College fees - A lesson in economics for rich

EDUCATION Minister Noel Dempsey’s proposal to make the rich pay for their children’s college education has become a political hot potato, driving a wedge through the Fianna Fáil-PD coalition and also causing widespread uncertainty and unease among the public.

In principle, it has to be said that the concept of wealthy people having to pay third-level fees seems a reasonable proposition from both an economic and social viewpoint.

On the face of it, this is the kind of initiative that might normally be expected to win popular support.