Leading article: Deserving tots

As the battle over top-up fees re-ignites, it is worth going back to first principles. Most opponents believe that the taxpayer should pick up the tab for higher education. Tony Blair believes that graduates should pay more after they have finished their degrees and are earning enough money to pay back the cost. The question is, what should taxpayers' money be spent on. We have a choice. The money could be spent on the education of those who have done well at school and are going to do better in life than non-graduates. Or it could go on the under-fives - to put them in a position to do well later. Isn't the latter group a lot more deserving?