So there I am. Laying on my backside throwing a mini American Football up in the air watching the news. The local news starts with a report on a group of protesters who have occupied the Art Gallery at Brighton University. They haven’t decided how long they will occupy the building but have given a list of 14 demands to the university which would end this occupation.
Some of these demands are what you’d expect, things like they want a guarantee that no courses will close at the university. Fair enough. That is the type of demand/protest that most people can understand. They want guarantees as well that there will be no job cuts at the university. So that want no course closures and no job cuts but they aren’t happy about fee increases either. Ok but I’ll let that one slip by. Next up they want bursaries for all students that need them and not just fee waivers. Ok guys you are getting a bit greedy but ok…
Next though they want the university management to publicly denounce the Government’s white paper on Education and get said Government to scrap it and start again. Not too sure the university has the power to do that but then we get to the whopper. As for the BBC South Today TV report this evening one of their 14 demands is the following:
‘Free education for all around the globe’
Yeah you know what, not too sure you’ll win this one boys and girls. Am I going out on a limb here when I say that they might just be aiming a little bit high? Are Harvard for instance going to change their policy because of 30 or so protesters in a Brighton University Art Gallery? I’m thinking not.
I have no problems with a sit-in protest. I don’t even have any problem with what they are doing but surely saying stuff like that just makes them a laughing stock? The fact the sit-in will cost the university extra money in security et al to ensure the safety of the protesters, money which could have been spent on education probably passes these protesters by but that’s not the important part.
Protest and have a sit-in on issues which the people you are protesting against can deal with. Free education for everyone around the globe is not something Brighton University can sort I’m afraid. Nr can they force the Government into scraping the White Paper on Education. Course Closures? Yes. Job Cuts? Yes. Bursaries? Well maybe but seriously guys you are aiming way way too high on this one if one of your demands is free education for all around the globe, you really are…
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