Controversy
The introduction of tuition fees in 1998 was the subject of heated political opposition. The then leader of the Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy, described it as "one of the most pernicious political acts that has taken place" and pledged to abolish them.
Further controversy ensued when the government decided to raise tuition fees in 2004, despite the Labour party's manifesto pledge in the 2001 general election that it "will not introduce top-up fees and has legislated against them". The Higher Education Act 2004 was passed by 316 votes to 311, with 71 Labour MPs rebelling against the government. It was the tightest victory of Tony Blair's premiership until the government was defeated in November 2005 over plans to detain terror suspects for 90 days.
Read more about this topic: Student Loans In The United Kingdom
Famous quotes containing the word controversy:
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)
“Ours was a highly activist administration, with a lot of controversy involved ... but I’m not sure that it would be inconsistent with my own political nature to do it differently if I had it to do all over again.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)