"David Cameron has once again highlighted the proposal to cut housing benefits to the under 25s, the Coalition government’s repeated protestations that the austerity measures were designed so that the nation’s ‘children’ would not have to pay for the mistakes of the adults in the financial crisis looks increasingly weak. What their patronising attitudes disregard is the fact that we are already paying for the crisis now. One of the justifications trotted for raising tuition fees is that it should increase competition and thus standards in UK universities. However, along with their additional fall in spending and universities cutting corners by laying off lectures, reducing contact hours and cutting less high demand courses, this excuse has fallen flat on its face. Similarly, the idea that young people will not be put off going to university fails to account for the idea that young graduates are now expected to work for free for six months or more after building up all that debt or in the case of workfare, simply to keep the meagre £56.25 a week they are given in benefits seemingly in order to help Tesco keep their wage cost down." - M F