Anne Campbell, Cambridge MP, chickens out of vote (again)

Sonam | 30.01.2004 09:28 | Education | Cambridge

Cambridge Evening news reports that Anne Campbell, the Cambridge MP, chose to abstain from voting on top-up fees. Apparently she was moved by two letters from students telling her that top-up fees are either good, or do not affect access! She did not mention all the students that oppose them :)

The Cambridge Evening news reports: MP 'restored student's faith in polotics' (sic)

THE student whose plight moved Anne Campbell to drop her opposition to university top-up fees says she was surprised by the Cambridge MP's decision. But 20-year-old Becky Bowtell said the act had restored her faith in British politics. Mrs Campbell has received criticism from all quarters after opting to abstain from the vote on the controversial Higher Education Bill on Tuesday.

http://w3.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge/story.asp?StoryID=47458

Comments:
Little Becky might lose her faith in Politics again if she realizes that Anne was just looking for an excuse to (yet again) turn her back on students. After her silent support for years of tuition fees, now she supports tuition fees by abstention! But really what a pathetic excuse: use the letters of two students, out of thousands that reject top-up fees.

Sonam

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

What do we do

30.01.2004 10:03

I've read plenty of objections to top up fees here and in other media but what suggestions do people have for funding higher education ? Yet more taxes ? We're already the highest tax country in Europe. And why should there be a target of 50% attending higher education ? In Germany less than 35% go onto to post school education but of course the Germans are far more selective in what they offer as courses, (no media studies type rubbish etc).

In the US nearly 80% reach higher education and yet it is almost all paid for by the parents, but their culture excompases saving for your childs further education from a young age.

Dave

Wot, no fees?

30.01.2004 10:45

What do we do - well I dunno, maybe we could have a jolly old serious debate about tuition fees and the role of higher education in society and the future of university funding rather than getting a policy handed down from on high and backed as a political football by representatives of a couple of conveniently selected members of the public. Regardless of Fees: Good or Fees: Bad, isn't this worrying more from a democratic point of view?

Tom

Let's review the record

30.01.2004 12:39

You'll find only two rebellious votes this parliament from her. If the number of rebellions demonstrate the quantity of representation of her constituents -- who's views sometimes do no coincide with the views of her party -- then this is a very poor show.

http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?firstname=Anne&lastname=Campbell&constituency=Cambridge

public whip
Homepage: http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/

Democracy? They Mock, I say!

01.02.2004 00:28

H'mmm...

So much for being our 'democratic' representative.

You know the old saying:
Don't vote you'll only encourage them.

Anna Quist

'Little Becky' writes...

01.02.2004 14:30

I'm not little (5 foot 8 if you must know)... and neither am I as naive as you make out. I am well aware that Anne Campbell received many letters with opposing views to my own, but I would suggest that perhaps many of these views were weakly supported by facts. My point was that top-up fees would not affect access, and I absolutely stand by that point.

Becky Bowtell
mail e-mail: rb351@cam.ac.uk

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