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From The Guardian, 
Students and staff at Edinburgh schools and nurseries have learned of
the chilling news that their places of learning and work places may be
under threat once again. The Edinburgh Evening News reported on the
thirtieth of October that Edinburgh Council intended to reopen a
consultation process that would look into the future of schools. It
also listed seventeen schools and nurseries that it expected to be
earmarked for the process.
After the government has pursued a series of attacks on the poorest
section of the working class in recent years, they have apparently
decideded to try and give something back to the poor by launching a new
Child Poverty Unit. This is a way of the government showing its
willingness to end child poverty which was, believe it or not, a stated
Labour policy in 2007. In Scotland for instance one in four children
still grows up in poverty. This nakedly displays the utter bankruptcy
of New Labour's market orientated policy.
Supporters of the Venezuelan revolution held a meeting at Cardiff University on Wednesday evening. This
meeting was held in order to explain the significance of events that have taken
place in Venezuela over the last 10 years and to spread the message that is
coming out of Latin America: that there is an alternative to capitalism in the
21st century - socialism.
Alan Woods talks to the ULU Marxist Society on the topic of 'Marxism and Religion'. Alan explains the materialist conception of the world, integral to the theory of Marxism, and contrasts it to the idealist perspective that gives rise to religion. Alan explains the nature of religion as a means of consoling the oppressed with a life after death, the tendency of the church to break down along class lines, as well as the trade union credentials of God.
The privatisation of higher education has meant its complete distortion, as the nature of a university degree has become subordinate to profitability and the market. Academic schools are now 'business units', students are customers and the mark you get is open to manipulation for the sake of attracting potential new consumers. It is the 'commodification' of education.
Wellred is pleased to announce the publication of our new
book, ‘What is Marxism?', based on the highly successful series of study guides
issued by Socialist Appeal, this book brings together key
material and introductions on the three basic areas of Marxist theory:
Dialectical Materialism, Historical Materialism and Marxist Economics. Each
section of the book includes a clear and easy-to-understand introduction to the
subject aimed both at readers new to Marxism as well as those seeking to refresh
their understanding of Marxist theory.
Over two days in early October the Cambridge branch of Socialist Appeal
managed to sign up over 150 people at the Cambridge University
Fresher's Fair for the Hands Off Venezuela campaign. Many
had already heard of the campaign and were keen to find out more,
whilst many wanted to know more about Latin American politics in
general.
On
Monday the eighth of October the Edinburgh University Hands Off Venezuela
society showed Hands Off Venezuela's new film No Volveran. The film was well generally well received by those that attended. After the film show
there was a brief discussion on issues such as the new constitution and workers
control.
On the 26th September Norwich comrades helped promote the University of East Anglia Socialist Society at the Freshers Fair. The day was a big success, a lot of hard work and preparation was put into the days efforts. For another year socialist ideas at UEA looks set to gain a wide audience among students and young people.
Alan Woods, editor of 
The 17th to the 21st September was a hectic week for many
students as they continue preparing for university. The week-long
freshers fair at Leeds University was a hive of activity and not
wishing to miss a great opportunity the Leeds comrades of Socialist
Appeal and Hands off Venezuela set up some stalls.
On the 18 and 19 September comrades from the Socialist Appeal attended
the Oxford Brookes University freshers fair, with the aim of attracting
people to the ideas of socialism.
With total student debts in the U.K reaching a staggering
£18 billion, the threat to our education by privatisation has never been greater. The result has been that the responsibility for higher
education has been handed down, like a cursed heirloom, from government to
university, to family, the buck finally stopping at the student. This means
that students going to university today will pay three times as much as they
would have done a decade ago.
From July 29 until August 3 the International
Marxist Tendency held its World School in Barcelona. Present were 300 comrades
from 26 countries, including Russia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Brazil,
El Salvador, Mexico, Argentina and most European countries. Over half of the 40-strong British delegation
was youth, most attending for the first time.
