Veni, vidi, procrastinavi – When will Salmond show some backbone over higher education funding question?

Alex Salmond is refusing to show any backbone over student funding. When he was given the chance at FMQs today to state whether he believed future graduates would have to make a contribution to their course, he did not give a straight answer.

Annabel Goldie MSP, Scottish Conservative Leader, said:

"At First Minster's Questions today, I gave Alex Salmond the chance to show some leadership and state whether he accepted that future graduates will have to make a contribution to their course - after they get a job and based on fairness and ability to pay. The Conservatives are prepared to live in the real world and face up to the harsh challenges of the legacy of Labour's debt. Why isn't he?

"All the First minister would do was to rule out - as we do - up-front fees, but as usual he showed no backbone, and lived up to his motto of ‘Veni, Vidi, Procrastinavi'. After 3 years of dither, delay and indecision, it's just not good enough.

"Instead of commenting or joining the growing academic consensus, we had the surreal sight of a SNP First Minister refusing to be drawn until after England had decided what it was going to do. Why can't he even answer the simple point of principle? As we have been warned, Scotland's universities risk running out of cash. The clock is ticking. So does he agree or not that future graduates will have to be asked to make a contribution - or is he asking the taxpayer to keep digging deeper?"

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