So today I went on an English literature trip to Sheffield Hallam University. The idea was that professional Englishy people would discuss our upcoming exams and give us advice on how to pass them. This didn't happen. The first two hours consisted of an old man stood in front of 500+ sixth formers, speaking in to a broken microphone and talking about "dramatic tragedies". I'm sure what he said was completely lovely, but it wasn't something that we could put in the exam or something that anyone in the room particularly cared about.
Admittedly the second half was much better and we actually learnt some helpful stuff, but that isn't what I was planning on blogging about today. Because it just so happened that the day of our English trip was helpfully set for the same day as the nationwide university fees protests. And said protests were helpfully being staged up the hill from the Sheffield Hallam University (Insert appropriate smiley face here).
I'm sure any soon-to-be university student feels the same as the rest of the UK (except Scotland, those fiendish dawgs) and is disgusted at the prospect of having to pay £9000 a year to go to uni. Everyone is pretty upset with Nick Clegg (Sheffield Hallam MP and Deputy prime minister, if you didn't know. Although it raises questions about whether you should even be going to university if you DIDN'T know that) because he pledged, along with the rest of his party, to vote to abolish tuition fees if he ever got in to power. Well, now that he's in power (with the Conservatives, Condems LOLZ), he's decided against that and has instead urged his party to vote to INCREASE tuition fees, despite the fact that the only reason his party have seats are because of the student voters. Let's be honest, he's screwed himself over.
Students are fairing hard with the spending cuts, but there is little we can do about it. Most of us aren't old enough to vote. The other half, statistics say, DON'T vote. Meanwhile the bulk of voters, aged 60+, are living pretty cushily with their free bus passes, winter heating allowance and paid pensions. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy for old people to get this stuff. In fact, it would be wrong NOT make sure that older people are able to put the heating on during the middle of winter. This just points out that the government are entirely aware that they get their votes from those rural living, caravan staying in pensioners. And those are the people that they're protecting from the cuts that they're battering us with.
But I digress.
So there we were right next to this 3000 strong band of protesters, all chanting outside of the town hall. I don't know what they were chanting. I don't think they even knew what they were chanting. But chanting they were and it was amazing. You know how sometimes you read a brilliant book and you feel like you want to go out to the world and tell them all to read this book too because it was so amazing? Or how you see a news report about Chilian miners or a death defying fireman or whatever, and suddenly you feel inspired to do something and you're not quite sure what it is you want to do but you just know that you want to do it and that when you do it, it's going to be the best thing you've ever done? Yes? Well, stood on the edge of this great mass of people, all wanting one thing and all joining together as one just to get this one thing, even if it wouldn't actually benefit you personally, THAT was one of those moments. Breathtaking.
And perhaps achieving the end goal isn't the most important thing anymore. As Grandpa George (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reference) said, "There's plenty of money out there. They print more and more every day. But this ticket-- There are only 5 of them in the whole world, and that's all there's ever going to be. Only a dummy would give this up for something as common as money. Are you a dummy?" No, Grandpa George. No, I'm not. So even if they do charge us an extortionate price to go to university, I'll know that I'll have seen things and done things that more than make up for that £30,000. And isn't that the most important thing in the end? Quality of life?
I think so.
Thank you for reading to the end. You can take a break now. Get a coffee. Go to the loo. Etc
See you on Sunday!
Jasmine
No comments:
Post a Comment