Hull students take part in pro-cuts demo

We've seen protests against public spending cuts and marches against the increase in tuition fees. But a group of students from Hull University have taken part in a demonstration with a difference.

The Rally Against Debt took place in Central London on Saturday and was organised to highlight the scale of the national debt - which currently stands at somewhere around the £1 trillion mark - or the equivalent of £40,000 per household.

The rally attracted around 350 people, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Public sector unions have criticised the march, claiming it's an insult to the vulnerable groups who've been adversely affected by spending cuts.

Nikki Knowles and Simon Schofield are members of Hull University's Conservative Future branch. They both told me they were going on the march because they were worried about their debts being passed on to their children's generation.

The students deny their support for cuts is ideologically based, pointing out that it's the basis of good housekeeping not to spend more than you earn.

If that sounds familiar, it's worth remembering that today's first year students weren't even born when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister.

The rally hasn't been organised by any political party, but it's fair to say there is a distinct right-of-centre feel to the line up - with the Taxpayers' Alliance being one of the main sponsors.

So could this be the start of British-style 'Tea Party' - the US grassroots organisation which is opposed to big government?

Dr Simon Lee - a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Hull - thinks not. Dr Lee believes we have a different political culture in the UK, based largely around the welfare state and the NHS. He argues our concept of big government is very different to our American cousins.

However, the organisers of the Rally Against Debt believe there is a silent majority of the British public who accept the need for deficit reduction and would like greater scrutiny of how their money is spent by Whitehall.