Malcolm Povey: I'm a university lecturer, and I back the student protests

A UCU-commissioned report on the impact of this year's 35m "Economies Exercise" at the University of Leeds showed that for every job within the university, 0.4 jobs were created regionally and an additional 0.9 nationally.

Every 1 spent in higher education generates a further 10 outside and graduates contribute at least an additional 130,000 each in taxation to the exchequer as a result of their degrees. Cuts of millions, therefore, remove tens of millions from the economy, endangering the proud institutions which have helped build Yorkshire's cities internationally.

The universities in Leeds are among the 10 institutions in the country suffering the biggest cuts in terms of cash, together with Sheffield Hallam. Eight of the 10 are in the North. York St John University College and Leeds College of Music are among those to lose all funding. This is a devastating blow to our region. We have to ask why our representatives have acquiesced in this wrecking blow to our prospects.

Education is the future, massive cuts will lead to a lost generation, denied the resource needed to create a decent future. They are your children, nephews, nieces and grandchildren.

The removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which helped thousands onto the first steps towards higher education, and the changes to housing allowance and unemployment benefit, are likely to hit hard those in most need of a leg up. The impact of cuts in post-16 education is far greater than can be measured in strictly financial terms.

Second chance universities like Leeds Met cater predominantly for working-class local communities. The UK spends proportionally less on its tertiary education than any other advanced industrial economy. We can't have too many going into education; it is a social good, in addition to helping individual advancement, contributing massively to our culture and to social cohesion.

The Government trumpets its protection of science. Science in Yorkshire makes an indispensable contribution to the local economy. Yet the science budget is being cut. According to the Government, it will be increased from 4.0bn to 4.6bn, and then remain flat. However, the current budget does not include funding for research quality, which alone was 1.6bn in 2010-11.

No wonder students are angry. No major political party represents their interests, they have been betrayed.

My union, the UCU, supported the demonstration last Wednesday and 14 coaches travelled down from Leeds to London, carrying both staff and students.

Upwards of 50,000 marched in an impressive display, the like of which I have not seen since the 1970s when I was a student activist myself. Delegations of young people marched behind their banners with demands like – "Save the Arts and Humanities" and "Stop the Cuts". Students of all classes and from all sectors of education marched, including large delegations of sixth formers and FE students.

During the demonstration over 5,000 students showed their determination to defend the future of education by occupying the Tory party HQ and its courtyards for several hours. The mood was good-spirited, with chants, singing and flares.

Over 50 people have now been arrested, and the police and media appear to be launching a witch-hunt condemning peaceful protesters as "criminals" and violent. A great deal is being made of a few windows smashed during the protest, but the real vandals are those waging a war on our education system.

The Government should worry about last week's events. They are a warning that their cuts will lead to social unrest. Graduate unemployment is rising and thousands of public sector jobs are still to be lost. Over the past year, 600 jobs have gone from the University of Leeds. Recession is the time to increase investment in education, as all our competitors are doing.

A society which fails to invest in education has lost confidence in the future and the young are our hope. So good for the students, they have shown in no uncertain terms that they want to fight to defend education and against the cuts.

We can now hope for a real struggle in defence of education and against all the cuts which will damage our region, its people and the rest of the country.

Malcolm Povey is president of food physics at the University of Leeds. He is also president of the University and College Union at the university.