Farron and Kramer: party should retain long-term aim of abolishing tuition fees

By Mark Pack | Mon 1st November 2010 - 8:55 am

Both of the candidates to be the next Liberal Democrat President have expressed their support for the party retaining a long-term aim of abolishing tuition fees.

Tomorrow Liberal Democrat Voice will publish in full the answers from Susan Kramer and Tim Farron to a set of questions Lib Dem Voice has posed them. Their answers paint two different views on what the role should be of the Party President and how they would approach it. But on several issues they both agree, including on tuition fees:

Do you believe the party should have a long-term commitment to the abolition of tuition fees?

Kramer: I’m entirely comfortable with that. I think that should remain one of our goals. But more importantly it is for the party to decide if it remains one of our goals.

Farron: I do. It was an important manifesto commitment and we must stick with it as a party. We must also try and influence Coalition policy to make the package on Higher Education more progressive.

4 Comments

TW 1st Nov '10 - 9:33am

Tim Farron can put his money where his mouth is here by voting appropriarely on tuition fees in the house of Commons. It’s a great chance for him to win votes for his presidency, and for the party as a whole.

TW.
AndrewR 1st Nov '10 - 5:11pm

I’m afraid I don’t see how Lib Dems can go in front of the electorate and ‘pledge’ to abolish tuition fees again. People would just laugh.
Joe 1st Nov '10 - 6:30pm

They might want to have a word with their colleague…

http://stephenwilliamsmp.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/the-long-route-to-fair-funding-of-higher-education/
rightofleftofcentre 1st Nov '10 - 9:24pm

Hmmm…is it relevant what politicians pledge in the “long term”?

I think both candidates would take “long term” to mean “in over two years time” – after their term as president has ended.

Watch the online hustings and notice that it’s not the case that “on several issues they both agree, including on tuition fees”. The online hustings ask about the more immediate future. Tim rightly stands by the pledge and as @TW has already said he can, and I believe will, go against the whip and put his money where his mouth is.