mmm, student debt

So, all this new student loan bollocks (the Browne review, aka last week's news - but I was busy in Germany so yeah)...

higher fees.  probably £7k a year (so, er, nearly 7 times what it was when I was an undergrad, ouch) raise the earning threshold for paying the money back charge a 'real' interest rate

I see obvious problems with this:

more debt overall.  I left uni with 11k of loan debt.  That'll now just be one year's worth. paying back less each month it'll take much longer to pay back

So, what happens when people get to 65 (68, 70, whatever it'll be by then),... continue reading »

Election day

General Election today.  And local council election here as well.  Double the fun.

Today is the first time I've voted 'properly' - the last election (2005) I was deep in final year exam hell at Keele, and had a postal vote.  Weirdly I seem to have a fairly vivid memory of walking from the house to the postbox with it.

But yes.  I've ticked some boxes.  And got odd looks from the polling station people.  Possibly because I was asking them really stupid obvious questions (such as "where's the box?" and "do they both go in the same place?"), possibly because I... continue reading »