Free fees an example of Bertie-nomics

THE sound of feet on the street is reassuring, particularly at a time when democracy is blowing in the wind like a fragile flower.

Last Wednesday, somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 students took to the streets of Dublin. They were protesting against the possible return of college fees, a raising of the current registration fee, and a mooted reduction in student grants.

Their protest was rooted in Ruairi Quinn’s pre-election signed pledge that there would be no return of fees. It was a cynical election promise, but then, the Labour Party’s position on third level fees over the past 15 years is soaked in cynicism.