“A ghra gheal mo chroi, indeed it’s far from a song of praise many students and their parents are singing with Minister O’Keeffe flagging the return of Third Level fees. He may well have to whistle another tune such will be the wave of protest on this vexatious issue, rising to a crescendo from the brooding rumblings already heard so far. The Minister and some commentators seek to express the argument in simplistic language such as ‘the wealthy should pay their own expenses’ or ‘a person of a salary of 100K plus (not including expenses) should not benefit from fees’. Yes Minister, you are right. But many, if not most, would differ on your definition of wealth. It certainly does not describe the middle-income bracket. This has been well described as the ‘coping classes’ who are taking most of the recent spate of levies. The government will seek to suck even more from this sector with little left to give …” (more)
[Joe Falvey, Munster Express, 24 April]