I agree with all sides of the arguement, in as much as FEE, with whom I am associated and anyone who wishes to get involved is welcome to find me on facebook or e-mail, but the one where it says that we are being secretive.

The fact is that we have been open in the past and all it got us was failed actions and comrades arrested, so security (and USI would say the same thing) is important.

As far as having a hierachy the only thing that is in a hierachy is experience. Should someone new wish to voice an opinion I could not be happier but if it is something that I have experienced before I will make this known and what the outcome was. The accusation about protesting just for the sake of it, that is a little bit naive, no offence meant, because it takes out the concept of the same people who believe in free education also believing in the rights of the Palestinians or Trade Union workers who are having their hours slashed. We believe in these things not just the protests.

I take responsibility for the fact that FEE has not been operating well and has not been a presence in UCD but the fact is that FEE branches across the country who can get up to 50 people to a meeting and 100 to a protest. FEE is a national campaign but that does not mean that we can excuse the fact that in UCD we are lax and lazy.

If anyone is interested we are having a public meeting on the Hunt Report and how to fight fees next week, which will be advertised next week. And please if you have a contrary opinion and want to raise it with me e-mail me benoroscrea@aol.com and I will try and meet you and bring you into meetings. Our decisions are all made democratically so your voice is just as vital as mine.

I’m kind of dismayed that you assume that these activists only protest for the sake of protesting. I would be in the mind-set that they show up to protests because its the easiest way to ‘take action’ and more importantly they don’t have any other positive outlet in this country to express their opposition to or support for one cause or another. Others are very, and quietly, active without actually going out on the streets. But this is another story…

I generally understand the frustration with FEE. Alas, they have very few active members/participants. I am guilty here too.

As for the USI’s approach, yes I agree. They are useless, cowardly, pathetic, careerist, slow and bureaucratic, extremely protective and hierarchical, ineffective, and to be frank, so far up their holes they don’t know how to react when even the slightest form of dissent to their (I stress ‘their’) petty organisation raises it head.

The main problem is convincing Irish students, or students living in Ireland to dissent, effectively, and without the same nonsense and rhetoric we are used to hearing. I have racked my brain for some time thinking about how or even why students would possibly want to participate in unions in universities. I did (participate), and it was a total nightmare! However, with the economy in complete free-fall and an unprecedented round of criticism directed at the hierarchy or the USI, I fell like I should just simply wait now. The USI can’t actually organise an effective campaign at defeating anything, not in its current form anyway. And there is no hope of any new union coming into existence – especially with the conformity and apathy encouraged by every sector of Irish society. So maybe it is time for folks like yourself and myself to take up some sort of role in FEE?

Too much 😉

They do have a forum for their members, what concerns me is that they are not permitting anyone else to join. FEE isn’t an organisation it is a campaign.

I am sick about hearing how the USI and Students’ Unions are hiding stuff from regular students, it would appear to me that FEE are the same and have a hierarchy. I think some of the ideas expressed by many FEE enthusiasts are just quite simply bizzare.

A lot of them only protest for the sake of protesting. It’s the same people who show up for Palestine protests etc. etc. etc. .. all very good causes I’m sure, but you get my point.

Despite all this.. I do not agree with USI’s approach, I really didn’t like how they criticized many of their members last year who staged a separate protest. I for one will be joining any peaceful protest on 16th that is not the oficial USI one.

BAHAHAHA… Oh god that was a laugh and a half. And the USI are just for the ‘common people’ then?

I am not actually involved with FEE but I don’t know if I would call them a cop out. I don’t see how you could call them extreme either, I mean they haven’t done anything! If anything, I could call their collective ideology radical at best – and not even radical sometimes – but that is not extreme, different words have different meanings after all Thomas. There is definitely one thing FEE doesn’t want as a collective of students and that would be a socialist revolution. I say so because any of the people involved in FEE who I have spoken to have various leftist/progressive ideologies that don’t exactly fit into each others ideas about how the whole world should work, and I certainly haven’t experienced any articulate alternative from them. However, I have heard some pretty decent, articulate and radical ideas about how the education system should work.

The real question here is about how we as students want to see our education system formed and funded over the next number of years. We should be asking questions about the funding of private education, about access to third level education for people from (so-called) disadvantaged areas in Dublin and beyond, about how our tax system is devised and specifically where the funding should come from and how that funding will be made available.

And about the forum Brendan, don’t be such a sap! They have a forum for their members. Wow, must be some sort of socialist conspiracy 😮

Oh and fair play to the both of you for your positive and insightful outlook into the whole fee debate, I’m enlightened.

Here here! FEE do not offer a legitimate alternative. They are a clique of lefties – they have a forum that regular students are not permitted to sign up to http://fee.seomraspraoi.org/ ..elitists

“As always we condemn behaviour which might endanger individual students who are doing their best to come out and fight against fees.”

Except when it comes to condemning the Gardai, that are brutalizing their own members?

“We are going to do all we can, but we are going to ensure that all students involved are safe. FEE proved last year that this is not their priority and that they did endanger a lot of students.”

First of all, FEE condemns any and all non-peaceful action whether it be by gardai or students themselves. We only engage in peaceful protests and take the safety of students very seriously.

It is entirely predictable given FEE’s growing support and our differing opinions on an effective strategy for defeating fee hikes and grant cuts, that the USI would seek to attack us.

The USI have proven that they are nothing more than apologists for the establishment and that Gary Redmond’s recent comments about being willing to engage with us in constructive talks are utterly false.

FEE Tralee

Two FEE spokespeople are quoted, yet there is no actual quote from either of them where they threaten a breakaway protest.

In future, you should print supporting quotes to back up the main thrust of the article.