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Youth Unemployment: Coalition’s solution to recession will force more young people onto the dole |
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By Paul Cummings, Glasgow Left Society
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Tuesday, 22 June 2010 |
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The economic downturn has placed a heavy burden on the shoulders of the
working class who have paid the price for the mistakes of the bosses and
bankers through cuts and redundancies. The youth in particular have been hit
hard with many unable to find work or being forced into education. While the
capitalists may speak of laziness the fact is there is very little work out
there - 5 people are now chasing every job. This is the fault of the
bourgeoisie who are solely concerned with gaining the most profit possible (or,
in these times, making the smallest loss). The unemployment that is caused by
this failed system leads to terrible consequences with many living in poverty
and seeing no way out of their desperate situation.
Whilst a figure of 20% youth unemployment may seem shocking in actual
fact they hide large groups of young people who have been forced into part time
work/education or have joined the army in order to avoid lives on the dole. The
majority of those who have entered into part time work are not unionized and as
a result face some of the worst working conditions in the UK. Low pay, low
hours, lack of sick pay and no holidays, on top of the insecurity of working
with hours that are not guaranteed - these are just some of the compromises
many young part time workers have to make. Those who turn towards education
face rising tuition fees, cutbacks in most university spending alongside a
growing lack of university places as competition increases. On top of all this,
young people that manage to find full time work are pressurised by the
competition in the labour market into accepting jobs that do not reflect their skills,
talents or interests. The Capitalist system is not capable of catering to the
needs of the next generation in the good times but in the periods of recession
and cutbacks like the one we have entered now prospects are very dark indeed.
These prospects will be hindered further with the upcoming budget due to
be released on the 22nd of June by the ConDem coalition. There is no doubt
about what it will contain – huge sweeping cuts across the board. Government
ministers have been carefully preparing the public for these austerity measures
by issuing statement after statement complaining about the size of the national
deficit and declaring that major cuts to vital public services is the only way
to restore profitability in the British economy. In reality they are asking the
working class to pay once again for the economic crisis of capitalism. The “age
of plenty” is now over according to Deputy PM Nick Clegg and all of us must now
dig deep to pay for the mistakes of the bankers and financiers whilst they run
away with the profits. Cut backs
in spending on education, schools, local projects are just some of the
sacrifices the working class are being asked to make as social needs will have
to make way for the economic well-being of the ruling class. This is not the
first time this has happened and it won’t be the last, as under capitalism the
cycle of boom and bust is an integral part of the economic system we live
under. Just like the previous slumps, the working class youth will shoulder the
heaviest burden.
The cuts planned in the emergency budget will only exacerbate these
problems. More redundancies across the UK are to be expected as a matter of
fact. Many of the new unemployed will enter into competition for the remaining
jobs and as a result young workers will have an increasingly harder fight on
their hands to secure work. Cuts in funding for education and departmental
closures will likely see places for working class students decline. Rising
tuition fees will make sure that the gap between rich and poor grows as more
and more working class students are forced out of education due to the
unmanageable financial burden. Worst of all, the planned cuts to welfare will
see that those stuck on benefits will find their already desperate situation
becoming worse and worse. All this and more is what is to be expected from the
coalition government as they eagerly implement their ideological cutbacks and
show that their true loyalties lie rooted with ruling class interests.
We are encouraged to think these cuts are vital and that nothing can
stand in the way of saving capitalism. Yet, it is increasingly clear that this
system has inherent faults and is not capable of serving the interests of the
working class. The youth are especially vulnerable to these failures. However,
the new generations are also experts at resisting when fully conscious of the
issues at stake. Together with other workers, radical steps towards socialism
can be made by seizing the commanding heights of the economy and running it in
our own interests. A socialist planned economy would guarantee full employment
and ensure that future generation’s chances will not be sacrificed for the sake
of a privileged elite.
(Article from Militant Student - Summer 2010)
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