Students target promise-breaking MP in Cheadle
Article published: Thursday, December 16th 2010
Manchester students staged a flash-mob outside the constituency office of Cheadle Hulme Liberal Democrat MP Mark Hunter, in protest at his decision to vote in favour for a rise in tuition fees – despite an election pledge not to.
Students from the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and various schools and colleges in the city unfurled a banner yesterday afternoon at Hunter’s office in the Greater Manchester suburb in order to raise awareness about “the u-turn he made on his pledge.”
This came after the parliamentary vote last week which narrowly decided in favour of allowing Universities to triple tuition fees up to £9,000 per year.
Like all incumbent Lib Dem MPs, Hunter had signed a pledge drawn up by the National Union of Students (NUS) “to vote against any increase in fees.” This formed part of their election campaign to win over student votes.
Nevertheless he eventually voted with the coalition government despite weeks of lobbying and campaigning by students across Greater Manchester.
Withington MP John Leech was one of 21 Lib-Dems who respected the pledge and voted against the government, while eight others abstained. Overall those breaking party lines reduced the coalition government’s notional majority from 83 to 21.
Amanda Walters, Campaigns Officer at the University of Manchester Students’ Union said, “The threat of being left with a debt of up to £38,000 will be a regressive move for the widening participation agenda. Someone from a poor background is likely to be more concerned…about having such high levels of debt.”
Protestors also warned about the dangers to participation posed by the proposal to abolish Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), a £10-£30 weekly allowance paid to 16-19 year olds from low-income families in further education.
When campaigning to be elected as an MP in 2005, Mark Hunter ran on a platform of abolition of tuition fees, saying, “I have spoken to both local parents and students who are genuinely worried about these extra costs. Why must young people and their families be saddled with huge debts just to get a good education?”
However, he recently changed his tune, justifying his volte-face on the grounds that “I believe that coalition plans offer the best available deal for students.”
Following the vote he spoke of his “disappointment” that the Lib Dems “weren’t able to implement the manifesto commitment in full,” words which will surely rankle younger generations excluded from higher education.
Hunter is Assistant Chief Whip in the Coalition Government.
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