With the controversial tuition fee vote looming, NUS National President Aaron Porter has hit back at Nick Clegg after accusations from the Deputy Prime Minister that he was ‘not being straight’ with student protesters over his ideas for higher education reform.
A lib dem rebellion on housing benefit proposals is brewing – with both Bob Russell MP and Simon Hughes leading the charge.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis writes about the shocking rise in violence against NHS staff – and the poor proesectution rate, currently only 1.9 pc.
Should a stark example of the impact of inequality be needed, look at health status and life expectancy. If everyone over 30 without a degree had their death rate reduced to that of people with degrees, there would be over 200,000 fewer premature deaths each year. This finding, in last year’s Marmot review of health inequalities, illustrated the report’s core message: “Inequalities are a matter of life and death, of health and sickness, of well-being and misery.”
Ed miliband responded to David Cameron on tuition fees today, attacking the “shoddy scheme” the government is proposing. Yesterday, the prime minister, in a column in the Standard, defended the trebling of fees, and said that “before protesting, students need to get the facts straight”. Today, the Leader of the Opposition said “universities and students deserve better” than what the government is offering.
MPs will this afternoon get the chance to debate education secretary Michael Gove’s decision to end the ring fencing of the schools sports budget. Today, the House of Commons will debate a motion tabled by the Opposition critical of a decision which could see drastic cuts to funding for school sport in the in the run up to the Olympics.
Imagine the letters “NHS” were removed from your local hospital’s name. Would that worry you as a prospective patient? This scenario has not happened yet – but is getting closer. Last week saw the announcement of England’s first district hospital where all clinical services will be run by a private company. With the coalition’s Health Bill imminent, concerns about NHS local care becoming a franchise for big private operators are moving centre stage.
The OBR yesterday showed that the Higher Education reforms will increase net debt by £13bn. The findings contradict Vince Cable’s claims that the policy switch was motivated by the “current economic climate”.
A petition has been launched, that will result in 2,012 children taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Westminster against the savage cuts to school sport.
Nick Clegg and Vince Cable are considering abstaining in the crucial tuition fees vote before Christmas. But a Lib Dem abstention is equivalent to a vote for the reforms.
