Youth Electorate and the fees issue.

The Volt

I am directly aiming this post at those in favor of keeping fees out of education and fighting the proposed reintroduction of tuition fees.

I attended the protest there on the 22nd and I felt quite positive about the whole thing afterwards. However, it seems to me that it has already fizzled out and has already become 'hot air'. Realistically there is (in my mind) only one way to go about this.

Surely what we have to do is to first of all, get a campaign going that would see every 3rd level student registered, Of the 250,000 or so students in the country I don't dare estimate how low the figure is. People who spoke that day are right, politicians don't take us seriously because we don't vote in numbers. If we give them a shock at the next election then they just might.

Anyway, after everyone is registered step two would be to submit a letter to the Dáil asking that the election day be either moved to a weekend day or that students be given the option of a postal vote as many students wont vote if they have to travel 300 miles to do so.

Now if the government turn around and say no to both of these suggestions then students could walk out anyway, declare a day of evasion and go vote. This way we would have the government by the proverbial balls as not only would they be trying to make our right to education a commodity, they would be denying us our right to vote as well.

In my opinion this is the best way to take things forward as there is no point in having muscle of we don't use it properly. Make them see us as a quarter of a million voters, not just students who can come up with witty slogans.

So if you're in 3rd level or in the USI and are reading this, I urge you to get your Students Union to get a registration process underway. I swear on it, if this does fizzle out as hot air, I will never attend another student protest again.

(Sorry if this is the wrong place for this thread)

Climate Expert

I've been hearing this crap for years since I've started college in 2000. Usual rubbish from the politically minded students who need something to latch onto.

I curse the day free fees were abolished . A degree in Ireland is practically worthless thanks to them. Irish universities are not respected internationally because they lack the funding.

The Volt

I don't need something to 'latch' onto FYI, quite the opposite.

I don't think that Irish colleges main priority should be what their European counterparts may think of them either. I'm a firm believer that education should be prioritized and protected.