"exceptional" fees

both Oxford University and the former polytechnic, Oxford Brookes University have now announced that they will charge tuition fees of £9000 per year, the value introduced by government as an "exceptional" option, while most universities were expected to charge "up to" £6000, i.e. £6000 exactly. Over 30 other universities have also announced the £9k charge (listed here). Even the lowest-ranked university of all has announced a fee of £8450, well clear of what was supposed to be the standard.

Now I do understand that the universities feel they can't carry on without the exceptional fees, seeing the government is pulling the funding rug out underneath their feet. But in my limitless naivete, I would have hoped that instead of rushing to milk the students, the universities might have united in protest and made it clear to the government that they can't do their job of offering education to the people if they aren't getting proper (state) funding for it. I have a dream ...