I am in my final year at secondary studying for my GCSEs. I started the petition against the university fees rising as I am deeply concerned by the proposal.

There are a number of reasons for my opposition to your proposal.  The first and foremost is that the vast majority of people I know who had been thinking about going on to university are now far less sure, due to the likelihood that it would be totally unaffordable.

Although the debt from tuition fees would, in theory, be paid off over the course of 20 to 30 years, in practice this may not be the case, as this does not take into account any other major expenses. I am from an incredibly affluent area, with high standards of state education, which is a clear indication that the proposal needs altering.

In the UK, the birth rate is decreasing and life expectancy is increasing. This means that our society will eventually decrease in size as has happened in Japan, unless there is an incentive to start a family. The debt from tuition fees could put off thousands of people if they decide to take the risk of going to university in the first place.

The raising of tuition fees would not be ‘short term pain’ but it could create an underclass as in the USA where they have no cap on tuition fees at universities. Although the GNP is considerably higher in the USA than in Great Britain, the underclass in America is also larger and the standards of education are, typically, not as high as ours. The fact that many of their young people would be unable to go to university due to the expenses means that there is little incentive for them to achieve their full academic potential.

Finally, the people who will be most affected by the proposal if it goes ahead were not allowed to vote. Prior to the proposal being released, I was considering joining the Cambridge branch of the Liberal Youth, but now I have little faith in the party I once supported. I am certain that I am not the only one who feels the same way. I have spoken to members of the Liberal Democrats party and they have said words to the same effect.

Please take note of this petition and remember that the Liberal Democrats promised to make university fees free if elected to power. I look forward to your considered response with the interest you would expect from a young person looking for effective leadership in our country’s elected representatives.


Yours sincerely,




Anna Thomson