On the day, the news that Keir Starmer is to drop Labour’s commitment to funding higher education “tuition” through general taxation was accompanied by the usual frustrating spread of ill-informed commentary.
Social media, radio and TV phone-ins and endless comment pieces saw all sorts of people bemoan high interest rates, complain about the levels of debt incurred by graduates, or express anger at their cousin or sister’s seeming inability to shift any of that debt through repayments.
Arguably the debate over whether tuition fees should be “free” at the last two elections took focus away from maintenance – Jeremy Corbyn’s pledges on day to day costs, for example, were impossibly vague.
The other impact has been that the left haven’t really grappled with the issue of terms and conditions – allowing the Conservatives to implement changes that most people either haven’t noticed, or don’t understand.
