Browne's Report Shakes-Up University Fees

TUESDAY morning saw the highly-anticipated news of Lord Browne’s report into higher education fees.  With it, there is very grim news for all students, both current and prospective who are thinking of university in their future careers.

If the coalition government goes ahead with Browne’s recommendation, students will be paying upto £6,000 a year to study at university.  Currently, the fee is capped at £3,290 a year.  Browne, a former chief executive of BP wants the current system to be replaced with a much easier format.  However, it now means that students could be finishing their degree in debt of more than £30,000.  The interest rates on student loans are also set to rise, from 1.5% to 2.2%.  To compensate these changes, Browne also wants to increase the salary threshold, so students begin paying back their loans, when they start earning £21,000 a year, rather than the current £15,000 scheme which is in place now.  It is by far the biggest shake-up in education policies for over two decades.

His report could cause a major rift in the current coalition partnership.  The Conservative party are certainly for the idea, but David Cameron will be desperate for the Liberal Democrats to back the proposal through parliament.  In the lead-up to the General Election, both Nick Clegg and Vince Cable were totally against a rise in tuition fees, making it one of their key pledges in their election manifesto.  The news has angered the president of the NUS (National Union of Students), Aaron Porter; "Lord Browne is clearly dangerously out of touch with the pressures faced by students and their families.  "The Government must reject proposals that would recklessly undermine our future by ending the notion of public higher education."

Compromises need to be made by all parties; even David Cameron said that in his first Downing Street media conference on Monday.  However, students are bound to rally around the expected rises, and many will question the point of university, especially if they become saddled in thousands of pounds of debt and with no guarantee of a decent job after graduation, especially in the tighter economic climate we live in today.  Plus, universities may struggle to get the intake required, especially if students start becoming scared to pay such ridiculous amounts of money.  Standards will need to rise in all universities; otherwise these changes simply can’t go through. 

This isn’t the last we’ve heard of tuition fees.  It is bound to be a major topic point throughout the autumn.

David Miliband Quits Frontline Politics

Yesterday, David Miliband confirmed that he was stepping down from frontline politics, so he could spend more time with his family.  The MP for South Shields told Sky News’s political editor Adam Boulton of his decision at his home in an exclusive interview with the broadcaster.  Saturday’s shock defeat to his brother Ed Miliband in the Labour leadership battle has made him question and think long and hard about his political future, especially after he was the favourite for the role for months.

In the interview with Boulton, David admits the decision was not easy, but it is the right one, both for him, his brother and the future of the Labour party.

"I will serve to my utmost," "But staying in the shadow cabinet would be a route to real difficulty.  "Instead of focusing on winning in 2015 and beyond, the team would be subject to permanent scrutiny of body language - everything from sneezes to comments.  "Ed needs open field to lead as he sees fit. I will be a loyal supporter from the backbenches.  "It is the cleanest and clearest decision to take, though not the easiest."

On the reaction to the news, Ed Miliband was clearly disappointed, but had nothing but praise for David’s commitment and integrity towards the new Labour generation.

"I spoke to David earlier, and while it would have been fantastic to have him serving in my shadow cabinet, he has made a thoughtful and gracious decision.  "It is thoughtful for the family and gracious in terms of the future of the party."  "He is a massive talent for our party, and indeed for our country, I'm not going to hide that fact."  "We would have been a stronger team with him in it.  "But I think that he is right to have made the decision that he has, it is the right decision for him.

If Ed Miliband is going to do the job he is assigned to do, which is to get Labour back into Downing Street in five years time, he already knows how hard the job is going to be and without his brother, who was one of the strongest people in the doomed Gordon Brown regime, it has only got tougher.  He now has to show his commitment to the party on his own and take on the coalition government with all the passion he has available to him.

Gordon Goes, What Will Happen Next?

At 5pm today, Prime Minister Gordon Brown came out of No.10 Downing Street, to make a statement that shook the political world to the core.  He announced he was to step down as Labour leader as soon as possible.  He announced a leadership election for the party, and hoped that the new leader would be selected before Labour’s annual party conference this autumn.  He also said he would not play any part in the electoral process, nor back any candidate personally.  It was a dignified and gracious speech, but where does this leave the country now.  Lost and confused seems the best way to explain it.

The day started with William Hague, the Conservative Shadow Chancellor announcing to the media of another positive round of talks between the Tories and the Liberal Democrats.  Their leaders Nick Clegg and David Cameron have been locked in talks throughout the weekend.  However, the stumbling block of the Lib Dems determination to push forward its voting reform seem to have put all negotiations at a stalling process.  Later on, after a meeting with MP’s, Clegg confirmed that the PR scheme, which he hadn’t initially pushed for, was now a condition the Conservatives must meet.  At this stage, he also announced that he was to open talks with the Labour party.  So, was Brown pushed by his own party, did he step down on his own accord, or has Clegg pushed him out of Downing Street.

Throughout the election campaign, Nick Clegg has always maintained that he would not work with Gordon Brown, even calling him a ‘desperate politician’ at one stage.  With Brown suddenly leaving, some are already speculating that for the Lib Dems to do a deal with Labour, one of the conditions was for Gordon to quit.  Brown insisted that he had made the decision last week, after Labour’s overwhelming defeat, though not by a majority in the General Election.  Tonight, William Hague has launched a final set of negotiations for the Liberal Democrats, a ‘take it or leave it’ offer, which included a referendum on voting reform. 

For a Labour/Lib Dems coalition government to go through, it would still need to get past the magical 326 mark in the House of Commons.  Together, they can’t reach that figure, which means bringing in smaller parties, including Plaid Cwyrmu and the SNP (Scottish National Party).  That government just has ‘disaster’ written all over.  We haven’t heard much from David Cameron today, which is quite surprising, but with Brown stepping down, he can technically go to the Queen, to request and form a minority government.  Nick Clegg’s tactics are not smart at all, he is now playing off the two major parties, and it looks like he will sell out to the biggest party, which is what some people I know closely predicted around a fortnight ago.  Clegg and the Liberal Democrats political reputations are on the line, and their reluctance to do a deal, must worry the British people.  Some are probably wondering already, ‘Why did we vote, if we were going to get in this mess?’

Today’s announcement brings down the curtain-raiser on Gordon Brown’s long career in politics.  Starting out as a strong, political student at Edinburgh University, he got his first break in the Labour party in 1983, with younger hair, alongside a certain Tony Blair.  He was a strong figure in the Neil Kinnock regime, but the implications in May 1994 were going to have a sudden part in how today’s politics is shaped. 

The sudden death of the Labour leader John Smith, from a fatal heart attack looked to have set the path for Brown to take over as Labour leader.  Reluctantly and under pressure from many Labour figureheads, he gave way to Blair, who swept into power in 1997 via a landslide majority.  Brown was always seething in private, even if he put a brave face in public, but as the cracks started to appear in the Blair regime over Iraq, Brown did little to support.  At times, there seemed to be complete civil war between the pair.  Eventually, he got the long-awaited keys to No.10 in June 2007, when Blair decided to step aside.  However, he was never elected as a Prime Minister and at the first opportunity; the people decided he wasn’t good enough to run the country anymore.  Charity and volunteer work destined for the soon to be incumbent Labour Prime Minister.

This story is far from over, and with MP’s due back for business in Westminster next Tuesday, something needs to happen and quickly.  Gordon Brown’s shock decision has put Labour firmly back in the race, but all that we know tonight, is that the British political system is in shock and chaos and the country lost and confused?  What happens next is anyone’s guess….

The First Election Debate - The Jury Is Out...

Last night, television history was made, when at the Granada Studios in Manchester, the first ever General Election live debate between the three main leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties took place.  Sharp exchanges on hot topics such as immigration, crime and MP expenses were the main headlines, as Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron went toe-to-toe on the home affairs and policies that dominated their manifestos earlier this week.

At the beginning of the debate, all three leaders looked petrified, as if they had just seen a hideous ghost.  Their opening intros seemed more akin to the 90’s show, Blind Date, not an electoral debate.  However, as the debate went on, the sparring began. 

Having recorded the debate and watched it this morning, the clear winner was the Liberal Democrats leader, Nick Clegg.  Clegg was excellent throughout.  His intro was based on ‘there is an alternative,’ for us, whereas his rivals focused on a certain policy.  He was always talking to the camera and he looked very relaxed and totally professional at work.  He definitely seemed to gain the most out of this first debate, as proven by the instant reaction from ITV News after the debate. 

A sample from over 4,000 people, a TV first showed that Clegg got 43% of the vote for Which party leader do you think won the debate?  That was an overwhelming margin, compared to David Cameron, who was second with 26%.  For Cameron, last night was not his best night.  A people’s person, he seemed a bit lacklustre and though his points on immigration and getting discipline back into our education system were very worthy, he seemed to be holding something back.  The outcome of these polled results certainly suggests this.

This was never going to be Gordon Brown’s strongest area, but he will need to do a lot better if he is going to win another five years at No. 10 Downing Street.  Brown urged us to stick by him, saying ‘We’ve got to get this economy moving forward again.’  However, his defence of the immigration issue, the reliance he seemed to be holding towards Clegg was noticeable and whereas David Cameron’s body language did look strong at times, Brown looked in comparison, very weak.  His determination to stick by the National Insurance tax proposal, plus the need to spend ourselves out of recession drew a lot of criticism from his main opponent.  Cameron responded by saying: ‘Gordon is effectively saying, I want to waste more money, and then put up your taxes later.’  Finally, his jokey attitude towards some posters that the Tories have put up of him, with a smile on his face did not work at all.  Wise words Gordon, humour will not win you this election.

Chairing this debate was the former London Tonight anchorman, Alistair Stewart.  At best, his performance was very mediocre, pretty poor to be honest.  Stewart struggled to show the authority needed to chair a hotly-contested debate like this and at times, looked like he was going to lose control of the situation.  I’d expect Adam Boulton and David Dimbelby to put in better performances when chairing Sky and BBC’s debates in the next fortnight.

An average of 9.4million watched ITV’s coverage of the 90-minute show between 8.30pm and 10pm, peaking at 10million in places, with no commercial breaks for advertisements, a speciality for ITV it must be said.  Clegg may have been the bookies favourite, but in a way, the pressure is now on him to deliver next time on Sky News, to prove that his excellent performance was not a fluke.  The latest poll from The Times suggests that David Cameron has increased his lead to six points, 37% to Brown’s 31% and Clegg’s 21%.  However, that’s still no way near enough to win a majority at an election looming, just three weeks later.

At times, this debate felt a bit sterile, lacking some of the drama I had been expecting.  Everything remains in the balance and the jury is still out, especially on the undecided voters.  However, round one certainly belonged to Nick Clegg and it has blown the race to Downing Street wide open now…

The General Election - The Race Is On!

      

So, quite possibly the worse kept secret in UK politics is out.  Gordon Brown did his duty today and gave us the expected date we were waiting for.  Thursday 6^th May will be the day when the 2010 General Election takes place, the day when we visit the polls, the day when we get our say to decide whether we want change or continuity.

This is shaping up to be the closest General Election since 1992, certainly for many, the closest in generations.  Voting figures have lowered over the last three elections, largely following Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 1997, followed by years of continuous dominance from the Labour party, whilst the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats went through lean periods of decline and obscurity.  Now, things have closed up, meaning the possible majority of a Home Parliament should shake the fear into anyone.  For this country to move forward, following the dark days of the recession and MP’s expenses, it is essential we end up with a majority parliament.

Since inheriting power from Blair, when he decided to walk in 2007, Gordon Brown has had a rough and rocky ride for sure.  There are many judgements that have been made, many more that can be made.  However, he is sure to do his damnest to keep Labour in Downing Street.  Consequently, with Labour trailing in most opinion polls by around ten points, his impact on the leadership debates, to be televised live by ITV, the BBC and Sky News could have a massive influence on the final outcome.  Labour’s campaign message is based firmly on the economy and the recovery that we are meant to be in.  They are determined that change will ruin the country completely, although whether that is the case is unknown.

Labour’s determination to increase the National Insurance tax has angered their rival parties and the Liberal Democrats are convinced that after sixty-five years of Tory and Labour government, they deserve a proper say in the country.  Nick Clegg certainly gives the party their best chance at a General Election for nearly twenty years.  He is the fresh, prompt face that the Liberals needed after the ageing Menzies Campbell.  Despite reports of coalition with the Tories, Clegg is determined to do things his own way, which is brave, but could well reap results for the Liberal Democrats at the polls.

Many believe that David Cameron is the man to lead Britain into this second decade.  Cameron is fresh, opinionated and strong-minded and has incentives and drive that may be missing from the Brown administration.  His impact on politics seems similar to Barack Obama over in America, but he is the man who is quite possibly under pressure the most.  The Conservative party are the slight favourites to inherit power from May 7^th onwards.  However, that doesn’t mean they will win, just ask Labour’s Neil Kinnock, who was the long-term favourite in 1992, yet was gazumped at the post by John Major. 

The campaign trail has already begun and for the next four weeks, the party leaders will travel the full width and breadth of the country in an effort to persuade voters that their vision is truly the way to go.  Attacking and defensive strategies are already being applied by the parties, keen to win key seats, unexpected and expected seats.  The battle lines have been drawn – let the race to May 6^th and Downing Street begin!