Friday, April 27, 2012

Tyranny of the Minority

I usually complain about the threat of tyranny of the (local) majority in Quebec, but the student boycott reveal something else:


http://p.twimg.com/ArbH8bLCEAA902Q.jpg

Note, the data seems to come from CLASSE, the most extreme of the three student groups "representing" the boycotters.

So, we have a significant group of folks but a minority nonetheless making significant claims that we must not take entirely at face value. 

The government just compromised--extending the time for the increase in tuition to seven years.  The students, my guess, are likely not to budge as they seem mighty committed to no increase at all.  Suspending the increase, which is what the PQ and some other folks have advocated, would be a total surrender, since it would be very hard for the government then to initiate increases down the road.

But damn this is costing Montreal, Quebec, and the students a lot of money.  Tends to violate basic stuff about costly behavior in bargaining.... or does it?


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