17th December 2010, 03:32 PM
Sigh. I have a loan of just over 20 grand. Hooray. Having a loan is not a problem. It's fake money.
It's about 20 quid a month to pay off. Obviously being an archaeologist this will never be paid, and I'm more intrigued to see how high it'll go before I hit 50 and it's cancelled. I've lived with this debt for 6 years now, and its never caused me a days problem. The amount you pay off is 9% over a certain amount and its always affordable. You're never going to starve or lose your home over this "loan". The most I suffer is mild irritation over losing the money for a few beers and a pack of cigars every month. Whoopee. Behold my hardship!
It's interesting to see that the NUS' alternative is a graduate tax. Which would essentially involve you paying, probably over 20 quid a month over a certain earnings limit while you work. A student loan is a poorly disguised tax. I will put my neck out here and agree with the coalition in that "a loan" is better as you know the money is going to the Uni you are attending, and its much harder to vary the terms. A graduate tax would involve money going to government which would end up in a big pot probably paying out for nuclear missles or wars that few want. Look at road tax!
What is concerning is the AMOUNT. And the word LOAN. BOTH IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Everyone hears ?9000 and loan and immediately start panicking. And I can fully understand why. But after 6 years owing gigantic debts, it's honestly never caused me any issues and I have no problem paying for an education for which I feel priveleged to have had. Not everything in life is given out free, nor should be.
On another note, can people please stop the "student scum" vs "facist pigs" commentary? It's becoming very tiresome. It's supposed to be an archaeology forum for God's sake, not a bloody soapbox for people who didn't attend and just want to air their political vews. If you actually attended the rally and have first hand experience, by all means say so. If on the other hand you're filtering small snippets of news footage or internet sites through your political predilications, then for God's sake SHUT UP!
It's about 20 quid a month to pay off. Obviously being an archaeologist this will never be paid, and I'm more intrigued to see how high it'll go before I hit 50 and it's cancelled. I've lived with this debt for 6 years now, and its never caused me a days problem. The amount you pay off is 9% over a certain amount and its always affordable. You're never going to starve or lose your home over this "loan". The most I suffer is mild irritation over losing the money for a few beers and a pack of cigars every month. Whoopee. Behold my hardship!
It's interesting to see that the NUS' alternative is a graduate tax. Which would essentially involve you paying, probably over 20 quid a month over a certain earnings limit while you work. A student loan is a poorly disguised tax. I will put my neck out here and agree with the coalition in that "a loan" is better as you know the money is going to the Uni you are attending, and its much harder to vary the terms. A graduate tax would involve money going to government which would end up in a big pot probably paying out for nuclear missles or wars that few want. Look at road tax!
What is concerning is the AMOUNT. And the word LOAN. BOTH IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Everyone hears ?9000 and loan and immediately start panicking. And I can fully understand why. But after 6 years owing gigantic debts, it's honestly never caused me any issues and I have no problem paying for an education for which I feel priveleged to have had. Not everything in life is given out free, nor should be.
On another note, can people please stop the "student scum" vs "facist pigs" commentary? It's becoming very tiresome. It's supposed to be an archaeology forum for God's sake, not a bloody soapbox for people who didn't attend and just want to air their political vews. If you actually attended the rally and have first hand experience, by all means say so. If on the other hand you're filtering small snippets of news footage or internet sites through your political predilications, then for God's sake SHUT UP!