Those are very fair and clear points made. Thank you for clarifying and I completely understand that I was ridiculously fortunate to study on the lower fees.
I'll be honest, I didn't quite appreciate the levels involved with the new loans.
However, in 'real terms', as in day to day living...
Sorry, completely jumping in at the end of the thread here so may be completely off track with the general discussion but...
I've been paying my student loan back for the last 10 years or so.
I've never found it 'crippling' (a comment I often read) and it hasn't affected my credit score...