All the things I would do if I had a little money...

Unfortunately for my brother, and thousands of other prospective students, this will not include paying £9,000 a year in tuition fees.  Matthew deserves to go to university: he is much harder working than I am and, if I am honest, he is much brighter than I am, yet today marks the day that he was priced out of the education he has the right to receive. I spoke to him a few months ago about whether he was planning to go to university, he said he would be if it wasn't going to be too expensive. It really says something quite alarming when a then fifteen year old boy is having to weigh up his future against undertaking debt in excess of £35,000. Of course, Matthew is not alone and of course, after today he will certainly not be alone in having to make such a decision. For me, going to university was a given - and I'm an idiot, for Matthew, I am hoping it won't be a luxury that he decides to give a miss.

The NUS, and the countless students who have campaigned and peacefully protested, are a credit to the hundreds of thousands of students, and prospective students, they were representing and defending.  I am proud to have supported the action against the increase in tuition fees and, for those of you who have criticised me, would have done so even if it had been a proposal made by my own party. The arguments have been made and the vote may have been lost, but the admirable determination of thousands of students certainly hasn't been. There's little else to say except, this is not over, in any way.

I suppose the only bittersweet comfort I have from today is that the Lib Dems can finally stop banging their "Labour introduced top-up fees despite a manifesto pledge stating they wouldn't" drum. Yes, we may have introduced top-up fees, but we certainly didn't financially cripple generations to come in one fell swoop. Cheers, Cleggover.

Hunk of the day.