This year the campaign is a more sustained campaign and it will hopefully have more effect. In fairness it can’t have less! In my opinion it is more of an indictment of politicians that the marches have little effect. A 500 person protest about teachers pay or something similar will inevitably get more media coverage than 10’000-20’000 students marching and this is something that also needs to be addressed. I wish people would stop making the smart remarks tarring all students with the same brush regarding Dutch gold etc., there are a growing number of mature students many of whom have lost jobs and are trying to unskilled or retrain with families to support at the same time (myself included). We need all the support we can get, or are we to be disregarded onto the scrap heap of the long term unemployed? Many are doing the best they can. Admittedly there are a certain sect of students who don’t need the grant, who do drink too much and are more concerned over the price of Dutch gold than the grant, but not all of us and this differential is present in all sectors those who can afford the cuts and those who can’t. It’s the ones who can’t and genuinely are there to learn and progress that need to be protected.

Ah yes, the annual student marches about grants and fees. USI have been doing them for years and to br honest, they never really achieve very much, the grant is always late and the registration fees keep going up, doubt another march will hold off full fees

If they increase the price of Dutch gold there will be blood on the streets….

I think these students should take a look at the bigger picture. Our society is being destroyed by continual cuts in all sectors, particularly health and welfare in order to protect the wealthy bankers, bondholders and politicians themselves. This is to serve measures being imposed on us from Brussels. The USI would have more credibility if they marched against the general policies of our government rather than trying to simply protect their own grants and support.There are anti austerity marches happening all around Europe these days. If the USI organised a general protest, led by students they would get a lot more support from the people. Our society is too divided right now with everyone trying to look after their piece of the pie. In the past in other countries it took students to stand up to oppressive regimes to bring about change. Remember Tianenmen Square? We need an organisation to spearhead these protests as the unions have done nothing and have lost all support from their members. Sinn Fein or left wing politicians cannot garner general support. There are a lot of disillusioned people in this country who need someone to start leading them. Students, forget about your grants and try to make a change.

mature students aside , the majoruty of students dont actually understand the issues at hand. in my experience these protests are doss days for them. they majority have no idea of usi and are more likely to be swayed vote wise (su voting) by a shiny lollipop fhan the issues. the usi had a huge vote last year on what route should be taken re fees , where are the results?. where are the usi alternatives? i dunno if students actually have a viable voice anymore. perhaps its with the mature students that hope lies.

UCD isn’t in Eamon Gilmore’s constituency… its in Dublin South. Also UCDSU was offered a meeting with Ruairi Quinn, which they turned down because “we’re after Gilmore”, this was before the protested a LY & SVP event on Homelessness in UCD purely because Jan O’Sullivan was speaking.

The student movement… *facepalm*