to the rescue

Let's get this out of the way before the anger sets in again.

In the recent NL provincial government, the government eliminated the interest on provincial student loans. Credit where credit is due, this is a good policy, one that will help a lot of students in the province deal with their debt.

People have been lauding the government for initiative, and our student unions for successfully lobbying. This is where I take offence.

The Danny Williams government is not a friend to students, at least not when it comes to tiny matters like the ability of a university to choose its President. But that's okay, because we students have strong allies in the CFS-NL branch, and the MUN Student Union, right?

Nope, that's a crock too. Where was the CFS or MUNSU when Danny's minion, Joan Burke, was making a mockery of the presidential selection process, and running roughshod over the Board of Regents? Keeping mum- one can't bite the hand that feeds. Or how about the campaign to eliminate the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal federal record of supporting PSE across the country?

Again, I'm not so blinded by cynicism to see when good things happen. Instead of braying endlessly about the inane "free tuition" fantasy, the CFS-NL and MUNSU focused on a more reasonable goal, one with a much more tangible benefit. Wonderful. Hell, I'll even credit Danny's government for doing the right thing- mind you, they did it when there was no public outcry over increased deficit spending, and we're basically going into the red to pay for this measure, but that's okay. Just don't tell me it's because the CFS-NL, MUNSU, and Danny are allies of the students. All history points to the opposite.

Yes, they did the right thing- this time.

Even a broken clock tells the right time twice a day.