"We have no plans to introduce University top-up fees, and have legislated to prevent their introduction." This was a government statement back in 2001. Since then the actions of the government have exposed this statement to be nothing other than a fraudulent lie.

With total student debts in the U.K reaching a staggering £18 billion, the threat to our education by privatisation has never been greater. Labour has justified the imposition of Top-up fees by claiming that their promise only applied to the period 2001-2005.

It is true, before the introduction of tuition fees, Britain had a "funding crisis" in higher education. The question is, why did this crisis develop? The answer is simple. The New Labour government had simply decided to spend a mere 1.1% of G.D.P on higher education. This undoubtedly caused a major problem, and was clearly to pave the way for privatization and the introduction of the market.

The result has been that the responsibility for higher education has been handed down, like a cursed heirloom, from government to university, to family, the buck finally stopping at the student. This means that students going to university today will pay three times as much as they would have done a decade ago. So much for the continued prosperity under Blair/Brown!

"This debt has implications on the welfare of students and has been associated with stress and academic underachievement", stated the CUSU Sabbaticals. Nat West bank have recently published a survey showing that 82% of students relied on a job to help them through university and this figure was expected to rise to 87% for the forthcoming academic year. This is just the surface of future problems. One in every three students has skipped lectures due to work commitments, and one in five students has considered packing in their degrees altogether for full time work. How can we expect students to balance employment, and not expect it to encroach heavily on there quality of degree?

 "Commitment"

This year, the government has masked fears about the spiralling levels of debt faced by graduates, and pointed to the 6.4% rise in university applications. The reason for this is not due to student love for tuition fees, nor is it a sign of their "commitment" to higher education. Funnily enough, most students don't want a lifetime of unskilled labour and zero job prospects. Unfortunately, this is exactly what they are likely to face if they don't make it to higher education.

The degree is increasingly being seen as a life-boat that everyone must catch or risk sinking. This however does not always exclude those who make it to university. Employers have been amazed at the number of young adults who have emerged from the system without a basic education, showing that numbers obscure the drop in educational standards. "The staff-student ratio in this country is well above the international average, and staff are swamped with bureaucracy," stated Gemma Tumelty, NUS President. The fact is that education is still starved of the resources needed to reverse this situation.

The neglect, both in terms of educational needs and the opportunities available, has spurred the NUS to openly criticise government policy. "If vice-chancellors believe today's statistics give them a green light to lift the cap on fees, they should think again."

The cost of current degrees will force students into debts of, on average, £30,000. This is double the amount before the advent of tuition fees. While the Student Loan Company will provide for half of the varying costs needed to sustain a degree, it is left for the majority of students to provide the other half, which means more students entering employment and escalating credit card debts.

As for people most affected when the ticking time bomb of tuition fees comes fully into play, it will be devastating. "The link between prior disadvantage and the chances of success is direct, and explicit. It comes as no surprise to me that the completion rate drops most sharply amongst those institutions that perform best on recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds." It will be the poorest in society that will once again suffer under the modern-day, New Labour Government.

This whole policy must be challenged and defeated. We must link up with the wider trade union and labour movement to force the government to change course.

However, students can be optimistic. Students have a key role to play, but not in isolation. We have a responsibility to tackle the ills of government policy, and with youth on our side, we do have the energy and determination to carry this through. A socialist Britain would guarantee free and equal education for all, an education far beyond the spurious and hollow endeavours of the present New Labour administration. It is up to today's generation to seize the time and put an end to the rotting consequences of an antiquated big business system. It is through unity, strength and action that we will succeed in winning a better and more equal world for all.