What happens now? The bill to triple student fees in England became law on Thursday, even as Parliament Square itself was ablaze, and the heir to the throne besieged in his limousine by angry demonstrators. Is that it? Will the students now go back to their rooms to study while the nation indulges in the usual orgy of Christmas consumerism? No way! The students should not abandon their intifada, but take it north to Scotland where fees are still free - but perhaps not for long.
The 2010 student uprising is the biggest show of popular discontent since the poll tax demonstrations twenty years ago. The poll tax became law too, but not for long. Mass protests made the law unworkable, and its author, Margaret Thatcher, was brought down by her own cabinet in large part because of the unpopularity of the community charge. The students can do the same. They have lost the parliamentary battle, but won the argument. They must now demand that the Scottish government sticks to its pledge not to reintroduce tuition fees, nor any "graduate contribution" which amounts to the same thing. A victory in Holyrood will make Westminster think again. The May Parliamentary elections in Scotland should be turned into a referendum on tuition fees. And a funeral for the Liberal Democrats.
