The People's Republic of South Devon

Plymouth has been home to student protests over possible rises in course fees, where students were out in force,campaigning against their increasing debt.

With the ‘average’ student facing an ‘average’ debt of around £22,000, and claims that the increased fees would see that jump to a debt of £34,000, students are calling on politicians to pledge not to increase tuition fees.

Plymouth University has been signaled as one of the 20 ‘battlegrounds’ by the NUS, which has threatened to call for students not to vote for candidates which don’t support their campaign.

There was also an event at Plymouth University about the fees review and student support (see Luke Pollard’s video below), attended by Luke Pollard (Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate – PPC – for South West Devon), Linda Gillroy MP for Plymouth Sutton, Stuart Bonar (Lib Dem PPC for Plymouth Moor View), and Matthew Groves (Conservative PPC for Plymouth Moor View)

stuartbonar told us on Twitter: “The Lib Dems have opposed tuition fees from day one. Every vote cast for the Lib Dems and every Lib Dem seat won at the next election will make the abolition of student fees more likely.”

.mystri {text-decoration: line-through;} We were going to use a DM quote from Luke Pollard, but he told us he doesn’t come out well in Twitter

Luke Pollard, who previously was President of Exeter University’s Guild of Students and spent the last two years advising The Open University on Higher Education policy, told us: “What we need to ensure is that the current fees review maintains the principle of ability to learn, not ability to pay and that we resist Tory plans to scrap widening participation or Lib Dem measures that would reduce the number of places for students at universities.

“Nor should we allow the Tories to offer discounts to the rich who can afford to pay their student loans off in one go. The debate is very much live and I’d encourage students to get involved.”

According to the NUS only three candidates have signed the pledge so far, Stuart Bonar, Liberal Democrat PPC, Plymouth Moor View; Linda Gilroy MP, Labour, Plymouth Sutton and Alison Seabeck MP, Labour, Plymouth Devonport.

But we went back to the record books (okay, They Work For You) to find out where Devon politicians stood on introducing tuition fees in the first place. We were surprised to find that the Labour MPs in Devon supported the introduction of tuition fees, and they all sit in university towns.

But don’t take our word for it. Here’s the results, and check them out on They Work For You, where you can see what else they voted on and whether their voting record tallies with your opinion – guess which ones didn’t want an inquiry into Iraq, for example.

East Devon: Hugo Swire (Con)
Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees.

North Devon: Nick Harvey (Lib Dem)
Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees.

South West Devon: Gary Streeter (Con)
Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees.

Exeter: Ben Bradshaw (Lab)
Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees.

Newton Abbot: Richard Younger-Ross (Lib Dem)
Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees.

Plymouth Devonport: Alison Seabeck (Lab)
Dunno, although she doesn’t vote against the party (‘Never rebels against their party in this parliament,’ says her They Work for You page.)

Plymouth Sutton: Linda Gilroy
Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees.

Tiverton and Honiton: Angela Browning (Con) (who is stepping down)
Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees.

Torbay: Adrian Sanders (Lab)
Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees.

Torridge and West Devon: Geoffrey Cox (Con)
Dunno

Totnes: Anthony Steen (Con) (who is stepping down)
Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees. votes, speeches

Here’s what Labour’s Luke Pollard and Linda Gilroy made of the event…

• Much as we can giggle at those foolish Tories, could the NUS campaign hit the Devon Labour MPs who voted for student fees in the first place? Comments below, please

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