Email to Liberal Democrat Councillors at Newcastle Civic Centre

Dear Councillors

We have entered the Civic Centre today in peaceful protest against the bill that is being proposed in Parliament on Thursday 9th December. This bill proposes a rise in tuition fees and if implemented will be the cause of the exclusion of many poorer students from higher education. We believe that a right to a good education should be in no way connected to one’s financial situation. To turn education into a commodity in this way is to devalue its true worth.

We believe that as Newcastle City Councillors you have a crucial role to play in the rejection of these policies. Today we urge you to join us in protest by publicly voicing your opposition to any rise in tuition fees, cuts to education or public services. We have drafted a statement that we would like you to sign in support of our cause.

As a Liberal Democrat councillor we urge you to send the following message to your parliamentary colleagues.

We urge MPs from our party to stand by their election pledges, which we as prominent members of the Liberal Democrats campaigned on in the previous election. Specifically we call on Liberal Democrat MPs to stand by our policy of campaigning against any rise in tuition fees by voting against the rise in tuition fees on Thursday 9th December. We feel that our party does not have a mandate to enact these drastic changes to education, given our position at the general election.

We urge you to place principle before the politics of Westminster.

Yours faithfully

The Members of Newcastle Occupation