if those people have the means to pay for them, why shouldn't they be entitled to go learn about what they're interested in? it may be "pointless" to you, and i agree there are some courses i would regerd as important as others but if there wasn't demand for them tehy wouldn't be running.

also, to the guy who was saying about the 54 deaths turning into 9000 deaths. it isnt just about a generation or 2 later there's a cancer incidence, what happened may well have caused massive genetic mutations that will manifest themselves in gerenation upon generation to come, maybe for a very long time. :/

edited for massive typos

That's a fair point. I just don't think courses which offer no benefit to society should be paid for by society but if people want to pay to learn about their interest that's fine (and I respect anyone who wants to learn simply for the sake of learning). As for the demand, I have a feeling a lot of that is due to the low restrictions and 'easier' nature of certain courses which appeal to people who simply want to experience the university lifestyle.

9,000 total.

54 deaths total so far.

A maximium worst case scenario of 4,000 deaths caused by cancer... (though they've later said this number is likely too high due to Russia's just poor healthcre in general.)

and a maximium worst case scenario of 5,000 deaths caused by complications, panic, etc.

How can I call it tame?  It's been 20 years, and 54 people have died.  Even if the absolute worst case maximiums end up being the case...

Most of those are going to be on the very tale end of life, people dieing a few years early.  The psychological effects from people overreacting likely did more damage then the actual radiation leak. (Actually what the UN scientists said... and where that additional 5,000 estimate comes from.)

Compare it to something like 9/11 where 3,000 people died like, right away.   3,000 people dieng right away is worse then 54 people dieing... then up to 9,000 dieing 20+ years later.

yeah i agree with that. i hope you dont think i was being pedantic, just wanted to understand how general you were being ^_^

@SciFiBoy

My responses in italic

oh cool, another pro-Europe brit, there are way too few of us

The way the mainstream media report on European issues is very damaging to the pro-european opinion. Certain 'news'papers will report the bendy banana rules the EU impossed but they often forget to report that the Eu passed laws restricting the cost of pan European mobile calls, restricted the charge that credit card companies impose on purchases abroad and making it possible for you to claim compensation should an airline overbook your flight or arrive late.

electoral reform im in favour of too

still a little suspect on nuclear myself

I understand the suspicion but it is much safer than the media would have you believe and disposal technologies are constantly moving forward. Not to mention it really is the only available option at the minute (renewables are inefficient and we don't want to have to rely on foregin states for our energy).

tuition fees should be scrapped on principle that education should be free to access for all imo (or at the very least, there should be a free option when it comes to education at any level), I agree some course's need to go (pointless ones), however, I think education is great, people should do it if they want too, raising entry standards a little maybe, but not so much as to stop people like me going (im good at stuff, just not great at exams, don't see why that should stop me learning more though)

Education is great but too many resources are being spent on sending people to uni when it has no benefit to society. More should be done on voactional training and internships. okay, sure, that makes sense, maybe they should make some of the degrees more vocational too, that would be good

taxes I don't know too much about, but should be covered on my politics course (doing at the moment)

war in Afghanistan seems pointless to me, we cant afford it for a start, it doesn't serve our interests so far as i can tell either, taliban fought off the empire and the USSR, both had more resources than Nato, Afghanistan government is one of the worst there is, no way should we be propping them up, this is not to mention the fact we seem to have acheived little in the past 8 years

The Taliban were able to fight off the USSR as they were funded/equiped/trained by the west. My fear is that if we pull out the country will revert to what it was under the taliban and the people will suffer. Altough the situation is bad now there is at least the prospect that we can force some sort of political peace. why? sorry to sound callus, but we don't help the 700 or so other nations who treat there people badly, look at Zimbabwe or Iran, they have awful regimes that are fowl to there people, we cant police the whole world, nor should we try to, what we SHOULD do is try to set a good example for them, its like with a child, you cant force them to be polite, but you can set a good example for them to follow, you see what I mean?

also, the Afghan government is corrupt and may have just rigged there elections, that's not that much better than the taliban, not to mention that even if it were to become a deomcracy, it may end up like Iran, what then? we gonna go back in there once more if they elect a government we or the americans dont approve of? 

i dont think this comment has any place here. this is your opinion, not fact. it makes sense that you would choose to vote for the BNP, from reading this closed-minded and racist piece-of-shit post.