Conversation: Laurie Penny on the UK Student Protests

2,149 views · Published 13 December 2010 · 10:10 · Indexed 29 October 2026

Channel: The Nation · 2010 · News & Politics

Watch on YouTube

"It felt like the relationship between state and citizen had totally broken down, like there was no order left," says New Statesman journalist Laurie Penny of the Parliament Square protest last week, as the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition voted to pass legislation that may effectively triple the cost of higher education in the UK. While Parliament voted, student protesters were shoved and batoned by police, and Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles found themselves in the middle of the mess.

Laurie joins us once again via Skype from London to talk about the protests, the vote, why the student movement is a definining moment for this generation of British youth--and once again, what we can learn from it and apply here.

More from this channel

• 2:26 Ehren Watada's War Against the War

  The Nation

  3,733 views · 8 August 2006

• 1:47 Israel's Dangerous War in Lebanon

  The Nation

  4,675 views · 21 August 2006

• 5:02 500 Miles to Babylon: Trailer

  The Nation

  4,834 views · 8 December 2006

• 6:25 Chavez's Citizen Diplomacy

  The Nation

  3,940 views · 14 December 2006

• 3:52 Mayor John Hickenlooper: "Cities are America's laboratories"

  The Nation

  3,643 views · 13 December 2007

• 4:26 Mayor Manny Diaz: "Not the hot button issues"

  The Nation

  2,608 views · 13 December 2007

• 3:57 Mayor Rocky Anderson: "These disastrous Bush years"

  The Nation

  4,711 views · 13 December 2007

• 5:54 Pegeen Hanrahan: "Use our cities more effectively"

  The Nation

  3,402 views · 5 March 2008