Blair faces irate parents and students
A defiant prime minister voluntarily appeared before irate parents, teachers and students yesterday to defend the Government’s controversial higher education policy.
Tony Blair made the case for the introduction of university top up fees in the next parliament on the BBC’s Newsnight programme.
He told the audience and interviewer Jeremy Paxman: “The tuition fee, university finance argument I agree is a very difficult argument, but I’m not the only prime minister around the world today having to make these arguments.”
“In the end, there’s a choice. I’ve tried to balance the interests of the general taxpayer with the students.
“It is not unfair to make students pay when they graduate according to a fair graduate repayment system.”
But the premier was called a “liar” by Ashley Gavin, a GCSE pupil from Bolton.
Mr Gavin said university debt would make him think twice about studying beyond college.
But Mr Blair retorted that her family would have nothing to pay while she was at university and she would not have to pay “anything” unless she was earning money.
And Julia Prague, a 19-year-old medical student from London, who claimed she was already more than £10,000 in debt, despite only being one third through her course, told the PM: “It really infuriates me that you say: ‘Why should the dustman fund the doctor?’
“When he has a heart attack, he’ll be pleased that I went to university and graduated as a doctor and therefore he should contribute towards the cost of my degree.”
Mr Blair replied most of the cost of any degree was funded by the general taxpayer.
But Ms Prague carried on: “I’m doing a social degree that will help society. You can’t not have doctors.”
Mr Blair argued that other NHS workers were also doing social jobs, but the student quickly replied: “They don’t incur £18,000 of debt in order to be a porter.”
After the programme, Tony Blair dashed off to a special meeting of Labour MPs where he made a 15-minute speech outlining the merits of the Government’s stance. He was flanked by several ministers including Gordon Brown.
Labour MP Tony Banks said a Commons defeat for Mr Blair would have grave ramifications.
“If he loses the vote I think he will have to stand down, given that he has put his authority on the line.”
