The Liberal Democrats did not win the general election and so are not able to carry out all of the pledges made in their manifesto. 

I wonder how many students who are protesting study politics. Those who study politics will realise that the Liberal Democrats did not win the general election, they did not come second, they came third. If people had wanted the Liberal Democrat manifesto they would have voted for it in greater numbers than they did. We, therefore, have a coalition government in which compromise is a necessity particularly given the financial mess bequeathed by the Labour party (who incidentally reneged on their “promises” to students following the 1997 election). 

Everyone should remember that a majority Conservative government would have introduced a far more punitive package for students, particularly those from poorer backgrounds. Following the advice of the independent funding review, set up by the last Labour Government, the upper limit on tuition fees is being raised to £9,000. Students will pay nothing up front, and will only start paying the money back once they’ve left university and are earning over £21,000 a year.

A lot of myths have been circulated about the plans.