Lib Dem attacks his own party over tuition fees

Nick has joined other Lib Dem candidates from across the country petitioning the leadership of the party to honour its original commitment on tuition fees.

Of the candidates who have responded to the organisers, over 80% support the petition.

Speaking to The Observer, Nick said: “I met with Vince Cable MP in Eastbourne last month to listen to his reasoning for accepting the measures in the Browne Report. The system that he is planning is certainly more progressive than anything produced by the Labour Government, or that the Conservatives would produce on their own.

“However this is a totemic issue for the Lib Dems. Such is the commitment of the party to free higher education that the Coalition Agreement includes an opt-out clause on the subject of tuition fees.

“It is a matter of personal integrity for me. If I was a member of the parliamentary party, I would be voting against any increase in tuition fees. It is on this basis that I have petitioned the leadership of the party to do the same.”

The petition states: “During the General Election campaign many of our MP’s (and now government ministers) signed a pledge with the National Union of Students that they would vote against any tuition fee rises during the course of the next Parliament. “The wording of this pledge clearly indicated that this would be unconditional; regardless of whether the party was in government or in opposition. The party has been very clear for many years about its view on tuition fees and that we feel they should be abolished.

“However after the recent publication of the Browne review into university funding it now seems entirely possible that tuition fees could rise by anywhere up to 82% on average for most courses and the cap will be removed entirely for competitive courses at the top universities.

“Stopping this from happening is vitally important. Not just for the benefit of students but also for the Liberal Democrats. There is one thing that sets the Liberal Democrats apart from other political parties; this is that when we say we will do something during election campaigns we then do it in government. This can be seen in how the income tax threshold will rise to £10,000 by the end of this Parliament, the AV referendum on 5th May 2011, the reduction of MP’s to 600, the Pupil Premium and the delay over the replacement of Trident. We have achieved this and more despite the compromises of being in a coalition.

“Nick Clegg emphasised this best of all during the televised leadership debates when he said that the Labour and Conservative Parties have given us “Nothing but broken promises”, he also emphasised that “The Liberal Democrats are different”. Finally and crucially he announced how he wanted to create a “New politics” and part of this vision was for parties to do in government as they claim they will in opposition.

“It is time for us to remind him of these important values. The rise in tuition fees is designed to fill in the £2.9 billion black hole that will be left in the teaching funds for universities after the announcement of cuts of 40% in the spending review. However in the context of reducing the deficit this is a drop in the ocean and these savings could surely be better achieved elsewhere. This may be a hard time economically but this is a battle we must win.

“We are different and must show that we are; now we are in a position to do so. Otherwise this party will rightly face many more years back in the political wilderness having been labelled as ‘just like the other lot’.

“So are these savings of £2.9 billion worth it? Is this price worth the loss of our party’s integrity and our values? If not then we must let the leadership know how we feel and stop these fees from rising while we still can.

“We, the undersigned Parliamentary Liberal Democrat Candidates at the 2010 General Election, call on Nick Clegg, Vince Cable and all the Liberal Democrat MPs to vote against any increase in tuition fees, as pledged to the National Union of Students and publicised as such during the 2010 General Election campaign.”