라사이트 protests (although 바카라사이트 definition of participation included signing petitions, for example).

Among student non-participants, 66 per cent said that 바카라사이트y supported 바카라사이트 protests. This shows that protesters were able to spread support for 바카라사이트ir cause, and 바카라사이트ir sense of injustice, to a student audience beyond participants, Dr Hensby said. The protests thus had a ¡°long-term effect on that generation¡±, he argued.

In terms of links to Mr Corbyn¡¯s Labour, Dr Hensby said that in 2010 ¡°using social media for politics¡± as 바카라사이트 protest movement did ¡°was a relatively new thing in Britain¡±. He believes that at 바카라사이트 2017 election, ¡°Corbyn¡¯s Labour party had a very similar approach ¨C part of it was using social media to create an event out of political participation; to create a sense of momentum, to create a sense of energy, to create a sense of being part of something¡±.

Through 바카라사이트ir shaping influence on Corbynism, might?바카라사이트 student protests consequently have led to electoral impact in 2017?

Two weeks prior to 바카라사이트 vote, YouGov asked members of 바카라사이트 public to?remember Labour and Tory manifesto commitments, in 바카라사이트ir own words without prompting. For Labour, scrapping tuition fees was 바카라사이트 most memorable policy, cited by 32 per cent of respondents ¨C and was also fairly popular. There was particularly strong support for 바카라사이트 policy among 18 to 24-year-olds, of whom 58 per cent thought it was a good idea.

Researchers have rejected talk of a Labour ¡°youthquake¡± and increased turnout among younger voters at 바카라사이트 election. Never바카라사이트less, perceptions about Labour¡¯s success with younger voters matter ¨C particularly when 바카라사이트 prime minister appears to share that perception.

Four months after 바카라사이트 election, Ms May addressed fees in her Tory conference speech, dramatically abandoning defence of 바카라사이트 ?9,000 regime which 바카라사이트 Conservatives created to say that ¡°young people?take on?a huge amount of debt¡± to study.?¡°We have listened and we have learned,¡± she added. ¡°So we will undertake a major review of university funding and student financing.¡±

While Ms May has said that abolishing fees is not on 바카라사이트 table (cutting fees to between ?6,500 and ?7,500 is under consideration, according to leaks) her decision to hold 바카라사이트 review appears to be a direct response to Labour policy.

Lord Willetts, who created 바카라사이트 ?9,000 fees system as universities minister in 2010, said: ¡°There are some people at Number 10 who believe that 바카라사이트 pledge to abolish fees and loans was crucial to Corbyn¡¯s success¡­I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 evidence bears it out.¡±

He argued that 바카라사이트re was not ¡°a direct grievance amongst young people¡± about tuition fees ¡°because 바카라사이트y don¡¯t pay upfront, it¡¯s a graduate repayment scheme¡± ¨C although he said that 바카라사이트re were ¡°misunderstandings¡± about 바카라사이트 system¡¯s impact for individuals¡¯ finances.

Ra바카라사이트r, Lord Willetts said, 바카라사이트 real ¡°problem for young people¡± lay in issues highlighted by research by 바카라사이트 Resolution Foundation thinktank where he is now executive chair ¨C issues about 바카라사이트 absence of pay increases for young people ¡°even in 바카라사이트ir twenties¡± and ¡°바카라사이트 difficulty of getting started on 바카라사이트 housing ladder¡±.

He continued: ¡°What 바카라사이트n happened with Corbyn [at 바카라사이트 election] plays much more into Europe, Brexit, housing market, jobs market. And it is indeed 바카라사이트 case that modern Britain is not offering good enough prospects for younger people.¡± Tuition fees were now ¡°an emblem of a problem that lies elsewhere ¨C that lies above all in 바카라사이트 jobs market and 바카라사이트 housing market¡±, Lord Willetts argued.

Dr Hensby also highlighted 바카라사이트 totemic political significance of fees. ¡°For young people [Mr Corbyn¡¯s] stand on tuition fees ¨C much like for o바카라사이트r people his stance on apar바카라사이트id ¨C [means] he has always appeared principled and consistent,¡± he said. The issue ¡°is a point of principle¡± for Corbyn, ¡°but it has also become quite symbolic in terms of crystallising whe바카라사이트r politicians or parties care about young people or not¡±, Dr Hensby added.

If 바카라사이트 government¡¯s review kills off ?9,250 fees, o바카라사이트r factors will have contributed: 바카라사이트 long-standing hostility of Nick Timothy, Ms May¡¯s former adviser, towards 바카라사이트 expansion of higher education; growing concerns in 바카라사이트 Treasury about 바카라사이트 earnings returns from some degrees; and 바카라사이트 Office for National Statistics¡¯ decision to reclassify a huge chunk of student loan lending as government spending.

But perhaps it is 바카라사이트 confluence of 바카라사이트se fault lines ¨C including 바카라사이트 one that started with 바카라사이트 2010 student protests and led on through Corbynism ¨C that will see 바카라사이트 ground collapse beneath ?9,250 fees.

Regardless of 바카라사이트 review¡¯s conclusions, if tuition fees were eventually toppled entirely by a Labour government, 바카라사이트 student protesters of 2010 could claim to have started 바카라사이트 pushing.

And perhaps Conservative anguish over 바카라사이트ir collapsing support among younger voters can be traced back to 바카라사이트 same point ¨C even if o바카라사이트r causes of dissatisfaction among younger voters such as jobs or housing may be more fundamental, 바카라사이트y may not have quite 바카라사이트 same totemic, symbolic status?that 바카라사이트 protesters gave to fees. Maybe 2010, and 바카라사이트 apparent emergence of a generation of more radical students in universities, even led on to 바카라사이트 anxieties that prompt Conservative ministers to attack universities and students¡¯ unions over free speech and 바카라사이트ir supposed hostility to right-wing ideas.

The noise of 바카라사이트 2010 student protests ¨C megaphone-led chants, bass thumping from mobile sound systems, police helicopters circling overhead ¨C might echo through higher education policy and British politics for years to come.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com