University of Bristol students gathered at the King’s Arms in Whiteladies Road, a favourite pub with local students, to hear a TPA talk about the past – and future – of the campaign. Many of our past successes have been achieved with the help of students, especially on issues they hold particularly close to their heart – not least the Cut Cider Tax campaign and other campaigns to bring down astronomical duty rates. I also spoke about plans for future campaigns and our current War on Waste, with several students signing up to help us with future campaigning.
“Many students today are tired of a State that tries to dominate their lives and restrict their freedoms,” said student Charlie Brandon. “They want freedom of consumption and a reduction in their cost of living, not the nanny state and punitive taxation if they work hard and succeed.
“The ‘revolution’ students want is not Russell Brand’s hot air but the individual liberties the TPA fights for,” said Brandon, “and that’s why all students should hope for and help with its continued success.”
Asking the students what bothers them most, I got a variety of replies. “European Union,” said one forcefully. Other answers – from UKIP’s luxury tax, to how to pay for a growing population, and the Mansion Tax – indicate that there are plenty of students thinking about how to deliver the efficient, and sustainable, state we all want.
Tim Newark, South West coordinator