PETER J Brown is right to point out that it is not only the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party which is open to criticism over the hike in tuition fees (HAS, Dec 14).

It was Labour who introduced fees which had to be paid up front.

Deferred fees came in after 2004, and I am sure that if Labour had won the General Election fees would have increased, but perhaps not by the same amount A university education should be regarded as an investment in the future, and the increased amounts the universities need to maintain and improve the standard of the education provided should be borne by the taxpayers whose earnings are substantial.

Students are justifiably angry about MPs who when they had the opportunity to study did not have to face the liabilities future students will face.

The present Government has been obsessed with the idea of reducing the fiscal deficit through making cuts to be faced by the people whose incomes are small and not pursuing the super rich who use all kind of schemes to avoid payment of what is due.

This makes me angry, though I do not go as far as some of the demonstrators who were not satisfied by a peaceful demonstration in accordance with what had been agreed with the police.

Geoffrey Bulmer, Billingham.