This is a nomination for the Bright Green #dick2010 award by Stuart Neyton .

John Hemming, Lib Dem MP

It may perhaps seem strange to direct student anger over the outrageous tripling of tuition fees at a backbench MP, but LibDem John Hemming’s reaction to the protests stands out as being a particularly dickish moment this year.

The millionaire businessman previously caused outrage getting caught up in the expenses scandal [1], using taxpayers’ money to pay off loans on his business property. Not to mention tabloid furore [2] over his infidelity. Being elected on such a wafer-thin majority, you’d expect him to be slightly more careful with his actions and conscious of his constituents’ concerns. 2010, however, saw him hit a new low over the fees fiasco.

Several students occupied [3] his constituency office to remind him of the pre-election pledge he and every other LibDem signed to not vote for an increase in tuition fees, after which he and 28 of his colleagues voted in favour of landing future students with debts in excess of £40,000. His reasoning? To “punish [4]” the protesters.

How malicious!

Maintaining the status quo is a bizarre “reward” for students largely unaffected by the tripling of fees, protesting for the next generation’s right to not be straddled with huge debts at the start of their working lives.

In an insulting attack on students’ understanding of the changes, he went on to suggest he would be thanked [5] in the future for this. Yeh, thanks a lot, dick.

[1] http://www.birminghampost.net/news/politics-news/2010/12/03/millionaire-mp-john-hemming-says-he-pays-30-000-to-carry-out-his-work-65233-27762144/
[2] http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article96999.ece
[3] http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2010/12/student-occupation-and-destitution.html
[4] http://politicalscrapbook.net/2010/12/john-hemming-office-protest-interview/
[5] http://www.birminghampost.net/news/2010/12/17/lib-dems-will-be-thanked-for-tuition-fees-rise-says-yardley-mp-john-hemming-65233-27845595/