Redmond appeared in ‘that’ infamous photo – but he claims that he has never actually been a member of Fianna Fail, and that FF would confirm this.

You can hear him state this in an audio interview available at – http://www.studentnews.ie/my-discussion-with-gary-redmond-1835

While conducting research for an article, Phoenix magazine contacted both FF and Ogra FF in UCD to see if Redmond had been member, but found no proof – http://free-education.info/phoenix-article-on-usi-president-gary-redmond/

If you have evidence to the contrary, you should send it to this site.

As for the FF mentality, I agree entirely.

Gary Redmond is currently not a member of Fiaana Fail as he understands what the implications are to his position in the student “movement.”
He has however, held membership of FF, and retains the FF mentality.

So they have just plucked the €5000 figure from the air, then?

I entirely agree with the above comments from Gary. Fees will not go up to €5000, this is only a tactic. It is inevitable that fees will be increased in the upcoming budget and USI and various larger SU’s across the country will claim that they have been victorious in defeating the potential €5000 sum. USI and UCDSU have been quite irrelevant and have played an almost nonexisting role in the government’s decision to hike up the reg fee.

It’s clear that his general politics are not too far from Fianna Fail, but you can either criticize him on the basis of things he has done & said (rational argument), or criticize him on the basis of something which is entirely false (irrational, straw man argument).

Gary Redmond is not a member of Fianna Fail

James Connolly would be turning in his grave, what a shambolic shower of IMF collaborators his party have become, shame on Ruari Quinn and Eamon Gilmore. It is of course very important that students know this. IF fees are increased, we will not see one cent of this increased revenue pumped into our universities, the reason the government needs your money is to pay off the banking debt THEY created. They are masquerading behind a concept that universities are underfunded, they are underfunded because the government is squandering money on banks.

USI policy is to campaign for free education, and against fees in all forms.

If USI want to change that policy, they should hold referenda in the constituent organisations, and let the membership decide.

Lets face it – USI has effectively dropped the campaign for free education. They are actively campaign on the basis that students should pay €2,000 to go to college.

As for the potential €5,000 – it’s a tactic that’s been used almost every time they hike the reg fee/student contribution.

Here’s the standard kite-flying strategy:

The government & USI float an enormous figures in the media, to friends, online etc.

Fees are increased (to about half of the floated figure).

USI then claims this as a victory – their campaigning has been successful in reducing the prosposed hike (although fees have increased, and students are worse off).

It also allows the junior party in government (Labour, lke the Greens before them), to claim that they did all they could – that the hike would have been even worse if they weren’t in coalition with a big nasty party like FG or FF.

Everyones a winner – USI and the government – except students who actually have to pay the fee.

That is the article. €5,000 is the figure the Students’ Union in UCD and the USI have told us.

Was it this article http://www.independent.ie/education/features/as-standards-tumble-are-college-fees-a-certainty-2902853.html ??

Because the only reference properly to €5000 there is “One senior university manager told the Irish Independent that fees of around €5,000 a year were needed to put universities on a sound footing.” That’s a statement from a university “manager”, not someone in Government……. Is this figure just a way to allow an increase to €3000 to be shown as a victory??

Mark, the €5000 figure comes from an article in the Irish Independent during the week. Although the Independent did not quote a government member, the USI told us that their own sources within government have said that a dramatic increase could occur. Donie.