Ian Pattison – a marcher on the Youth Fight for Jobs Jarrow march – replies to Labour leader Ed Miliband’s recent comments which claim to offer a ‘radical rethink’ on benefits. Dear Ed Miliband I was disgusted to wake up to 2012 to hear that you’re going to “get tough on the workshy.” I’m a [...]
Thousands of students and young people joined the picket lines and mass demonstrations that took place this Wednesday, November 30th. This was an enormous strike back against austerity and a demonstration of the mighty potential power held by the working class. The following is an extract from a speech made by Joh McInally, Vice president [...]
Wednesday, November 9th, saw around 10,000 students take to the streets to protest against the government’s plans to snatch away the future of young people. The march helped to send a clear message to the government: the message that the fightback on fees, EMA, privatisation funding cuts is not over. We’re continuing the fight for [...]
On Saturday 3,000 joined the Jarrow marchers in London to celebrate the end of the 330 mile march. There was overwhelming support from the crowd who had travelled from all over the country. Coaches of workers, students, pensioners and unemployed people arrived at Embankment. We were even joined by 106 year old Hetty Bower who [...]
Name the date and build for mass action
The National Union of Students (NUS) has finally announced a series of actions to fight against the sweeping privatisation and cuts threatened to hit our universities if the government get their way. This comes after a week of twists and turns in which the government ‘dropped’ its controversial Higher Education white paper.
Unfortunately, however, much of what was contained in the paper is being implemented on campuses without the need for government legislation. The dropping of the paper is yet another signal that the government intends to take forward its agenda by more underhand means – perhaps due to a fear of a repeat of 2010’s mass student protests.
NUS is organising a parliamentary lobby on 7 March and a ‘week of action’ from 12-16 of March. The centrepiece of the student action should be the national walk-out that has been announced. Liam Byrne, NUS president, has called for this to take place this term. This development should be welcomed by all students who want to campaign against the whole range of attacks currently underway on our campuses.
Clearly, the right wing NUS leadership has been forced to take this action by pressure from below. It cannot be forgotten last term’s two most successful protests aimed at students and youth, the Jarrow March for Jobs and the student demo on 9 November, were organised outside of NUS structures.
We demand that NUS immediately names the date for the walk-out. Socialist Students activists will be organising on campuses across the country to make it a success, but NUS must organise and build for this strike to be nationwide and solid. To do this, the most important first step would be to name a date.
NUS should be mobilising to support teachers and lecturers in their battle to defend pensions. When these workers next take strike action NUS should mobilise student solidarity on the picket lines and rallies, calling on all students to join the strike. While very important, student action alone will not be enough to stop the higher education slaughter. Unity with workers, particularly when they strike, is key. Workers and students unite and fight!
Ian Pattison – a marcher on the Youth Fight for Jobs Jarrow march – replies to Labour leader Ed Miliband’s recent comments which claim to offer a ‘radical rethink’ on benefits.
Dear Ed Miliband
I was disgusted to wake up to 2012 to hear that you’re going to “get tough on the workshy.” I’m a Master’s graduate, but after four months out of work, and over 50 job applications, I’ve only just found a job.
Statements like yours prove that pampered politicians are out of touch. You have no idea what life is like for ordinary working and middle class people. For one job, I was one of over a hundred applicants. 2.64 million people (over a million 16-24 years olds) are chasing just half a million jobs. » Read more..
By Matt Dobson, Dundee Youth Fight for Jobs and Education
There is anger and disbelief in Dundee at the jailing of teenagers who were involved in joke Facebook pages ‘organising riots’. Four youth, the youngest being 14, were arrested by Tayside police in August as riots swept across cities in England.
A cursory glance at these web pages would have informed anyone sensible and without a preconceived agenda that they had no intention of organising a riot. Joking about the riots at a time when people were being burnt out of their homes was insensitive but these outrageous sentences have to be understood in the context that in Dundee and the rest of Scotland, no riots took place. » Read more..