Scotish Tuition fees mystery

[modeller]

Scotland has been told that because Scottish students don't have to pay Uni-Tuition fees then they must allow EU students in free otherwise it would be discrimatory. If that is so why should UK students have to pay in Scotland . I thought we were in the EU. All their thousands of rules which they churn out and we have to obey why is this one different ?

[Dris]

I am Scottish and I dont despise English people -what an off the wall comment to make...hardly is conducive with a healthy debate :(
Anyhow -its not a mystery as this has been debated several times although I concede the OP perhaps has missed it.
I have always said instead of bumping gums about Scotland (always seems to be Scotland in the main) Wales and NI- lobby your own MPs demading your own assembly.
As an aside as a UK taxpayer I was under the impression Westminster dealt with taxes for the UK not England.

[anotheoldgit]

I agree with Jake, on this one.

There are enough very rich parents who send their kids to Uni, so why don't they get together for the benefit of all English students, and get the best legal knowledge to take before the Euro. courts?

[modeller]

thecorbyloon. I have studied the EU articles and it appears that if any non Scottish student rented a property in Scotland prior to applying to a university they would qualify for free tuition.There doesn't appear to be a specified period of residency required.

Mike // Since the advent of modern technology that argument no longer holds good , and there is no reason why Scotland, Wales and NI should not become fully independent, //
What is meant by full independance ? Are the Scots going to have their own Army Navy and Airforce ? NHS , National Insurance , Benifits, . How about the hundreds of governmental departments currently based in Scotland. Taxation , Duty , and all the public services and utilities which work on both sides of the border. There's no end to it .

[mike11111]

Whilst I appreciate the problem of logistics which you point out I was merely suggesting that in theory full independence, if desired, would not damage English interests.

[anotheoldgit]

/// Are the Scots going to have their own Army ///

They tried it before and didn't the English kick the *rse off them at Culloden?

[mike11111]

But they kicked ours at Bannockburn.

[anotheoldgit]

mike11111

Touché

[eyethenkyew]

mike11111,

Just wondering if you feel inclined to address the points I asked you about in my 4.08 post?

[mike11111]

Perhaps English only was a poor choice of words. My point was that the per capita allocation to Scotland (not sure about Wales or NI) under the Barnett formula is greater than that allocated to England.

[annie0000]

Given the amount of English settlers in Scotland, I am sure that many "English" students already get their education for free in Scotland. I agree with previous posts - I get fed up with English people moaning about the devolved powers that other nations have and what they choose to spend their money on when they make no attempt to get devolved powers for their own nations. The fact is that Scotland(and Wales and NI?) is a socialist country which chooses to spend its budget on socialist policies a thing that the more right wing England chooses not too and then the same citizens moan about the differences.

It's funny that the UK government was quite happy to take their tax share of the huge profits that the banks in Scotland were making but when it all goes bust, you think that should be Scotlands problem! Don't forget that the entity that was supposed to be supervising and regulating them is based in London.

As far as I am concerned, all universities should charge the fees and if the devolved government chooses to provide financial support to individual students from it's own country on a means tested basis then I can't see that any one else can complain.

[annie0000]

The reason they get more in the barnett formula as I understand it is to take account of a) the abject poverty that many Scots live in and b) the fact that much of Scotland is rural and the cost of providing basic services in these areas costs more. I would also point out that if you go to a rural vilage in the North of Scotland you will be struggling to find a Scottish accent.

If you fancy paying the same amount for food/petrol/heating etc that has to paid up in North then feel free to come up and join them.

[anotheoldgit]

/// The fact is that Scotland(and Wales and NI?) is a socialist country which chooses to spend its budget on socialist policies a thing that the more right wing England chooses not too and then the same citizens moan about the
differences. ///

And wasn't England ever a socialist country?

In fact wasn't it under an English socialist government that university fees were introduced?

[annie0000]

I don't know aog - but why did the tories/lib dems get in? It certainly wasn't Scotlands vote that put them there. Who introduced the fees is irrelevant now, it's what they choose to do about them that is important. It's the ability to pay that needs to be taken into account. My kids are still in primary school at the moment, but like everything else, I don't expect to benefit from free University by the time they are university age.

[eyethenkyew]

mike11111,

Thank you for clearing up (I think?) that little anomaly.

[Dris]

annie -well put and am still awaiting the comeback to your very eloquent post..
I shall bookmark this for future reference.

[karenmac60]

Hear hear!

[annie0000]

For what it's worth crackatoa. I didn't either, but we live in a society where the majority rules (as it should) and therefore we have to work with the system that is in or vote it out. I don't hate the English either........but I do hate moaners - nothing in life ever improved by moaning. I don't understand the popularity of cricket either, but I have a choice not to watch or read about it. Job done!

[rov1100]

Nobody has answered the question why the Scots charge English students for the priviledge of studying there. Do they think the English are an alien race?

[annie0000]

rove - I thought it had been answered, it's basically because they can. The intention was to charge for anyone not Scotland resident. However, the EU has ruled that they cant charge other EU members, the EU however considers that England is part of the UK, the same as Scotland and therefore does not count as "another" EU country, Scotland considers that England is not Scotland, therefore they can continue to charge England (and Wales and NI) based students together with any foreign nationals from outwith the EU.