A group of Liberal Democrat councillors have claimed Lichfield’s Conservative MP Michael Fabricant is being hypocritical in his views over Brexit.
Michael Fabricant recently told Remainers to “bottle up their spite” and allow the democratic decision to leave the European Union to take place.
But now the group of Lichfield councillors have hit back, claiming the election of the new Prime Minister shows that democracy isn’t being respected across the board.
In an open letter, Cllrs Hugh Ashton, Paul McDermott, Christine Rapley, Paul Ray and John Smith said: “The recent public pronouncements of Mr Fabricant and his enthusiasm for a move that is almost universally predicted to cause serious damage to individuals, society, and to the Union itself, give us serious pause for thought as to his continued suitability as a Member of Parliament.
“The hypocrisy of the call to respect democracy has become apparent, with members of Mr Fabricant’s party alone having been responsible for selecting Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, and more than 99 percent of the population excluded from voting.
“Is this the ‘sovereignty’ and ‘taking back control’ that Mr Fabricant and his friends have been bleating about for the past few years?
“If by his recent pronouncement where he claims that Mr Johnson ‘will deliver what this country needs with style and panache’ Mr Fabricant means a blatant disregard for the truth and for facts, endless promises which remain unfulfilled, and which demonstrate a clear manifestation of style over substance, then we must agree with him.
“However, we do not agree with him that this is what the country needs.
“Mr Johnson’s personal life and his employment history are matters of public record. Enough has been written about them already. We can only say that we would not trust a man with such a record with a position of responsibility.
“That Mr Fabricant can do so, and enthusiastically endorse Mr Johnson, surely makes us question his judgement on such matters.”
Concerns over a no-deal Brexit have seen the pound drop – and the Liberal Democrat councillors believe the warnings about the impact of leaving the European Union cannot continue to be ignored by the city’s MP.
“Even Michael Fabricant’s ideological colleague Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted that a downturn will occur, but breezily reassures us that this recession will last a few decades at most,” they said.
“Most of those baying for a swift Brexit seem unable or unwilling to accept the unpleasant reality that a no-deal Brexit will result in many years of negotiation, while the UK remains in an unrepresented powerless limbo, which cannot be eliminated by hysterical cheerleading that references days of past glory.
“We have yet to hear a single convincing argument from Mr Fabricant as to why the UK should leave the European Union.
“Even before Brexit, the mere threat of leaving the EU has caused the pound to lose 20 percent or more of its value since the referendum, £1trillion worth of investment to move out of the UK into the EU, and hundreds of thousands of jobs lost.
“It is hard to see when and where we will see the post-Brexit ‘sunny uplands’ that were promised to us by Mr Johnson and his fellow-travellers on their path to the cliff edge.
“The 2016 referendum was an advisory, not mandatory, referendum and the terms of leaving the EU were not clearly spelled out. The margin of victory was such that the Leave campaign itself would have called for a rematch had the voting patterns been reversed.
“No doubt we will hear the tired old tropes about democracy and the will of the people, while ignoring the facts that many of the people who voted to leave the EU in 2016 have since died, and over 80 percent of new voters – who will be most affected by the UK’s leaving the EU – wish to remain.
“Additionally, a substantial proportion of those who voted to leave three years ago now feel deceived or misled by the fanciful promises of the Leave campaign.”
I’m not sure I have enough popcorn in anticipation of this thread!
Given what we knew in 2016 to what we know now, are we not mature enough to say that this is a mistake? Not that any promises were made about what we could realistically expect in the 2016 referendum, those made subsequent to that vote have all fallen by the wayside, and we now talk in decades about how long it will take us to recover.
None of the claims of ‘being controlled by the EU,’ ‘trade with the rest of the world,’ ‘control our borders,’ have held any water – all disgraceful lies to achieve the coup that is Brexit.
Brexit has cost the UK taxpayer £87bn and continues to cost £600m per week.
Parliament is paralysed, not a single piece of primary legislation, outside of Brexit, has been passed.
As an act of national self-harm, Brexit is unprecedented and the awful thing is, we don’t have to do any of this.
LibDems are whining about BoJo because they’re scared that he will deliver and Brexit will be a success.
It’s not just that many of those who voted “leave” have died, more that all of them were stupid. As for “no deal”, “no deal” means panic stricken dealing from the weakest possible position while the world laughs as it looks on at a country destroying itself. Oh stupid little archipelago. If only school trips to, say Paris, Berlin or Rome had been compulsory in the mid c20 how much better informed the quitlings might have been.
How weird. There has never been an instance of a prime minister being elected other than by their own party members. This might be considered a strange application of democracy but it isn’t hypocritical. The discussion then inevitably dissolves into the many hackneyed observations by the remainers. This usually questions the sanity and maturity of those who support the autonomy of our country. Thankfully it would appear that progress is now likely to be made and that we will leave. I have seen enough instability in some of the member states to convince me it is the right thing to do. There will be agreements….. There always are, but the terms have to be mutually beneficial and not treat us as some sort of pariah. As for the Lib Dems and hypocrisy. Perhaps they should consider their duplicity while in power (ha ha) with the Cameron government. Lastly, we are invited to offer the anonymous writer of this article a coffee for his efforts. Perhaps he should put the whisky bottle away first.
Chris, I voted remain and still wish to do so, but branding everyone who held the opposite view as “stupid” (and by extension everyone who voted remain as clever) is absurd in the extreme. I know many people who voted leave for the reason that they genuinely felt it was for the benefit of the country. In all honesty, they are yet to be proved wrong (although the signs aren’t promising). A bit of humility from either side would be welcome.
I regret the outcome of the vote and agree with Darryl that, in a mature democracy, the electorate could be asked if they have changed their minds now more information is known. If the leave camp are so convinced that the ‘will of the people’ will prevail, then let’s just check.
Philip, your arguments are usually well made – even if I don’t always agree with them, but this piece seems a well written report of what the Lib Dem Councillors have said – why denigrate the volunteer journalist by suggesting they must have been drunk?
And we’re off…
Bojo directly criticised Brown when he took the rains from Blair and called for a general election, those in glass houses etc.
Instability? Where? Greece, the Eurozone bailed out Greece to the tune of £289bn, caused by country issues, are you trying to equate that with being part of the EU?
Treat us like a pariah, good grief we’re leaving and the leavers still want the world on a stick, why leave the biggest trading block ever created to negotiate with the biggest trading block ever created? Utter madness.
Oh look another dig at the Lib Dems over tuition fees, how very now, clearly it’s not felicitous to remember that May bunged the DUP £1bn of our money to stay in power, which is worse?
No wonder Brexit is such a mess when the unicorns promised are still being believed and never arrive.
You’re wasting your time Philip. They don’t even understand our parliamentary electoral procedure.
Rob as irrelevant as always.
Brexit causes UK car industry investment to crash to ‘pitiful’ £90m
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/31/brexit-causes-uk-car-industry-investment-to-crash-to-pitiful-90m
What does the falling pound mean for holidays and prices?
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/30/pound-holidays-prices-sterling-brexit
Like I said earlier, Brexit is a needless act of self-harm costing us billions.
No great surprise at some of the comments on here, given who’s posting them.
Yes, Boris may have criticised Brown’s coronation (which had no vote at all). What effect did it have? Brown still saw out the remainder of his premiership until the last possible moment.
Instability…hmm, let me think?
* Italy – dire straits financially and on collision course with EU re. turning migrant boats away
* France – economy on the downturn, Gilets Jaunes demos on city streets for 38 consecutive weeks, albeit virtually no reporting by mainstream media. Why?
* Germany – massive recession warning, 8 year old kids being pushed under trains
* Hungary – sanctions threatened by EU due to Hungary not wishing to be overrun by economic migrants
* Greece – financial basket-case
* Spain – youth unemployment at 40%
But no – all is rosy in EU utopia according to the die-hard remainers.
The EU as a trading bloc is stagnating economically. Why not be free to trade as we want with much faster-growing economies?
The only unicorn I see is the notion of a united states of Europe, all working together in lovely harmony with everyone prospering.
Darryl you make some interesting points. Any coalition like the DUP (and others in the past) have a disproportionate influence on government simply because it enables a weak party to remain in power. This means that legislation is passed which is only supported by a tiny part of the electorate as a price for that support. Not my idea of democracy. I make no apology for the Lib Dems reneging on student fees. It was the cornerstone of their manifesto and in any case denying young people the chance of university education because it incurs large debts is not defensible in my view. To cut the Lib Dems some slack I did resist the quote “Go back to your constituencies and prepare yourselves for government” but I think they have missed that boat. No leavers I have spoken to ever expressed any reluctance to trade with the EU. Indeed The European Economic Community was how it was styled when we joined. The terms and conditions have much changed since those times. Instability, well yes Greece is a problem that will persist. Likewise Italy and of course Ireland got close to the brink. There would appear to be a global readjustment (ie a recession) as a potential near event. This will test the mettle of the union. There is disquiet in Germany, Italy, and France about immigration it will be a major problem should their economies come under pressure. I suspect that reality will occur to them soon when they see they are forgoing the world’s fifth largest trading nation. Lastly (and I mean it this time) I can’t help you with the unicorns! Sorry but I have it on good advise that the Welsh dragons have eaten them all. It is however music to my ears to read your “we’re leaving” admission. Perhaps, as my Nemesis, we might cross swords on somthing else a little less worn out.
Darryl, ignoring the point to suit as always.
Irrelevant, but the guardian ………..
@Nico
Yes, Boris may have criticised Brown’s coronation (which had no vote at all). What effect did it have? Brown still saw out the remainder of his premiership until the last possible moment.
Show me a party that doesn’t want to stay in power and considering we’re talking about the Conservatives paying £1bn to the DUP… great point you’ve made there.
Instability…hmm, let me think?
Think harder.
* Italy – dire straits financially and on collision course with EU re. turning migrant boats away
Italy has a populist government, so it’s aligned with your thinking, it’s part of membership of the EU, also there are many SOLAS reasons why turning migrant boats away is simply deplorable, but – here come the European nations with humanitarian aid and rescue boats, see – it’s good to be good.
* France – economy on the downturn, Gilets Jaunes demos on city streets for 38 consecutive weeks, albeit virtually no reporting by mainstream media. Why?
I’ve watch updates, perhaps you’re looking in the wrong place? Not sure what this has to do with the EU? This is French internal policy.
* Germany – massive recession warning, 8 year old kids being pushed under trains
Talk about clutching at straws, pretty lamentable you raise the incident at Frankfurt to have a pop at the EU.
* Hungary – sanctions threatened by EU due to Hungary not wishing to be overrun by economic migrants
Actually the sanctions against Hungary are because it is flouting EU law against workers rights, see you just made the case for the EU.
* Greece – financial basket-case
Greece has just cleared its financial payments for the bailout, keep up.
* Spain – youth unemployment at 40%
What does this have to do with the EU?
But no – all is rosy in EU utopia according to the die-hard remainers.
Never once have I said this, what I say is remain and fix from the inside, rather than leave and screw the whole country.
The EU as a trading bloc is stagnating economically. Why not be free to trade as we want with much faster-growing economies?
Galactic level of idiocy in this statement. Firstly, the 27 (if we leave) countries of the EU are the closest, it’s a curve, the further away you trade, the more goods costs to transport, thus the goods costs more. There is nothing, simply nothing that can replace the £297 BILLION that we trade with the EU.
The EU is stalling? There is a global slowdown in trade, but I guess that doesn’t suit your argument.
The only unicorn I see is the notion of a united states of Europe, all working together in lovely harmony with everyone prospering.
We did it for decades.
@Philip
Unlikely, it’s been 3 years and I’ve not seen a lucid argument to shift my Brexit position.
Brexit will not solve anything. And UK is now the 7th largest trading nation, not the 5th – with the second lowest currency I think. What planet do you live on when you believe UK can trade better outside of the EU? Little England in competition with EU27. The Irish border problem is unsolveable. Brexit is chaos. Brexiters own it. They’ve conned people into believing there’s something to be had – but it’s not what people think. Diminishing of worker’s rights, more and more forced deportations splitting families up who have children born here etc. Chaos. And decline. I think Brexit is not going to happen. Because it was always insane. And the likes of the Tory cabinet – full of nasty hateful exploiters who don’t care about people. The executive rules the roost, but not for long. No Deal Brexit would ruin farming and supply of medicines would be problematic. Insanity prevails at present. It’s going to drag on unless Parliament does its job and either calls for Revoking Article 50 or a fair Referendum. However, the Netflix documentary “The Hack” shows that it is impossible for UK to hold fair elections. Even the by election in Brecon Wales has been tampered with by Johnson’s promise of funding. No Deal Brexit would mean lambs being slaughtered with none of usual trade with EU – which is mostly where they are sold. So many issues. For no gain. We already have ability to control our borders, our money etc. It was all bunkum. Yet the MPs still spout as though it means something. Have you seen the £ falling and the price of petrol lately? And the effects of Brexit to UK citizens abroad are awful. The UK state pension falls with the drop in the £. For the sake of the UK Brexit must at all costs be stopped. Good grief – Johnson our prime minister and Bannon on BBC radio and TV! What have we come to? And where are we headed?
Nico – “The EU as a trading bloc is stagnating economically. Why not be free to trade as we want with much faster-growing economies?”
Such as? And before you list some, are we not free to trade with them whilst in Europe??
Fabricant is typical of the Tory party caring about nothing but himself and his rich freinds
Daryl, I ran out of popcorn half-way down.
Darryl
Your responses to every point I made, simply illustrate that much of the EU is in political, financial and social upheaval or at least facing serious issues. Seems we largely agree on this point, then.
And, like you, I’ve seen no lucid argument to change my mind about leaving.
£6.3 Billion now sunk into shielding us from the Brexit fallout that Leave campaigners insisted would never happen.
Madness and pointless.
Nico,
Then I can only assume that you’re trolling then, as it takes a few seconds to see the money spent on Brexit so far, the warnings from the Bank of England, and a little longer to see all the downsides to leaving from reputable sources.
It requires you to get out of your echo chamber.
Ah, the trolling accusation.
Only a matter of time for disagreeing with Darryl.
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/projects/major/
It’s interesting to see what the UK is getting for the financial contribution it makes.
Look at how many projects in Poland and Romania we are paying for.
Rob
It’s about addressing points from verifiable sources, if your stance is “I hate the EU ‘cos The Daily Mail says it’s crap,” then the troll label is well deserved.
Steve
There’s two points I’d address here, we’ve not had a functioning government for 3 years, secondly this speaks to the quality of people we send to Brussels to work on these proposals, if the UK keeps voting Farage and his ilk, who refuse to participate, then you’re not going to get a slice of the pie.
There’s a troubling approach with the link and the throwaway “urgh look at those Poles and all our cash,” it’s disingenuous, the regions of the UK have benefits enormously from EU funding, my suspicion is that we have no major funding applications due to point one above.
What’s the Daily Mail got to do with anything?
Darryl,
We disagree about the EU. I think it’s past it’s sell by date. You don’t. I’m not a troll. Or an idiot. And I don’t feel the need to accuse those I disagree with of being so. The fact that you do, says much about your character.
Nico
You attempted to present evidence to prove your point, the majority of which can quickly be disproven so, with that in mind, why do you think its past its sell by date?
Rob
Plenty.
Leaked government documents clearly show that a hard Brexit could also cause food shortages and panic. Even the right-wing Daily Mail covered this…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7312729/amp/No-Deal-Brexit-spark-food-shortages-consumer-panic-FORTNIGHT-says-leaked-paper.html
I don’t think anyone fully realised or knew in 2016 that eating might be a problem if they voted Brexit. They were sold something without drawbacks
I’m not really sure why people support Brexit anymore, if you’re a die-hard Brexiteer who simply hates the EU, then fair enough. If you’re a marginal who supports a more isolated nation, would you ignore all the evidence that has been presented in the last 3 years, and this is evidence from trusted sources, and still want Brexit? Therein is the split between troll-like behaviour and balanced judgment.
This is borne out in the recent statement by Dominic Raab, who is at best being revisionist and at worst simply lying, in saying he spoke about no deal in the referendum, which has been proven by Full Fact to be patent nonsense.
If you believe in a cause, why damage it by lying? Why wouldn’t you present the evidence that makes it an attractive proposition? The basic truth is that Brexit is as damaging as the evidence suggests and people have ulterior motives to ensure it goes through, the most likely being to avoid the EU tax regulations that are coming.
Darryl
You disproved nothing, merely carried on with your Guardianista outpourings.
Italy – what has the fact that they have a ‘populist’ government got to do with my statement that they are in dire financial straits? Nothing.
Spain – so you are saying that the economic well-being of an EU member state is not anything to do with it’s being an EU member? Great; you’ve proved the case for Brexit!
France – the Gilets Jaunes demonstrations are a result of what is happening in France. Their ‘internal’ policies are closely aligned with the EU’s lurch towards federalism. And the rise in resistance to these policies can be seen across the continent
There is precisely no evidence about Brexit being damaging. Reason; we haven’t left yet! It’s purely speculation from those with vested interests in maintaining the status quo.
You mention the avoidance of EU tax regulations. Presumably by mentioning this, you are confirming that we would be losing our veto if we remained?
As with most Guardian reading types, I fully expect you will want the last word, as you know you’re always right; I’ll leave you to it.
Nico. There’s no evidence that eating rabbit poo will hurt you either, but I’d rather not do it when all the educated predictions and research point to it having an unpleasant taste.
You don’t have to have historical evidence to change your mind on something. Simply listening to the endless experts, business leaders and (yes) the government themselves is enough to come to an educated decision.
Could any of the Brexit supporters please outline some of positive benefits of Brexit? Even one. Because so far there’s not a single viable benefit. And explain why you believe the Government’s own analysis of the predicted effects are wrong? UK has lost over 240000 jobs due to Brexit and £1 trillion of investment has gone from the UK to the EU. Along with the numerous beneficial EU agencies and subsidies. Out of the Single market and Customs Union there is no solution to the Irish border problem also. Fabricant has not written a single benefit to Brexit other than the trite “control of our borders, money etc”. It just ain’t true. We have better control inside of EU than outside. Security also. MPs are mostly keen to avoid the tax avoidance directive. And to exploit shorting the £ etc. £ sterling is sinking. Brexit is insane nonsense. UK is going to the bottom. From 5th largest economy to 7th. Where will we end up? People’s jobs and pensions are at risk because the biggest con in UK history is being allowed. Corruption is driving it. Wake up everyone. Brexit must be stopped. UK has already declined even before Brexit. A country can’t walk away from its biggest trading bloc on its doorstep and expect to be better off.
How tedious “you’ll want the last word,” which by implication attempts to debase any argument presented afterwards as proving your point.
As Christine has said, instead of trying to prove that the countries of the EU are doing poorly, and that somehow proves that the EU is not worth staying in, why not come up with one tangible benefit of leaving?
It’s nothing to do with Christine Rapley or Darryl Godden a democratic vote was held and the majority albeit small voted to leave. People do not have to explain why they voted that way no more than they have to explain who they vote for in a general election. That’s what makes us a democracy and not a banana republic which is what the EU and it’s merry band of loyal supporters has become. For the record I voted remain but seeing how the privileged elite and their flock of lemming like sheep have behaved I’d definitely vote leave were there to be another vote.
He’s right isn’t he Darryl?
And why does he have to justify himself to you?
There’s still a thing called freedom of choice, although I’m aware certain factions have issues with this.
No he’s wrong. We’re 3 years down the line and not a single Brexit promise has come true, in fact the picture is worse, and by his own words, we are a democracy and if the democracy changes its mind, it changes its mind.
Better explained in this great speech by Alex Andreou:
“Slice it however you want, this fact remains that the moment of Brexit, if it ever comes, will be a majority either for or against the manner in which we do it, the actual way, not the fantasy of easy deals and sunlit uplands but the hard facts, Brexiters say Remainers just want a referendum to stop Brexit, well duh! But the opposite is also true, you don’t want a referendum because you think you might lose it, to suggest it is somehow more democratic to press ahead with a plan of action which Brexiters suspect no longer commands a majority is simply nonsense, if people still support Johnson’s Brexit they can vote for it, it will at the very least confirm to Remoaners like me that there is informed consent but if people don’t support it they can stop it, we should be allowed to, a vote on the final deal is a democratic win-win, the will of the people is incapable of being betrayed by the will of the same people.”
Some people just don’t get it – that Brexit is a con. That it’s ruining our country. The EU referendum was not democratic because it was rigged by those who cheated. Lies, deceit, data harvesting, targeted adverts on social media, foreign money. Electoral Commission has given out the little fines to Vote Leave etc. Convictions for those who cheated. David wants us all to shut up so that undeliverable Brexit that was promised – all upsides, no downside, £350 million per week saved by leaving EU given to NHS. Not a single job loss can be replaced with No Deal Brexit. Brexit is to be fought to the bitter end. David did not vote remain. He refers to the privileged elite – but that’s Johnson, IDS, Truss, Farage, Banks, Brexit Party MEPs who don’t do their job but receive fat salaries etc. The privileged elite want Brexit so they can asset strip our country. Don’t be fooled by David who doesn’t have the courage to say who he is. UK will be a banana republic if Brexit happens. UK does not yet have a functioning democracy. We have a First Past the Post electoral system. 80% of OECD use some form of Proportional Representation. Tory government and Labour Party want FPTP to prevent us ever getting a proper democracy. This is why the country is in such a mess – because FPTP enables exploitation of the masses. UK can’t prosper with any form of Brexit.
@ David…… succinct and true. True democracy is never having to explain your reasons. There are always consequences, mostly unforseen, in every action taken. A little example but with a British parallel is what happened in New Zealand when we abandoned them to join the EEC. Lamb (one of their major products they sold to us) was sold internally at very low prices. People were sick of eating it. Producers then discovered a Chinese market and now the prices for lamb is practically unaffordable in New Zealand. Most of our lamb (in spite of government subsidies ) is sold to Europe. Take a look at lamb prices in the shops. Business will always look for markets that gives them the highest returns. You can doubtless name many brands to confirm this. Home loyalty is no priority to business, or those representing them.
Michael Fabricant voted in with over 34,000 / 64% of the vote.
Christine Rapley failed to get voted in as a councillor with 361 / 15% of the vote. I could get more votes from my family than that!
Also by GDP the UK is the 5th biggest economy.
Think its safe to say the people of Lichfield and district agree with Mr Fabricant more than Christine Rapley and her largely irrelevant (for the last two centuries in any case) Liberals. Sorry my dear but that’s just democracy!
I really don’t care about who promised what, speculative doom-mongering, Greek theatre bods or anybody else.
We were offerd a choice, we’ve made it. The fact that a few truculent liberals can’t come to terms with it is of no consequence. The fact that they feel privileged enough to assume some arbitrary role in judging the procedure is rather baffling.
BoJo has little or no chance of agreeing a deal this autumn and a no deal will never get through Parliament, so Michael Fabricant, you have joined a crew on a sinking ship. Fear the Lib Dems, as they are on the way up! Another general election and your seat will be up for grabs!
Phillip Allso,
Reading one of your earlier comments and apologies in advance if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick but I’ve always wondered why it is that Liberals feel everyone is entitled to free tuition fees paid for by everyone else’s taxes?
It’s okay for me as I have “eventually,” from humble council house beginnings in Brownhills got to a reasonable standard of living. But why should my mates son who is an apprentice bricklayer, or the security guard on our site, or the lady on the checkout counter at Tesco, or the trainee hairdresser, or the trainee bin man, or the young factory worker who are all on minimum wage pay, through income tax, for someone else’s kids further education? When these kids qualify and get a better paid job, if they choose the right degree, will they pay the income tax back to these under paid, under appreciated but nevertheless highly valued members of our society?
If after 5 years of coalition government the biggest regret for Nick Clegg, his few MPs and supporters is voting for tuition fees where elsewhere the biggest recession in living history was going on, the Syrian civil war began, anarchy prevailed in Libya, Russia annexed Crimea and the Fukushima Daichi nuclear disaster happened in Japan then is it little wonder that the privileged David Lloyd George (first Earl of Dwyfor) will forever be known as the last Liberal Prime Minister?
By the way if you want good quality lamb an very affordable prices may I suggest Howdles Family Butcher in Clayhanger, Brownhills – unbelievable value! Example: 5 LB or for the remainers 2.27 KG of Loin Chops £15.
See: [email protected]
@ David Watson…. There was a time when most higher education was supported by grants. About 3% of the student population went on to higher education and most others (ie those seeking achievement) took up apprenticeships or / and went to technical collages. These were mainly supported by the companies they worked for. When it was decided that (for political reasons and to massage the growing unemployment figures) to radically increase the university intake to 30% it was clearly stated that “It is not possible or desirable to deliver the same level of education that was given to the 3%.” Generally I believe this has proved to be true. It started as a relatively modest contribution to finance the avalanche of new universities that sprang up to meet this apparently aspirational opportunity to better oneself. This, of course, in the expectation of the well paid employment that would follow. Industry and commerce quickly followed requiring university qualifications for even mundane jobs. It had upped the anti and created a university business that rapidly increased fees and effectively caused massive dept loans (interest 6% per annum) to many that gained degrees of questionable quality. It also excluded many who just would not enter into such debt. I am not a Liberal. I come from a trade union background and believe the state benefits from proper education and should finance it for all. I also accept that there will be those who never respond to education but nevertheless have aptitudes that are valuable to society. Your argument about such people subsidising those in further education is spurious. I pay for many things through taxation that I have no need for. Tax is a collective pot and pays for all the country’s needs. The present university system is a government initiative and should be paid for accordingly. Hopefully in the long run it will prove beneficial. Some aspects I see have already created their own problems. I think that education has become somthing of a political football and is rarely out of the news. Frankly it would take a book to cover the many nuances.
As for the lamb. Yes those prices are unbelievable. Sort of proves my point really!
“True democracy is never having to explain your reasons”.
Works for “True insanity” too.
Philip,
Some good points made and I acknowledge them.
I come from a mining background but my Grandad, great Grandad, great, great Grandad (you get the picture) wanted for nothing neither would they expect to pay for Tony Blair and David Cameron’s kids (Nick Clegg is a Jaffa) to go to university.
I agree with you on the expectation of better jobs and I hadn’t considered the unemployment argument which is a good one although by the time Polytechnics promoted themselves to universities unemployment wasn’t as much of an issue if memory serves me correctly. However I will bow to your greater knowledge on that one.
Slightly patronising the spurios comment. Taxation should go to essentials to maintain a civilised and cohesive society. When there is an equal need for bricklayers, security guards, hairdressers, factory workers, et al. I do not consider the free funding of ‘higher” education of other peoples kids, some of them very wealthy, to be a national priority or an essential. Coming from a trade union background I’m surprised you do as well.
Davr
So the simple answer is, Brexiteers still have nothing beyond ‘you lost, get over it.’
If we do manage to stop Brexit, my hope is that there is less political intransigence, more compromise, improved understanding and informed choices. We can’t continue to base decisions on ignorance and prejudice.
Keep living the dream Darryl.
By the way take a look at the history of the now meaningless Liberal party and work out for yourself how disastrous your last two Prime Minister’s were for the continent of Europe.
LOL @ Darryl.
“more compromise”
“We can’t continue to base decisions on ignorance and prejudice.”
Irony meter just flew off the wall!
David Watson… No offence intended. It is a real change to have a proper exchange of views. In truth nothing is carved in stone and much is just opinion. My wife is from Tonypandy, the significance of which I am sure you understand. On education, I have always believed in life long learning. The challenges for the next generation where automation and artificial intelligence will be a significant factor might well depend on it. If it was acceptable to grant finance the teachers and doctors etcetera of our generation then why not now? There are issues with universities that I think unacceptable. This applies mainly to the Russel group of universities and the subtle networking and political influence they exert. The public school system which perpetuates class superiority is also an old world anachronism we could do without. How do we differentiate the attributes people bring to society. Should the bricklayer receive the same as a doctor or university lecturer? In a Marxist society maybe, (I don’t advocate this) but in our capitalistic society very improbable, so on what basis is the judgment made? On direct taxtion it is unlikely we pay in more than we take out. Other taxation makes up the difference. There are others who for various reasons do not contribute anything. Society has to accomodate all circumstances. Government is about how and for what reason such revenue is distributed. Business on the other hand is a force independent of government. It is still the age old battle of capital and labour. It is largely without conscience and will function on the premise of what and where lies their best interests. Their lobby on Brexit is all about this.
I would like to congratulate Dave and Rob, proving my point in record time.
Well done.