Discussion

Edinburgh Book Festival event tonight , debating education with journalist and author Melissa Benn and OU Scottish Director James Miller, under the direction of Ruth Wishart.

A very well attended, positive , largely consensual and forward looking session, contrasting what ( collectively ) we are trying to achieve in Scotland with what is happening south of the border.

Indeed a number of contributions from the floor , most notably from the Principal & Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh University, Tim O'Shea and NUS Scotland President Robin Parker poured scorn on the current attempts by some elements in the right wing press in Scotland to promote HE tuition fees and talk down the overwhelming Scottish support for the successful policy of access to education being based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.