Comments by a disenchanted youth

Forget disillusioned, opportunist teenagers following the pack because they have nothing to lose: With such severe and disproportionate sentencing, the UK is going to have a whole load of bitter, prison-hardened criminals to deal with in a few years.

Sir

Im beginning to think this paper has lost its nerve. Where once it would propose radical, well considered ideas It has began in recent years, to wait until the very last moment, and then follow the bookies and throw their collective hat in with the favourite.
This paper was against a coalition (I have yet to read an article with them further condemning the coalition in action, to the contrary rather, the paper has been hugely positive of the current government), It was against evolvement in Libya up until the UN supported action, and then swiftly turned on its heels in favour of 'swift and necessary action'.
And now it is against AV.
You yourselves give reason after reason why AV is the better choice to FPTP, and then decide that you will still vote 'as it's not PR'. Standing still for this referendum is simply not good enough. We need to show this government that the public wants change from the current system. If AV fails to replace FPTP, there may well not be another referendum on the subject for another 250 years.
This vote is the most important move for UK politics since women gained the vote-we cannot let it pass us by!
I myself would much prefer PR or STV, however with neither on offer surely it is better to show the government that the general public wants a new system to FPTP, than to merely shy away from standing up?
I did not take the economist for a group of laissez faire citizens, perfectly happy to set the world to rights both in the pub and in the pages of this paper, but shy away when it comes to direct action and change.
Sir, I am ashamed of you. All coat no knickers.

Firstly, I am a student(granted a mature one) that currently pays £4k a year in the form of tuition fees, on top of my London mortgage. I was at the first protests last month not for myself (as I will have graduated by the time they come into effect), but for students across the country who want to give something to the nation.

My brother for example is 16 and has always wanted to study medicine for as long as I can remember. He is a straight A* student and goes to one of the top 20 grammar schools of the country, however with the thought of a potential £45k debt hanging over his head upon graduation, he is now seriously considering training as an electrician instead.
I dont want to belittle sparkys, nor sell my brother as the future cure for cancer: but this has to be seen as a great loss, surely?

I come from a lower middle class family where, whilst education is seen as a great help to ones career, it is trumped by good honest hard work. And so when I completed my A levels I decided rather than running off to uni, I would get myself a fulltime job and attempt to make something of myself 'the old fashioned way'. Five years later and I had risen to the rank of flagship store manager of a very well known Food Retail company. The problem however, was that I had hit a glass ceiling. Neither my company, nor any of our competitors would accept applicants for a head office/area manager role without a degree. Experience counts for nothing, compared to the magic piece of paper in todays market it would seem.

We have reached a point where 35% of our population have degrees, and 50% of 18 year olds are choosing to enter higher education. No longer is a bachelors degree seen as something special, indeed it is seen as an essential by recruitment consultants across markets. I'm convinced that the Tories are lifting the cap on tuition fee's as a way of returning to the days where a degree came hand in hand with your social class.

Like it or not, a further rise in tuition fees WILL have a huge effect on the nations economy. I would be the first to accept that going back to university, coupled with my previous experience has vastly improved my knowledge of management and I believe that continuing education should be encouraged for all entering the workplace, rather than hindered. Surely we will have a real lack of a highly educated highly skilled workforce in 15 years time?

However, the majority of us are realistic and realise that there is little we can do to change the governments plans-no matter how much we disagree with them.
And so If the rise in fee's is to occur three things will need to happen:
Firstly, the perception that a degree is an essential tool in ones ability to excel at a task, must be eliminated. We must not enforce these sort of debts on those who want to get on in life.

Secondly, There must be some sort of standardised pricing across universities to ensure that we do not have a situation where the times top 10 charge considerably more than the manchester, leeds and nottingham's of the country, invoking a two tier HE system.

Lastly, foreign students should be made to contribute to society in this country for the first year after graduating, rather than moving back to their own country and taking their skills and knowledge with them- this should hopefully help reduce the skills gap we will experience.

oh, and to the posters who say 'get a job', I feel you are ignorant of the situation. The majority of us HAVE to work, indeed I work 30hours a week on top of my studies to pay for my accommodation, food and other living costs.

-as a side point, I wonder how those graduates from the last 50 years (Bagehot included) would feel about paying back their state funded degrees in arrears? I'll even be as kind as to let you off the accrued interest.

Vaquero, do you by any chance sleep with a pistol in your bedside table?

And Cutters, I dont believe nuclear arms have been much use in either Iraq, nor Afganistan-but perhaps you know something we dont?
Nuclear disarmament is not only an essential part of the austerity measures that we've entered in to, but from a moral point of view (not that they ever seem to come into discussions on this site..) finally looks set to put the UK back on the forefront of innovative environmental ideas.
Now I know this is wishful thinking, and of course the tories will never go the full hog and lose nuclear arms completely, but at least Osborne is (finally) making sensible steps towards such a day. Lord knows we need to make a show, what with the whole world turning their noses up at us after the BP disaster.

Lets hope those that hold the purse strings within the MOD make the right decision and plough the money into frontline requirements, rather than on outdated and non-required weaponry.

A seemingly reasonable article resulting in a deeply disappointing end point. Osborne is clearly a career politician who hasn't the slightest clue about even basic economic principles. All I can gather from this article is that the editor is unconvinced with placing his faith in the lib dems due to their obvious lack of governmental experience.
Yes,Nick Clegg was in favour of joining the euro, but so was Blair. The Liberal Democrat policy is actually in favour of the pound, sure there are MP's that are in favour of joining the euro, but there are equally tory politicians that still advocate homophobic behavior.

This Paper should look again at a hung parliament. As we all know, the economy is in a very fragile position, and the wrong move could result in catastrophe. Arguing that a split majority would result in a weak government is simply not the case, What would result is a government that will honestly work in the nations best interests in what is an economy teetering on the edge