You just knew it had to happen, particularly with the state of the public finances.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/fro ... 90542.html

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Seabhcan on EU Enlargement and the Lisbon Treaty: "There is no shortage of cheap labour - Turkey isn't needed."

Yeh you just knew, screwing the long term for the short term is perfectly logical afterall

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Signed, Universal (LGBT...QRSTUVWXYZ)

The number of students entering 3rd Level Institutes has risen considerably since the abolition of fees. I think it's a terrible idea to bring them back! Producing top-quality graduates is essential for the future of the Irish economy..

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"It would actually give me the greatest of pleasure watching non-compliant tax-payers going to jail and that's the kind of person I am" - Bertie Ahern, Minister for Finance, 1993.

Yeh but Sinead it's much easier than sacking the 40% of Health service employees that dont' know what their job is, and pissing off public sector unions, or raising the higher rate of income tax therefore implicitly admitting cutting them so much responsible for underfunding a vital public service.
P i s s ing off the USI, who are always p is s sed off anyway, is much easier.

Well done on campaigning for better education funding btw USI...but hey....at least you accomplished something....I DO have to walk a slightly longer distance to buy a bottle of coke now...

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Signed, Universal (LGBT...QRSTUVWXYZ)

Yes we should retain our overcrowded degree mill third level system where Irish students cannot compete on a level footing with foreign students because the cash hunger of the university requires them. Then we wonder why we are falling behind in the "knowledge economy". All so the children of the upper middle class can go to a nice private secondry school rather than slumming it with the plebs. Perish the thought.

Free Fees was a badly thought out failure by a minister who was desparate to save her own skin. Thankfully she failed in that too.

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Liquidate labour, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate.

You know if they'd kept a progressive tax system they woudn't have had the dosh to slosh around on private second level and reinforce the inquality backwards through the system making the free fees scheme into, in many ways, a middle class subsidy.

The "knowledge economy" problems start far earlier than third level, take a look at the state of second level science for example

I don't consider it a total failure tho, it did let working class schlums like me go to university, right alongside the snobs it helped at second level.

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Signed, Universal (LGBT...QRSTUVWXYZ)

I resent that. Going to a private school is nothing to do with avoiding "slumming it with the plebs" for a lot of people, actually you may find that a lot of state schools are better facilitated and funded than "private schools". Sometimes you're only paying fees for smaller class sizes, nothing else. Nice doesn't factor into some "private" schools.
They'd be better off sorting the primary education section first, it's the real mess.

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"It would actually give me the greatest of pleasure watching non-compliant tax-payers going to jail and that's the kind of person I am" - Bertie Ahern, Minister for Finance, 1993.

But the results would take 10 years to show up, and some bastard FG govt might get the credit!
No we'd better stick to quick fixes within our 5 year term

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Signed, Universal (LGBT...QRSTUVWXYZ)

All the more reason to charge fees and invest the money in the education sector that applies to everyone, rather than giving relying on free fees which is just a middle-class give-away.

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(Guys, when I type in capitals it isn't shouting. I have technical problems which makes using italics difficult. Please don't take offence if you see capitals used!)

[quote=Universal_001]But the results would take 10 years to show up, and some bastard FG govt might get the credit!
No we'd better stick to quick fixes within our 5 year term [/quote:dpqrv5q0]

FF and serious basic problems: throwing money at them during the good times and taking money away from them during bad times since forever..
*sigh*

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"It would actually give me the greatest of pleasure watching non-compliant tax-payers going to jail and that's the kind of person I am" - Bertie Ahern, Minister for Finance, 1993.