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Education protest outside National Conference, today

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Education protest this afternoon

3News NZ

Students at a June 1 protest against the education cuts

Students at a June 1 protest against the education cuts

Education activists are banding together to march on the National Party conference in Auckland today in an "outcry against ongoing attacks on education".

Auckland-based student movement Blockade the Budget has called on all like-minded people to join the family-friendly march in a "show and tell" about their discontent with Government education policies.

The protest has been endorsed by the Tertiary Education Union, primary and secondary teacher organisations, the Auckland University Students' Association, social justice group Auckland Action Against Poverty and the Council of Trade Unions.

Protesters plan to march up Queen Street from Britomart and finish at the annual conference venue at Sky City about 1pm.

Students also plan to join Auckland Action Against Poverty in a picket tomorrow in protest against welfare policies.

NZN

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24/07/2012 12:54:10 a.m.

Mike wrote:

The protests are a joke.

For a protest to work it needs backing by good numbers, ie a significant minority or even a majority.

Going back a few years Waikato University elected a new Student President with over 80% of the vote, and in time honoured democratic Labour/Union way, the student union set aside the election result and appointed one of their own Labour card carying lackies. The following year with a change of government unionism was made voluntary and only 4% supported the union as it was a corrupt parasite feeding on students money.

The backlash did some good, as without the huge public trough of union dues, the student union had to change, so they had to clean up their act. Without that funding cut, they would still have keep spending student union fees like water and not changed for the better. So while the union didn't think it was a good thing, voluntary unionism changed the union and made it much more accountable and a better representative for students, so more students starting belonging after it cleaned up.

These protests are not representative. They are like the Waikato Student Union setting aside a duely elected student president. The signatures? What signatures? The petition of no confidence in the student union gained over 40% of all students, so a similar result should see like almost 1,000,000 voter signatures on the petition against the asset sales. The education protests are basically card carrying opposition party students, not representative of students at all, hence so few turn up to protests.

Uni students in Auckland is around 50,000, so even 10% should see 5000 at a protest. Add the Tech students and probably closer to double that, call it 10% = 10,000 students. 1% = 1000, so 100 protesting is like 0.1% - thats not a protest!

I remeber a protest by students from Waikato University, and the student numbers were about 12% of the students turned up. ie about 120x the size comparitively!

22/07/2012 9:05:35 p.m.

M wrote:

I am curious to know why the protests made against the national party are not making much of an impact. Labour needs to do a hell of a lot more to gain the attention of the public or will not win at the next election. It's a scary thought.

22/07/2012 12:48:56 p.m.

Nick wrote:

Gees, i saw the protest on the News and saw how many Police were guarding the building, what a waste of taxpayers money they should be out fighting crime. The National Party is doing something very wrong as any good Government would not need so much protection. All the protesting will fall on deaf ears and though they will be classed by some as Rebels and Troublemakers, i will be seeing them as concerned citizens fighting for what is right.

21/07/2012 4:01:48 p.m.

jt wrote:

The protest movement needs to become better organised and more coordinated to achieve results. Plenty to learn from other countries which have a far greater history of popular democracy and worker rights. That said, any action against John Key is to be welcomed.

21/07/2012 12:15:11 p.m.

Wiseacre wrote:

Why does National always insist upon making life more difficult for those in need? We should recognise that the rewards of an education go beyond just the student, and are to the betterment of society. We should be making education more accessible, not tying an ever tightening noose around those looking to achieve a brighter future. The student allowance be available to all students. It is preposterous that it gets restricted based upon an arbitrary level of parental income. Does the unemployment benefit get restricted because of parental income? No, so why should the student allowance? It is unreasonable to expect parents to financially support their independent, adult offspring. And why cap student allowances at 200 weeks of study? Being both Minister for Science and Innovation and Minister for Tertiary Education, why would Steven Joyce be implementing policies that will discourage people from doing post-graduate study? Shouldn't he be encouraging more people into doing more post-graduate work? These are policies that will increase personal debt and make higher eduction a privilege for all but the already wealthy. Once again, National kicks the ladder of opportunity out behind itself, making it more difficult for those at the bottom to access the qualifications needed to better themselves.

21/07/2012 8:50:16 a.m.

Brent wrote:

Gee wiz, I wonder if I can keep paying my staff another year while every day people save there money, Maybe the government should ban computers so people have to move around and buy things, Paintball guns should be banned from shops and issued to police, they would be Handy today.