by Mr Plod » Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:23 am
I think a lot of people are overlooking the fact that Scotland has always had an excellent education system. Even in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries literacy rates in Scotland were 20% to 30% higher than any other european country. In fact I believe it's literacy rates have never dipped below 70%.
The Scottish government, unlike their penny pinching, expenses fiddling counterparts south of the border realised early doors that if they levied tuition fees, the impact here, where the standard of living is already below the UK average, it would have a knock on effect for our institutions both Industrial and scientific. In short it would affect the country's ability to manufacture exports and reduce the GDP.
The UK as a whole is already woefully short of Engineers, and other manufacturing related occupations as a result. Even if we had the money to manufacture the stuff that India and China and the minidragons Korea and Tiawan we could'nt because we do not have sufficient skilled engineers to do so.
All that will happen is that English toffs will carry on as usual attending the best universities and getting the best Degrees and getting the best jobs (which is a Tory wet dream about to come true) and ordinary middle class and working class English kids with academic ability will be denied tertiary education. In the long term this will actually ruin the english economy. And benefit the scottish economy because there will be less English graduates chasing Scottish jobs.
If our Universities are open to all Scots, irrespective of ability to pay, we will produce eventually the Engineers, doctors, mathematicians, designers and other vocations our industries, hospitals and schools need. Any excess can just travel south and fill the vacancies there caused by the skill shortages created by the lack of vision and foresight of the English Tories.
The Scots have a long history of exporting their talented youngsters to better employment opportunities in foreign climes. Now that we no longer have an empire they'll just have to go south and take all the English jobs that would have been filled by middle class english graduates. Lets face it, they're british citizens and have every right to. And if the English are not happy about that then they'll just have to keep smashing up public buildings in London and throwing stuff at Prince Charles and his grab-a-granny wife till the cows come home. English voters gave us the Con(ned)-Dem(again) coalition. Now that their chickens have come home to roost they got what they voted for and they have absolutely no right whatsoever to complain about free University education in Scotland.
And if you are worried about having to pay for OUR education with YOUR TAXES??? Fine. Give us back control of OUR 20 Billion pounds per annum North Sea Oil and Gas Industry and we'll happily pay for it ourselves.
It cost me almost £20000 to put my daughter through 5 years at University in Edinburgh. I don't remember anyone from south of the border contributing to my bank account at any time. I had to pay for her food, clothing, rent, utility bills, books, laptops, art materials, photocopier paper and usage. Not to mention the fuel bills driving from here to Edinburgh once a month. And that was after she had recieved the absolute minimum student loan( because her parents were'nt druggies, benefit scroungers or axe murderers) of just under £2000 per annum.
Eagles may soar............but Weasels never get sucked into jet engines
