Oops...

£100,000 return for a £20,000 investment? Not a bad return. And that's the average, which necessarily includes bad degrees from bad universities. If you go to to a good uni and get a good degree, you're likely to earn much more.

"come on, you've just said no one would complain at an extra £3.50 a week - even if earning as little as £17k - - make your mind up !!!!" I don't mind paying £3.50 a week for something I've used and benefited from. I would mind paying £3.50 a week from something I haven't used or benefited from. Do you see the difference?

"cool
no lets do it your way …
lets ask an extra £3.50 a week = £182 a year from each of the UKs 30 million taxpayers (not just those earning as little as £17 k and indebted from being a student )
I make that £ 5 1/2 billion a year and as you say ( you do say this don't you ??) we'd barely feel it !
no one would complain over such a miniscule rise in tax !!
yet that would pay for tuition fees nearly three times over !!!"

Okay, let's talk about your £3.50 poll tax. One, it's regressive, as it taxes everyone the same amount - I thought you were in favour of taxing those who could afford it more. Two, why should someone on a low income pay extra for me to go to university and study history? Why should they pay for something which gives them no benefit? People would complain, and they would have every right to.

Making graduates pay as much of their tuition as they can is the only fair way of doing it, as they are the ones who benefit most and who get the extra money in the long run from being more qualified.

Those sums are correct, well done. If you think £3.50 a week is a lot at £17,000, then I just can't argue you with you.

[I will repost the missing comment]

James:

I agree with your take on this issue. The drive for universal mandatory national service is also underway in the US, and I have been writing about this topic for some time now. last week, I also picked up on the report coming from the think tank Demos, which made the recommendation for the
mandatory service requirement for UK students, and wrote an article about this his at my blog ( http://go-galt.org/Galt_Pledge/JG_Blog.html#084 ). You might be interested in taking a look at my website for a fuller discussion relating to the philosophical issues underlying this abomination.

I support your outrage and recommend that you do everything possible to denounce and protest the implementation of this measure. Organize your fellow students, write to your papers, and try to educate people about the real meaning behind this action.

Best of luck.
--
C. Jeffery Small
http://go-galt.org/Galt_Pledge/

It is in the system, but it hasn't come up.Send it again, and it should appear this time. Sorry about that.

(Btw, am with you on the women's minibus thing, Chris)

@Imran. It's not about how much they earn, but how much their degree costs - which, in the case of engineering, is a heck of a lot more than £3000.

Arts degrees aren't subsidised as heavily as science degrees as it is. Encouraging more into science is a problem. Better teaching in secondary schools would help. But that's a whole other topic...

Boo...