Then you should have been here yesterday in Liverpool as there was one then. And to the best of my knowledge, this is the fourth in the north-west after a first one in Liverpool in October, 1 last month in Manchester and a third in Stoke.
Also, the BBC among others ran profiles of a) non-students at the protests both on the 9th and earlier who supported the student cause, including business people, shop owners, parents and public sector workers and b) non-students who marched against the cuts and for the problems that you list above.
Everyone is entitled to their right to protest, and although I won't go so far as to say other groups of people are lazy, they have no organisation to act alongside, other than NUS and Unite. I am pretty sure we will see continued protests by people of all walks of life, up and down the country next year. Year of discontent anyone?
Particularly here in L'pool, some large firms have announced large lay-offs in the New Year, including BAE. The cost of living is rising, the assurances are disappearing and those who are most at risk are workers and public sector jobs where public sector jobs hold up a large proportion of the total regional workforce, ie north east/north west/south west in particular. Just wait, I bet you there'll be marches, protests, riots. Return to the 80s anyone?!
Regardless, please don't think I'm an undergrad whinger. I'm a PhD student with falling sponsorships and grants, all living costs rising and uncertainty over a future job, that was initially promised when I embarked on it. Part of my doctorate also involves teaching undergrads, as do most Russell Group doctorates, and I can already see at first hand the money saving ideas that are being developed to cope with the withdrawal of funding, and associated fall in student numbers struggle to keep everything the very best. Needless to say I don't like them, my colleagues and peers don't like them, and this further fuels my protestation at these plans.
Sounds just like the American system.
