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Youth
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Day by day the capitalist system is showing
itself for what it is. The impact of the credit crunch and the news of the
collapse of major investment banks in the US is radicalising young people. This
was evident to see at Queen Mary’s Freshers Fair last week, where the Marxist
Society intervened, attracting a fresh layer of young people looking for an
alternative.
The first Northern weekend school was held on the 12th-14th September,
organised by Yorkshire supporters of Socialist Appeal. The school took
place in Saddleworth, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The theme of the school was "The Class, the Party and the Leadership". The
weekend proved tremendously successful, both in terms of political
education and bringing together socialists in the movement and young
activists.
With the beginning of the 2008/09
academic year fast approaching, students will soon be settling in to the
realities of student life. For new students this means at some point they’ve
made a choice: between studying away from home on the one hand and continuing
to live with their parents on the other. Almost a third of students choose the
latter option. This often means a long commute to a university chosen on the
basis of its location instead of its merits – but at least these students have
the security of a roof over their head. For those who have chosen to study away
from home, often unaware of the true cost of student life, this means moving in
to student accommodation and an ongoing struggle against poverty, unscrupulous
landlords and, more often than not, appalling living conditions.
The American education company Kaplan has announced plans to open a
profit seeking university in the UK. Although only a small beginning,
this opens the way to a profit-driven higher education system. The
first move was the government's, who recently relaxed laws on who can
award degrees. They are in effect trying to open up the concept of a
degree to market speculation and commodification.
For centuries the Scottish education system has fiercely
maintained itself as an independent entity at all levels and has been seen by
many as superior to that of England and Wales. After devolution the Scottish
Parliament was granted responsibility for Scottish education and with this for administering
the associated fees and benefits. The Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition scrapped
tuition fees in favour of a one off graduate endowment payment, it was £2,289
when scrapped, and paid at the end of a course once a student was earning over
£15,000 per year.
Even the bourgeois press has admitted that
the sudden shift in world economic fortunes has brought Marxism ‘back from the
dead’ – the Sunday Times ran an article last week under the title ‘The credit
crunch is bringing Marxism back into fashion’. From our perspective, Marxism is
not a fashion or a strange breed of animal, as the bourgeoisie like to kid
themselves, but the only answer to today’s problems. And as the deep crisis of
world capitalism comes more and more to the surface, more and more people will
seek our ideas. This was shown by the turnout of more than 30 at ULU Marxist
Society and Socialist Appeal’s Marxist
Day School on Saturday 12th
July.
Forty years ago the world was experiencing upheaval on a world scale
that hadn't been seen for a generation. In the US opposition to the war
in Vietnam gathered momentum, as it did in Britain. In Pakistan
revolution was on the order of the day, and in Czechoslovakia we saw
the Prague spring and Soviet Invasion. In May there was the glorious
rising of the French working class, that saw 10 million workers down
tools in a general strike.
Forty years ago the world was experiencing upheaval on a world scale that hadn't been seen for a generation. In the US opposition to the war in Vietnam gathered momentum, as it did in Britain. In Pakistan revolution was on the order of the day, and in Czechoslovakia we saw the Prague spring and Soviet Invasion. In May there was the glorious rising of the French working class, that saw 10 million workers down tools in a general strike.
The latest attempt
to criminalise young people by "framing and shaming" them and
"filming and repeatedly stopping identified persistent offenders on
problem estates" owes more to the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
than it does to evidence based practice. But what are the real reasons that "Youth Disorder" takes
place and what works?
Recently,
The University College London Students’ Union (UCLU) voted to ban The Officer
Training Corps (OTC) from recruiting at union organized events like Freshers'
Fair. The ban has caused quite a stir on and off
campus, making the front cover of the ‘Evening Standard’ with the banner
headline, "Students Ban Military". Speaking
about those in opposition to the motion, UCLU General Secretary, Samantha
Godwin, said: “they know that if replicated
elsewhere, it would become a really effective method of protesting against the
war."
On Saturday the 29th of March the Socialist Youth Network
(SYN) held its 3rd annual conference at the ULU building near
Euston. The Socialist Youth Network is the youth wing of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), the left wing of the Labour Party led by John McDonnell. Youth comrades from Socialist Appeal attended the meeting reported here.
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