The idiots who stormed Millbank Tower yesterday and threw a fire extinguisher from the roof have rightly been condemned for their violent actions. The agitators owe an apology to the primarily peaceful students who protested in London yesterday against education cuts. The media focus has inevitably turned to policing – ignoring the important issues at stake.
A fair bit is known about the impact of rising tuition fees and the cuts to university teaching budgets. Much less is known about the £500 million cuts to the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
EMAs of £10, £20 or £30 per week are received by 635,000 14-to-19 year olds from families with an income below £30,810. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows attainment at GCSE and A-level by recipients of EMA has risen by 5 to 7 percentage points since its introduction, and by even more for those living in the most deprived neighbourhoods. Research by RCU Market Research Services found that, “the analysis of learner data seems to provide evidence that EMA has had a positive impact on the retention, achievement and success of certain groups of learners.”
Neither the Conservative nor Lib Dem manifesto made a single mention of cuts to EMAs and the Coalition Programme was also silent. But as reported by Left Foot Forward in January, David Cameron told a Cameron Direct event in Hammersmith:
“We’ve looked at Educational Maintenance Allowances and we haven’t announced any plan to get rid of them. They do often if you go to schools and ask people what they think of them and ask young people themselves, they get quite a mixed reception actually because some people can see them as a bit divisive, but no we don’t have any plans to get rid of them.
At the time Left Foot Forward was heavily criticised by blogger Iain Dale for suggesting that this amounted to a U-turn from the more negative approach to EMAs articulated by Michael Gove and Chris Grayling. Dale pointed to a Guardian article outlining that “The Conservatives say they have no specific plans to reform the EMA” and an exchange in the House of Commons where Michael Gove had said he was “absolutely” in favour of EMAs. But like Lib Dem voters over tuition fees, students have been duped by the Tories on EMAs.
Shadow education secretary, Andy Burnham, recorded a message yesterday on EMAs. He told the Save EMA campaign:
“It is utterly disgraceful really that the Government have just said that they will chop [EMAs]; David Cameron, Michael Gove both gave absolutely clear commitments before the election that they would keep EMA and the fact that they have gone back on that word I think will be seen as a bitter betrayal of young people.”
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28 Responses to “Protest violence distracts from Tory U-turn on Education Maintenance Allowances”
Anon E Mouse
Will – Labour needs to be very careful on this matter and in no way am I associating the party with the mindless violence that occurred yesterday.
With the Poll Tax riots in the 1980’s the tax affected every single person in the country and in the US students in the 1960’s rioted over racist issues – big picture stuff. Those protests changed things.
But this one seems to be for selfish reasons and it will affect so few individuals (percentage of population wise) that the public will not support it. If riots occur when the unions are (inevitably) on strike it will hurt Labour big time.
That same picture of the thug kicking in the window yesterday was on every single national newspaper this morning (even the Star featured it next to an X Factor story) yet the student grievances were not even mentioned alongside the picture.
Yesterday the message was lost and if Labour aligns itself too closely with the students all that will be remembered will be the riots and the unfairness of the thing by people who think the dustman shouldn’t pay for the doctor’s education.
With Housing Benefit changes (supported as we know by Ed Miliband) and Child Benefit for millionaires and now this Labour seems to be aligning itself with unworthy causes and needs to be very very careful…
Rory Natkiel
Protest violence distracts from Tory U-turn on Education Maintenance Allowances http://bit.ly/dp4MSA via @wdjstraw
Anton Howarth
RT @leftfootfwd: Protest violence distracts from Tory U-turn on Education Maintenance Allowances http://bit.ly/bAZHaJ
Ralph Baldwin
Will,
Agreed on EMA. Though I do not in any way shape or form condone violence, I am afraid to accuse the angry of being stupid is rather short-sighted.
Remember nobody is representing students currently. They have been lied to by both Labour and the Lib Dems. Students are not stupid I am afraid they simply have no representation in Parliament.
One MP condemning the violence carried out by the minority of students on the Daily politics pretty much dismissed the peaceful demonstration too saying that battles would be fought in Parliament….erm what battle was that? Parliament has become an elitist consensus though of course using the term “elite” to describe it is a massive misnomer as it highlights a very real lack of understanding of some pretty basic fundamental democratic and constitutional principles.
I digress.
The point is democracy does not exist for many of these students, an MP has basically said that unlike France demonstrations are no longer a legitimate democratic way of doing things.
So the only conclusion one can reach is that representational democracy no longer exists. What more can people do beyond hanging Parliament when they are unhappy (rightly) at the failure of Parliament to represent them?
The major worry is that students are not alone in not being represented today. It would seem we all need a Joanna Lumley to make our case and MP’s have become redundent. From the point of view of the people we simply do not need them for anything.
As I return to the doorsteps it becomes increasingly apparent every tme that the general national interests of the majority of people in this country are dismissed by elected reps, many of whom do not understand what is expected of them by the people.
Parliament is hung, politicians and political parties are on probation and I have to say it is not looking very good at the moment.
Conservatives (according to Purnell via Daily Politics) simply implimenting Labour’s plans, disagreements on technicalities, lack of vision from both sides, advocacy limited to 6 years old petty diatribes at parliamentary questions and even the jokes (Harriets reference to University and meeting an odd man with ref to Clegg and Cameron) is limited to the narrow outdated student tradition.
Most people would certainly understand or relate to this and it comes across as weird. Especially when peoples real lives are affected.
MP’s have simply continued the trend from before the General Election, they are out of touch, out of ideas, and the way things are going out of time.
Democracy is not a given for the scroungers in Parliament it can be lost easily is taken for granted and abused. History has shown this again and again.
Save EMA
RT @JamesMills1984: Good post by @wdjstraw on yesterday's protest and the government lies on EMA http://bit.ly/9heMlg @SaveEMA #SaveEMA