SDLP youth chair Cllr Matthew McDermott has criticised the Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his proposal to sell off the Student Loan Book in the proposed list of assets to be sold off and warned that the review into student fees must not reflect the wishes of Vice Chancellors but rather represent the needs of students, particularly our most vulnerable.

Matthew said, ‘ Gordon Brown has proposed selling off government assets to offset the budget deficit. While this is an approach we would generally welcome to avoid severe cuts, we can’t support the selling off of the student loan book. Selling this off will undoubtedly lead to higher interest rates for students in the future. It is a shortsighted move that is ill thought out and does not represent the wishes of the vast majority of students.

‘ Add this to the fact that University UK (UUK) the body representing UK Vice Chancellors has called for a rise in fees to about £5 000 per year and the CBI has called for ‘restricted’ maintenance grants and this equals a bad deal for students. 

‘ The government will be reviewing all this in November and we will be asking our SDLP MP’s to make representations to the government opposing these moves and join the Labour Backbenchers organising against any increase in fees.

Continuing Matthew said, ‘ SDLP Youth will also be stepping up a student awareness campaign across our universities calling on the Student Loan Book to remain in public ownership, no fee hike and no tampering of the maintenance grants.

‘ If the government goes ahead with any of these moves we are heading for a situation whereby University will only be for societies most wealthy and exclude young people from poorer backgrounds. A situation that is unsustainable.

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Please email answers to albanforeurope@sdlp.ie and please pass this message on to your friends.

SDLP Youth wish to congratulate both the Irish Rugby Team and boxer Bernard Dunne on their fantastic wins over the weekend.

Speaking on the events SDLP Youth member Malachy Quinn said:

“Last weekend will go down in history as one of the greatest for Irish Sport. First we had the Irish Rugby Team win their first Grand Slam in 61 years in what proved to be a nail-biting match against last years Six Nations Grand Slam winners Wales in Cardiff. The Irish team showed great spirit and grit to come from behind to claim a memorable win that had everybody in Ireland both north and south cheering from the rafters. Credit must go to the Irish team and all its staff on this fantastic achievement”

He continued:

“Later on Saturday night in what was one of the greatest fights ever to take place on Irish soil Dublin boxer Bernard Dunne added more pride to the Irish by claiming the WBA Super-Bantamweight title by beating Ricardo Cardoba. Dunne displayed great guts and strength coming back from two knockdowns in the 5^th round to win by knockout in the dying seconds of the 11^th. He showed the all the character of a true world champion and he has marked his spot in Irish boxing history by being our 17^th world champion following in the foot steps of legends like Steve Collins and Barry McGuigan. Credit must be paid to Bernard and his Belfast trainer Harry Hawkins for this incredible achievement. I would also like to congratulate Belfast boxer Martin Rogan on capturing the Commonwealth title last month starting a fantastic run for Irish boxing”

“An interesting note of history is that when Ireland last captured a Grand Slam 61 years ago an Irish boxer also won a world title on the same day. Congratulations to both the Irish Team and Bernard Dunne for doing the nation proud”

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/StudentLoanSDLP/

Michael Rafferty (SDLP Youth Omagh) has welcomed Mark Durkan’s recently tabled motion in Parliament to increase from £15,000 to £18,000 the salary at which students begin to repay their student loans.

He said, “The biggest worry on most students’ minds in the next few years will be finding a job after they graduate. Northern Ireland will suffer a “brain drain” in those years as more graduates chase fewer graduate jobs or opt for jobs easily obtainable without a degree. Since the new system for student funding was introduced by New Labour in 2006, there have been two disproportionate hikes in tuition fees, allegedly down to inflation. Now that inflation is lower, it is unfair that this is not reflected in students’ loan statements.”

Graduates currently start paying back their loans when they earn over £15,000 per year. In 3 year’s time, £15,000 will be a much lower salary in real terms.

Pointing out the increasing pressure this will put on students, Mr Rafferty said,

“Why does this threshold remain constant? If the system is not changed, graduates will struggle under the weight of the loan, paying more with each year of study while they earn a lower salary. This could come to the point where it is no longer worth taking out a student loan to go to university, leaving many able young people unable to achieve their potential due to financial constraints.”

SDLP Youth have set up a petition to the British Prime Minister at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/StudentLoanSDLP to support Mark Durkan’s efforts on behalf of students in bringing this issue to the fore in Westminster.

SDLP Youth University and Colleges Officer Michelle Byrne has welcomed Mark Durkan MP’s motion earlier this week to raise the Student Loan repayment threshold from £15,000 to £18,000.

She said: “I would like to commend Foyle MP and leader of the SDLP Mark Durkan for raising this vital issue. It is good to see an MP who is passionate about fighting for student rights in Westminster.

“Mark Durkan has visited Queens University on many occasions over the years and each time he has underlined his commitment to supporting students in everyway possible, not only in the Northern Ireland Assembly but also in Westminster.

“As a Queens Student, it is fantastic to see that he has fulfilled his promises. This is a great example of how important the student movement is to the SDLP and to the leadership.

“It is fantastic to see that Mark Durkan is continuing to fight for the rights of people who do not have a big say. He deserves the full support not only from students, but from people who actively support student rights.”

SDLP Youth have condemned a racist attack on a Bangladeshi student living in the Donegall Road of South Belfast on Friday night and have requested a meeting with the South Belfast District Commander after police took over two-and-a-half hours to respond to the emergency.

Peter Armstrong, Chair of SDLP Youth said: “It is a horrifying situation that young people living in South Belfast cannot feel safe in their own streets. The student who is originally from Bangladesh was set upon by a mob of up to 15 people outside his house.

“SDLP Youth are working with Carmel Hanna MLA to arrange a meeting with the South Belfast District Commander. It is deeply worrying that it took police nearly three hours to respond to an emergency close to Belfast city centre. The police too often use the excuse that all their resources are tied up. It is not good enough. If the police want young people to have confidence in their service, they must manage their resources better to ensure the safety and welfare of the student population.

“The PSNI must increase patrols in the area to essentially prevent what is mob rule from taking place, and they must ensure that the attackers are found and prosecuted.”

Haneen Wishah in Coleraine Times

Back in September SDLP Youth encouraged everyone to sign a petition to allow Palestinian student Haneen Wishah to travel from Gaza to Ireland to study at the University of Ulster Coleraine. The petition was successful. In the Coleraine Times this week Haneen urges Israel to stop the war.

“Stop the Israeli aggression on my land and people.
We, as Palestinians are begging to live in peace in a justice world in our homeland Palestine, because it’s our legal right and we won’t give up until we free our land Palestine from the Israeli occupation.”

Belfast Gaza Protest

The protest was hugely successful. Around 2,000 people attended the protest, while thousands more marched and lined the route through the city centre. Similar marches took place in cities and towns throughout Ireland in solidarity with the people in Palestine.

SDLP Youth call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the killing, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and both sides to enter talks to work towards a peaceful solution. Until this happens, the Irish, British and European governments must impose economic sanctions upon Israel.

Pictures of the protest are now online at http://sdlpyouth.com/gallery/v/campaigns/GazaSolidarityProtest/

Mark Durkan Tables Motion at Westminster

SDLP Party Leader, MP for Foyle has tabled an Early Day Motion calling for an end to the death and destruction in Gaza:

UU Jordanstown: Hundreds of PC's Wasting Energy

As part of the SDLP’s Sustainability agenda, SDLP societies at Queen’s and University of Ulster have requested that the universities in Northern Ireland carry out an environmental audit as a matter of urgency to establish how much Universities are contributing to wasted energy.

While the SDLP’s University groups do appreciate that some Universities have moved in the right direction the group feels that University’s can move much further, much faster and go greener quicker.

Commenting on the request SDLP Youth Chairman Peter Armstrong said, “The SDLP has long been committed to delivering a sustainable environment as part of our manifesto pledges.

“Through this campaign we aim to ensure that universities are cutting waste, by taking some actions as simple as not leaving hundreds of unused computers on standby, and that they are contributing fully to environmental protection. As economic development advanced in recent years, our efforts to improve our standards of living and enhance our education have had an adverse impact of the environment.

“We are now consuming more resources than ever and causing pollution through waste products. Now it is all our responsibility to do everything we can to protect our environment and as we strive to save the planet we will also save pounds in our pocket.”

More photos from Stormont Schools Debate 2008

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SDLP Youth and Young Unionists joined forces today to host a Schools Debate in the Senate Chamber at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.

The day was organised in conjunction with the NI Assembly’s Education Service.

Peter Armstrong, Chair of SDLP Youth said: “We were delighted to co-host the Schools Debate 2008. The event brought together young people from schools across the north to the Senate Chamber at Parliament Buildings for a cross-community debate on local and international politics.

“This was a very worth-while event as our aim was to bring more young people to the seat of local government.”

Alisdair O’Hara Organiser for the Young Unionists said: “I am extremely pleased with today’s event. It highlights that some political parties can still work together. In this instance we were able to bring sixth formers from various schools across Northern Ireland to debate some of the most relevant local and international issues.

“Engaging young people in politics is extremely important and being able to host this debate at Stormont was very significant”.