I understand why people might object to tuition fees on a matter of principle, but

[World's End Stella]

when people talk about them “saddling young people with a lifetime of debt", isn’t this patently b*llocks?

They only have to start paying it off when they can afford to do so and only then at a level commensurate with their earnings.

That’s leaving aside the other benefits, such as it discouraging people from going to Uni for a jolly.

That's a perfectly valid argument, Monty. But alongside that argument you should consider the fact that society itself benefits when young people educate themselves. People don't become doctors, engineers and scientists without a little help.

Smart, educated people invent an awful lot of cool stuff that makes our lives infinitely better. The internet, as an example.