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protests today will be deprecated by some media, but they are both justified and necessary

The fact that there is a long tradition of student protest could encourage many commentators to assume that today's protest is not taken too seriously. Too often, the condescension of these media events, regarding them as a sort of rite of passage, rag week as serious political activity, suggesting that it is only a phase, something that participants "will to develop ".

But this dismissive reaction is wrong for several reasons. For starters, the right to peaceful protest, when other means have failed democracy is a valuable part of our political tradition. The actual replacement of public funds for teaching in higher education significantly increase individual rates was not mentioned in the platform of a party, and even the removal of existing tariff rates was an explicit manifesto commitment of the partners Liberal Democrat coalition. No wonder, then, if many members of the political consciousness of our society feel obligated collectively engage in some form of public protest so they can get their arguments heard on this issue at all.

second of this type of event can be a valuable form of education policy in their own right, forcing people to examine their beliefs, to articulate and defend their beliefs, and are sometimes strong criticism. When I accepted the invitation to speak with groups of students participating in these events, I am always impressed by the intellectual seriousness of most of those involved, and the level of commitment and sophistication to with any more conventional academic seminar. Many seniors in the students really want to understand why this harmful policy is contagious - and what you can, now, you can do about it

am less optimistic than they are about to reach a political change in the short term. But I believe in participating in public debate in an attempt to change the political climate in the longer term events, and peace are one. Important and legitimate to draw attention to issues that governments prefer to consider it closed aa represent the student protest that only players expected Whinging clearly misrepresents the student protests against the commercialization of higher education. Do not forget that those who took to the streets today are not protesting in their own names, not those charged with debts of £ 40-50000, because it applies only to universities that enter the autumn of this year. And actually, this is not a sectoral interest on the part of those currently connected to higher education to all, but something that our society as a whole has an interest. Aa right However, some people may think that it is for graduates to contribute to tuition fees above what will anyway as taxpayers, the fatal error of these new provisions is its attempt to treat education as a commercial transaction between an individual buyer (applicant) and an individual seller (a university). What is lost is the design of a national system of higher education as a collective investment in public goods, where each generation is part of the cost of education of his successor.