The Green members of the Scottish Parliament, Patrick Harvie and Robin Harper, will pay membership subs for all students joining the Scottish Greens today and tomorrow.

Students can join by downloading a form from scottishgreens.org.uk and returning it, dated today or tomorrow, without payment.

Patrick Harvie said this evening:

“The protests today are not just about education, but are also a challenge to the Coalition’s ideological assault on the poorest in society. They could have taken a different course, one which ensured that the richest paid their fair share and that closed the loopholes that let large companies avoid billions in tax. Instead they chose the traditional Tory approach, one that ramps up the debt imposed on students and builds an education system based on financial status not academic ability.

“Robin Harper and I will personally pay the first year’s membership fees for any student joining the Scottish Greens this week. We will always work to defend free education in Scotland, and we would urge students to join us now and help us make that case during next year’s election.”

Today’s vote at Westminster is not the end of the fight for education in this country, it is only the Government’s opening attack. And though they won the vote, it is a pyrrhic victory. In passing their anti-education plans, they have created a mass movement of students and workers that is ready to fight every step of the way.

In that context, our MSPs’ offer is demonstration of our party’s commitment to that movement and our desire to be part of it. It’s a demonstration that we are not content to appeal to student rallies for votes, but want those campaigners in the party, shaping it with their experience.