Author Topic: English Snow, Thunder, Lightning and top up fees (Read 10339 times)

musicalness · « **Reply #30 on:** January 29, 2004, 08:03:50 am »

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!! =D lol

yayayayay! meet up meet up meet up!!!

that sounds like a great idea =D

where in the UK are you Rosie?

musicalness · « **Reply #31 on:** January 29, 2004, 08:07:12 am »

ok.. I just read Hampshire =) I dont know where that is though.

is it far from Colchester?

rosieposy87 · « **Reply #32 on:** January 29, 2004, 08:28:57 am »

Ermm i'm not too sure where Colchester is, LOL. But i'm down near southampton, right at the bottom middle of the country. If that makes sense, lol.

musicalness · « **Reply #33 on:** January 29, 2004, 08:40:58 am »

Im bottom right

so maybe its not that far..

colchester is in Essex.. I thought colchester was well known.. I guess you'd know Essex though.

neos · « **Reply #34 on:** January 29, 2004, 09:18:47 am »

Colchester! I've been there! Hehe if you drive up a bit, then east, right next to the sea, in the middle of nowhere, is where I used to study! (it's in Suffolk though, but very close to Colchester)

Anyway, Rosie, Kev, and the rest... I actually wanted to ask you about top-up fees (and the Hutton inquiry, but that goes on LJ). I've been watching the BBC almost non-stop these days you see... and I was wondering, what do exactly top-up fees mean? And why did Tony Blair have so much trouble convincing its very own MPs to vote for him? I eve heard Gordon Brown had to convince the Labour MPs who support him to vote for Blair, cos they apparently didn't want to. I'm sorry if those are absurd questions, but I'm an ignorant human being who's been watching far too much BBC lol

Tia · « **Reply #35 on:** January 29, 2004, 10:26:40 am »

Cute pics Vanessa! Nice ducky dressing gown!! :-P

How're you enjoying the UK?

rosieposy87 · « **Reply #36 on:** January 29, 2004, 11:04:57 am »

Quote from: "neos"

Colchester! I've been there! Hehe if you drive up a bit, then east, right next to the sea, in the middle of nowhere, is where I used to study! (it's in Suffolk though, but very close to Colchester)

Anyway, Rosie, Kev, and the rest... I actually wanted to ask you about top-up fees (and the Hutton inquiry, but that goes on LJ). I've been watching the BBC almost non-stop these days you see... and I was wondering, what do exactly top-up fees mean? And why did Tony Blair have so much trouble convincing its very own MPs to vote for him? I eve heard Gordon Brown had to convince the Labour MPs who support him to vote for Blair, cos they apparently didn't want to. I'm sorry if those are absurd questions, but I'm an ignorant human being who's been watching far too much BBC lol

Well i'm not completely informed about the details of top up fees- but for the most part i do know whats going on. Top up fees allow universities to add a certain amount of money to pay to the course you study (up to 3000 pounds)- for instance it could be argued that while someone who goes to a community college pays roughly the same as someone going to Oxford- and that clearly isn't fair. The government also wants to expand the number of people going to university to 50% (a stupid target in my mind) so thet need extra money for that. So in relation to the course you study, you pay extra money. LOTS of MPs didn't agree with this, for many many different reasons that would take hours to explain.

It also became an issue of the government's authority, Blair did the old "back me or sack me" because so many were planning to rebel. Quite why Blair made such a big deal of what was just a contraversial piece of legislation i will never know. A lot of MPs were planning on rebelling just on the basis that they didn't agree with the principles (and because in Labour's manifesto they stated they wouldn't introduce top up fees), not that they wanted to insult Blair. But anyway, it was down to last minute consultations etc etc and they won- 5 votes in it and 9000 quid extra if i take a gap year.

Grakthis · « **Reply #37 on:** January 29, 2004, 11:29:50 am »

Quote from: "rosieposy87"

Well i'm not completely informed about the details of top up fees- but for the most part i do know whats going on. Top up fees allow universities to add a certain amount of money to pay to the course you study (up to 3000 pounds)- for instance it could be argued that while someone who goes to a community college pays roughly the same as someone going to Oxford- and that clearly isn't fair. The government also wants to expand the number of people going to university to 50% (a stupid target in my mind) so thet need extra money for that. So in relation to the course you study, you pay extra money. LOTS of MPs didn't agree with this, for many many different reasons that would take hours to explain.

It also became an issue of the government's authority, Blair did the old "back me or sack me" because so many were planning to rebel. Quite why Blair made such a big deal of what was just a contraversial piece of legislation i will never know. A lot of MPs were planning on rebelling just on the basis that they didn't agree with the principles (and because in Labour's manifesto they stated they wouldn't introduce top up fees), not that they wanted to insult Blair. But anyway, it was down to last minute consultations etc etc and they won- 5 votes in it and 9000 quid extra if i take a gap year.

Yay for socialism!!!

kev222 · « **Reply #38 on:** January 29, 2004, 01:11:25 pm »

Quote from: "neos"

Anyway, Rosie, Kev, and the rest... I actually wanted to ask you about top-up fees (and the Hutton inquiry, but that goes on LJ).

I must admit that I'm not at all informed when it comes to politics. I don't buy newspapers on principle because 80% is either unfounded allegations, lies or simply not news (nothing to with celebrities is news!). The BBC is at least celebrity free but, as amply demonstrated by the hutton inquiry, there are still lies and unfounded allegations to content with. I never have any idea who to believe, the media will say whatever the public wants to hear and the government will say whatever will get them more votes at the next election. So I usually don't bother to follow politics $:-\$

From what I do know I probably can't tell you any more than Rosie has. I did get the impression that it wasn't just a vote on top-up fees but that it was also being used as a vote of no confidence in Mr. Blair, hense the rebellion.

-Kev

jlmusicchick · « **Reply #39 on:** January 29, 2004, 01:39:38 pm »

okay, so someone much smarter than me correct me if i'm wrong becuase i probably am, but it sounds like Top Up fees are somewhat like TAP and FAFSA for colleges, right?

musicalness · « **Reply #40 on:** January 30, 2004, 04:22:05 am »

Quote from: "Tia"

Cute pics Vanessa! Nice ducky dressing gown!! :-P

How're you enjoying the UK?

I like my ducky gown! its really soft and warm!!

Im having a great time here so far. Ive been here exactly a week from today and this past week Ive pretty much been sleeping a lot so I havent seen much. In the first few days of my arrival I was still sleeping in Sydney time lol.. mixed with UK time.. it was horrible. I felt terrible.
Now Im sleeping at the right times so Im feeling better now.
Ive only seen around town a bit and the park really. When I first arrived I went to Leicester Square for 30 minutes and thats all Ive done since Ive been here. Went grocery shopping at Asda yesterday.. walked there..and it was freeeeezing!!

Now Im just sorting out stuff. Registering myself all over Colchester now that Im a resident =)

I really like it here. I hope to go into London one weekend and have a look.

Tia · « **Reply #41 on:** January 30, 2004, 09:23:50 am »

Quote from: "musicalness"

Quote from: "Tia"
Cute pics Vanessa! Nice ducky dressing gown!! :-P

How're you enjoying the UK?

I like my ducky gown! its really soft and warm!!

Haha, it's very cute...

Good to hear it's going okay for ya! How long are you here for?

- T x

musicalness · « **Reply #42 on:** January 30, 2004, 10:18:06 am »

Im here for about a couple years =) who knows.. maybe more..
I have a lot of travelling to do around Europe.. so Im in no hurry

vanessafan18 · « **Reply #43 on:** January 30, 2004, 12:48:01 pm »

Oh yeh that really was so weird the other day! I never usually get scared at Thunder but I got real scared when it started thundering the other night, then there was a big flash of light-and voila snow! It was so unusual but then it all looked so pretty as it feel on the drive! I can't believe it's all gone now! But, it was the first time we'd had snow in 10 years so I was so happy!

And yes this deserves to up on top to celebrate Englands rare occurance of snow!!!

Oh and Rosie I just love the pics, looks like u had a great time out in it! You actually seemed to have a little more then us-but at least we had enough to throw snowballs at break at school! tehe.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Tia · « **Reply #44 on:** January 30, 2004, 01:36:04 pm »

Quote from: "musicalness"

Im here for about a couple years =) who knows.. maybe more..
I have a lot of travelling to do around Europe.. so Im in no hurry

Wow...that's a looooong time...

We should meet up! :razz:

News:

Author Topic: English Snow, Thunder, Lightning and top up fees (Read 10339 times)