Would you say one who  imposes to vote for Brexit is a truly left-sided leader? Well, we could say you won’t judge Jeremy Corbyn only by the Brexit, plus more and more issues are relevant to our democracy, such as the access to higher education: free tuition fees! Great: it is definitely what you expect from a real Labour true to the very roots of equality, social mobility, basic human rights and democratic values.

 

No betrayals though; apparently. Because that would be a coherent manifesto and wise political programme only if the exit from the EU wouldn’t inevitably mean cutting higher education student out from Erasmus, and all the many other opportunities to work abroad available to the British skilled ones, by closing the doors to economic growth, social progress and free movement of workers.

So, yes you can promise free university in UK as there are already in many Northern European countries, but in order to be in a good faith one have to admit those EU countries produce each year a number of graduates who enjoy free movement, international programs and grants for skills exchange, who are part of an international community and a huge market still able to absorb a relevant number of skilled jobs.

Promising free tuition confined within the borders simply shows Jeremy wants to have all the cake and eat it: on the one right hand wants to win votes of low-skilled England and Wales pro-Brexit workers persuaded by the over eight years Conservative propaganda that EU workers are the enemy, not the multinational exploiting them, while on the left hand he cherishes the young ‘remain’ voters giving them a fake hope of a progressive and prosperous future they will never be part of.

Young people made Labour grow at least by 10% in the last general elections when turn out of 18 to 24-year-olds was 66.4 per cent equal to 246,487: angry youngs looking to minimise the dramatic referendum result. By the way, the young have no hopes to access and to enjoy the already allocated to ‘Erasmus+’ students programme for 2017-2018: €2.3 billion in commitments (+9.5%) and €2.1 billion in payments (+13.1%). Well they could do more, you might say, but better than a kick in the back and the betrayal of future generations through privatisation of students loans and tuition fees as high as 10 thousand pounds per year. 

London, 25 Sept. 2017

Justine de Braeme