'Manx Students are revolting'

Manx students are revolting but it's less ‘barricades at Bordeaux’ and more ‘pontificating in the Portal’.

The students are not these days energised by challenging the capitalist system - after all they eventually hope to become part of it. They are challenging the imposition - nay burden - of student charges. (link):

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/manx-university-students...

Have to say I have a degree of sympathy having had several offspring go through the University system years ago its a challenge - and those were less straitened times.

Right on cue Lawrie Hooper MHK pops up who kind of looks like he’s not long left his student days behind. Hooper avers that the system needs some tweaks but basically it's fair. However try explaining that to the - not so well heeled parents - with their hands in their pockets (link):

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/hooper-responds-to-stude...

I suppose the main problem with student fees/charges etc is that ultimately it may deter young people whose parents are less well off from chancing higher education - they will head straight for the egaming industry and a life of interminable boredom with ‘BET 3096’ or some such.

What I find - and this is something of a tangent from the issue but germane - is that £30,000 is a threshold at which the government like to claw money back - but for people with high incomes that have reached the fiscal stratosphere it's all tax breaks and expenses.

I come back to my old hobby horse the black economy and the business expense accounts culture. Put simply we are broke because Treasury Minister Alf Cannan is not collecting the correct tax of those who could and should pay. He would rather stiff you and me!

I’m still waiting after two years (plus) for a response from Alf to the query I sent first to Eddie Teare then to him. I’m even thinking of taking up Archery and firing an arrow with a follow up missive through the windows of the Treasury. The only thing that stops me is it might hit Sheila Lowe (CEO) and she seems a nice lady and anyway already has Alf to put up with everyday - helping with counting when he runs out of fingers. I have thought of tackling the great man himself about it - Chief Minister Howard Quayle - but he’s much too busy sorting out Brexit and getting ready for his award winning weekly Moulton interviews.

I can’t understand why Alf Cannan is so rude his father was a very nice man.

Back on ‘the head’ evicted from the portal and faced by the obdurate face of Lawrie Hooper I don’t give the great Manx students revolt of 2018 much hope!

Image: Barricades in Bordeaux - part of the global the students revolts in 1968

Bernard Moffatt