York uni: no shops, no reception, no security, no bus – paying more for less

Louie Nardini, University of York Socialist Students

We kicked off freshers with door knocking at Halifax College. This is an underfunded part of the university. Over years it has been deprived of its Nisa, its local reception, and its bus stop. Students coming back from a night out or shopping now have to walk 15-20 minutes back home through a darkly lit alleyway, with no proper lighting.

During the muddy times of the year, the alley becomes impossible to walk down. The bus company, First, which made millions of pounds in profit last year, says it can’t afford to put a bus stop at the college.

But Halifax is the largest college at the uni, with over 1,000 students. The cheapest accommodation here is St Lawrence Block – HMOs (houses of multiple occupancy).

The rent has gone up

You share with 20 other students, with only one proper kitchen, four toilets, and four showers. The rent went up this year from £99 a week to over £150 a week.

Halifax College was even gifted by Lord Halifax to be cheap and affordable accommodation for students. Not anymore!

This is nothing new in the University of York. The amount of accommodation that is less than £200 a week has shrunk from 47% to 15%, just in the past year. All while tuition fees are rising. We are getting less and less out of our education, while paying more and more.

We got 37 signed up for Socialist Students. And we’re going around the rest of the college and uni this week.

These pressures on students are only getting worse. We hope that the 20 November walkout builds the breadcrumb trail to fight against this cost-of-living crisis, and push forward socialist change for students and young people.

Sheffield Hallam – students worry about future and cost of living

James Hooper, Sheffield Hallam Socialist Students

Speaking to students during freshers week, we heard time and time again, that their biggest worry was their future after university, and the hefty cost during it.

The government wants students to take on a generational amount of debt for an education that only garnishes the pockets of the bosses and the landlords of the city. The University and College Union (UCU) is taking ongoing industrial action against ‘voluntary’ redundancies, cutting some departments in half.

We had a powerful reception from students, getting details of nearly 80 who are interested in attending meetings. During our first two socials, we spoke about the 20 November walkout, the rise of the modern far right – Sheffield had a far-right march that week – and how students can fight for better conditions during our education.

Birmingham building youth walkout and backing bin strike

James Taylor, Birmingham Socialist Students

Socialist Students had a campaign stall every day of freshers week. On each day, several students walked straight towards us, having arrived at the University of Birmingham actively searching for a socialist group to join.

Over 200 students, and some staff, wrote down their names to be contacted and updated on our activity. We gave out more than 2,500 leaflets.

A layer of students have been inspired and disgusted by the events of the last year. The election of Zohran Mamdani in New York, and the rise of the Green Party in the polls.

But also the Iran war and victories of far-right parties across Europe. Tuition fees and the cost of living came up repeatedly in conversations with students.

Our action-focused approach attracted these people to Socialist Students over other campus groups. Our involvement in the Birmingham bin strike, and building the 20 November youth walkout, excited students ready to get involved and fight for socialism.

We got a good amount of students along to a casual meet-and-greet on campus, and hopefully we will be joined by even more of the 200+ contacts at our first proper meeting of the year this week.

York St John – my first time campaigning

Tamsin Allanson, York St John Socialist Students

This was the first time I’ve ever done anything with Socialist Students. And it was my first time ever helping out at a campaign stall.

I was nervous at first. For the first hour or so, I mostly kept quiet.

But as the day went on, I really settled in. I watched how others were campaigning, and ended up having conversation with passersby myself. It improved my confidence to do similar things in the future.

People were really receptive. We counted 39 sign-ups at the end of the day.

Queen Mary, east London – Climate crisis, AI, and war

Luca, Queen Mary Socialist Students

Students agreed with our grievances against the new nearby AI data centre, our previous campaign winning gender-neutral toilets and changing facilities at Queen Mary, safe and affordable housing, and protesting the government’s complicity in genocide in Gaza.

We had two campaign stalls on each day of the freshers’ fair, collecting more than 80 contacts. Students asked ‘what is socialism’, how data centres impact communities, and about the climate crisis.

We held discussions on both days at a nearby café. There, students expressed interest in participating in rallies, campaigns, and discussions about political theory.

Our first meeting was ‘Climate crisis, AI, and war: what is the socialist solution?’ 12 attended, 8 new faces.

We discussed action, we planned for what next. Students were very enthusiastic about contributing.

USW Trefforest – we’re gonna need a bigger room

Students are calling for a change. And at the University of South Wales (USW) freshers’ fair, they are turning to Socialist Students in dozens for that very change. At the University of South Wales,

Socialist Students attracted the interest of 173 students at the freshers’ fair. 14 came to our first Socialist Student meeting.

Socialist Party members also invited students to our local Rhondda Cynon Taff Socialist Party branch meeting, more than doubling attendance.

Cavan Griffin, USW Socialist Students

Leicester – enthusiasm into action

Adam Tyas, Leicester Socialist Students

Each day campaigning at the University of Leicester, the level of our activity grew. On the final day, we had two stalls, and a Socialist Students team walking around talking to students.

Leicester uni campus overlaps with WQE College. Over 150 students showed interest in Socialist Students and the ‘Fight for our future, not their wars’ 20 November walkout.

Although students supported us, the student union and university prevented us from leafleting the freshers’ fair queue, claiming that we needed to be an official formed society to do any activity. That’s what we were campaigning to do!

Young people are becoming increasingly politically conscious. Students openly identified as ‘communists’. Others declared that “we should have a revolution”.

What came through most strongly was growing anger at our futures being squandered by government after government, and a desire to fight for a society that works for us, rather than the wealthy.

Students showed particular interest fighting the climate crisis, and challenging the capitalist system that continues to put profit before people and the planet. Our task now is to turn that enthusiasm into sustained organisation and action on campus. We’ve organised four student meetings in the first week. And we’ve already been getting in contact with students who had signed up.

We need to build for 20 November youth strikes, and develop a proper Socialist Students society on campus. So the university has no excuse to stop our activity!

Pensioners back youth strike

Roger Bannister, North West Pensioners Association delegate

The North West Pensioners Association is composed of retired people, who are delegates from retired people’s organisations and trade unions, throughout the north west of England.

Whilst concentrating primarily on issues directly affecting older people, we are totally opposed to ‘divide and rule’. For example, being pitted against young people by government ministers in an ‘either/or’ squabble over cash and resources.

There is enough money to give pensioners a decent living in our retirement, and to give young people decent, free education, and genuine apprenticeships, with a job at the end, as well as jobs for new graduates.

So the following motion was carried unanimously by the North West Pensioners Association (NWPA) at our meeting on 25 September:

“This meeting notes that a recent meeting of youth organisations across Europe was held in Cologne, which included representatives from the British Socialist Students organisation, and that this meeting called for a Youth Strike to take place across Europe on 20 November 2026 in protest against war, youth unemployment, and austerity policies. This meeting supports this walkout and urges NWPA affiliates to support any rallies held locally, and to publicise our support in the local news media.”

Buy your Socialism 2026 tickets now!

Scrolling online, it doesn’t take long to see the horror of war, climate change and racist ideas being stoked. Meanwhile, we are being forced to pay for increasing rents, tuition fees and the cost of living.

But we refuse to accept that future. That’s why we will be joining the international youth strike on 20 November – walking out and protesting to fight for our future, not their wars.

If you are preparing to be a youth striker, or a socialist campaigner at your school, college or uni, you can’t miss Socialism 2026, taking place less than a week before N20.

A thousand socialists, students and young people will meeting in London 14-15 November. On Sunday 15 November, Socialist Students has been invited to host a youth rally. It will invite youth strikers from across Europe to speak, including from Germany where on 25 September 40,000-plus walked out of lessons to protest. Socialism 2026 will be the best possible preparation for the big day – N20.

Across the weekend of discussion and debate, there will be the chance to meet and discuss with hundreds of other students building  the youth strike at their school, college or uni.

Buy your tickets now!

Adam Gillman, Socialist Students

Join international youth walkout 20 November

Sofia Pandolfi, South London Socialist Students organiser

On 25 September, German students will again be walking out of lessons against military conscription and rearmament. This is following ongoing youth strikes which have already mobilised 55,000 students in recent months, taking to the streets across the country. In response to government changes to military service policy aimed at assisting Germany’s militarisation plans, young people are showing they are not willing to fight for a government and establishment that attacks their rights, education, and futures.

Our own government is no better. While military spending continues to increase, more policies of austerity are being implemented as the government cuts down on the services young and working-class people depend on. 35 universities across the UK have become part of the UK government’s Defence Universities Alliance initiative to support future ‘defence capability’. Meanwhile, our higher education is plunging deeper into a funding crisis. As militarism becomes more entrenched in our universities, we have to build a socialist fightback on our campuses.

From meeting and discussing with students at various university freshers, we are seeing young people frustrated by a government and a system that offers us only wars and exploitation. Students have expressed worry over the uncertainty of our futures, the lack of opportunities that exist for us, and the international chaos we are living through. Hundreds of students so far have already signed up to find out more about joining Socialist Students because they recognise the need to get organised against a system that sacrifices our futures for the profits of the capitalist bosses.

Socialist Students is organising a solidarity demonstration with German youth strikers on 25 September, building international action amongst young people. Join our solidarity rally to show we are standing up against militarisation, war, and austerity. Build the international youth fightback for our futures, not their wars!

Since the start of September, the US has carried out further bombing on Iran. A recent strike hit a residential building and a wedding ceremony, killing four people and injuring more than 60. This isn’t an isolated incident, but an increasingly regular occurrence in the era of war which we live in today. The ongoing slaughter in Gaza is another stark example, so too the brutal attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, and the many casualties in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In Gaza, hundreds of people have been killed this year, despite the so-called ‘ceasefire’. On top of this, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s minister of national security, demonstrated the cold callousness that capitalist politicians are capable of when he posted an AI-generated video on social media, depicting Palestinians being transported on a conveyor belt into a detention camp, alongside the caption ‘We promised – we delivered!’

Young people today are entering adulthood in a world characterised by instability and increasing wars. At the same time, the climate crisis is only getting worse, driving disasters such as the dreadful flooding in Nepal. In Britain, bus drivers have been forced to take strike action to win action over extreme working temperatures. Rents have also reached unsustainably high levels, with many young people unable to afford to move out of their parents’ houses, and with the idea of owning their own home growing increasingly out of reach.

These crises are not separate. They are symptoms of a system that puts profit above everything else, and therefore at the expense of everything else.

Climate change, war and division are all a result of the reckless destruction of the capitalist system. Therefore, we must fight for an alternative.

That is why Socialist Students is working with a growing number of youth organisations across Europe to build for a coordinated day of student walkouts and youth strikes on 20 November. We want to make it clear that we won’t stand for capitalist chaos, and are fighting internationally for our futures, not their wars.

Hannah Ponting, Socialist Students

Join the international youth strike on 20 November

Tom Gibson, Yorkshire Socialist Students

August saw thousands of students walk out of schools, colleges and universities in Australia against the reactionary right-populist politician Pauline Hanson.

Hanson uses dog-whistle politics against minority communities, particularly the Muslim and trans communities, while portraying herself as the only alternative to the establishment’s hated two-party system; a familiar pattern.

Despite a recent rise in the polls, she is very unpopular with younger Australians, the majority of whom are repulsed by her reactionary social views and anti-working class economic policies.

The walkouts were organised by the National Union of Students in response to increasingly repulsive rhetoric from Hanson, and took place all across Australia. Thousands turned out, despite the ‘Labor’ government condemning the protests, summing up how the so-called ‘progressive’ capitalist politicians view actual resistance to far-right politics. This criticism did not deter the students, nor did Hanson’s asinine comments about the students’ action being funded by China.

On 20 November, students internationally will be walking out, protesting against the symptoms of the capitalist system: war, inequality, bigotry and climate disaster. Socialist Students is building for walkouts in Britain to be as big as possible.

The walkouts in Australia are yet another inspiring example of youth taking action worldwide.

Join the international youth walkout on 20 November

International youth strike – 20 November

Hackney – ‘you’re not going to get far’

Adam Gillman, Socialist Students

Young people were curious about how they can change the world on our Socialist Students stall outside Capital City College in Hackney.

The principle came out and said: “You aren’t going to get very far with your activism, they don’t care about politics”. This was after two staff members said they supported the youth strike on 20 November.

Many young people took leaflets, asking how they could take action against war and climate change. The issues of unemployment and low pay came up too.

A couple of students asked if we were going to be here next week, so we could discuss further about the youth strike and socialist ideas. One passerby took a leaflet, and said he was going to give it to his daughter.

Young people are ready to fight back. We need to build student unions to discuss these ideas and a socialist alternative in schools, colleges and universities. If you’re interested, join Socialist Students, and alongside 20 other organisations across Europe, start building for the international youth strike on 20 November.

Preston

Penelope Dawber, Preston Socialist Students

Socialist Students has done three campaign stalls at Cardinal Newman College in the last week. We have handed out over 400 leaflets in support of the 20 November international youth strike.

Several students have already scanned the QR code and given us their numbers, so they can get involved. We’ll return soon to help grow the movement amongst college students even more.

Wolverhampton

Josie Shelley, Black Country Socialist Students

Even students who saw themselves as ‘non-political’ agreed with our ideas on fighting for education, jobs, housing, and services – especially on the struggles they will face as young adults.

We had a lot of interest in our campaign stall outside Wolverhampton College. It was the first day of term, so the atmosphere was lively.

We gave out loads of leaflets, and also sold our Socialist paper. All in all a very positive response.

Many young people growing up today are rightfully recognising that the capitalist system cannot offer us a future. In 2021, polling from the pro-free-market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs showed that 78% of 16-to-34-year-olds blamed capitalism for Britain’s housing crisis, and 67% said they would prefer to live under a socialist economic system.

And this should come as no surprise. For young people today, the world often feels as if it is moving in only one direction – and that direction is not a positive one. With the rapid shifts and compounding crises of this era, it can feel like the living conditions of millions across the world are deteriorating day by day.

The genocidal war on the Palestinians – waged at the behest of the Israeli regime and backed by Western capitalist powers – has left a lasting imprint on an entire generation. Outraged, many young people have turned to mass protest, joining university campus encampments and the massive weekend demonstrations across the country.

The US-Israel war on Iran typifies this era of capitalist crisis. Despite overwhelming global opposition to the war – especially among young people – Donald Trump, serving as the naked face of declining US imperialism, attempts to shore up the interests of American capitalism abroad. By doing so, this war continues to trigger severe economic shocks and crises, doing nothing for the interests of workers and young people alike in America.

Because of the global nature of capitalism, even if Britain is not directly involved in the war against Iran, its consequences will be felt here, too. The British housing crisis has only worsened since 2021, and there are now over one million young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

And how does the tiny capitalist elite try and stay in their position? They promote divisive ideas to try and hide who the real enemy is – the super-rich. The disgusting rhetoric of the likes of Trump, Farage and more as they seek to protect their rich mates has spurred us into action. We have protested against racism, transphobia, sexism and more.

All of this is occurring while the world is on fire – and not just politically. We have witnessed devastating wildfires across Europe, even as capitalist politicians like Trump deny the reality of climate change. We can see that politicians are liars who do not rule on their behalf. It is the billionaires controlling the oil industry, AI, and Big Tech whom Trump and his ilk seek to defend.

This explains the wave of youth protests and revolts worldwide. Whether it is the 55,000-strong school strikes against militarisation in Germany or the recent ‘cockroach’ movement in India, young people are increasingly understanding that capitalism offers nothing but war and austerity for them, while offering wealth and prosperity for the ruling class.

Young people and students have no choice but to get organised. Capitalism has proven that it offers us no future. This is why I am joining the international youth walkouts on 20 November, organised by various youth organisations across Europe, including Socialist Students in England and Wales. These November walkouts provide a vital opportunity for young people to express our discontent and anger. Fighting for our futures requires organisation, which is why Socialist Students is campaigning to make 20 November as large as possible. We believe that socialist change is the solution to war, climate chaos, and unemployment.

We will be organising both before and after 20 November to help provide the leadership needed in this age of capitalist decay. We want 20 November to be a first step towards building an international youth movement to fight for a socialist future. Join us.

Joe Woolfall, Liverpool Socialist Students

Walking out…

…to fight climate change

The world is burning. We can see it burning on TV. We can see it burning outside our homes this summer.

What is being done? In November, world leaders will meet again, this time at the COP31 climate conference in Turkey.

But every year, nothing is done, and climate change gets worse. These world leaders all defend a capitalist system that is about putting short-term profit first.

Oil giants Shell and BP have just recently doubled their profits. Even new Labour ‘change’ prime minister Andy Burnham is thinking of expanding North Sea drilling.

On the basis of capitalism, we don’t have a future. But workers are fighting back.

The Fire Brigades Union has just beaten service cuts in Kent – saving jobs, engines, and stations.

Bus drivers in Unite the Union, where I live in north London, are striking against the unbearably hot conditions they work in all day. On the picket line, one driver showed us 48°C in their cab!

If workers are fighting back, we need to fight back too. Young people will be walking out to fight for a future free from climate catastrophe.

Because there is an alternative. Socialist Students says the big polluters and big business needs to be democratically nationalised. With socialist change we can meet the needs of our society, people, and planet.

Paul Ilkley, Enfield

…for high-quality, free education

Over one million young people aged 16-24 years old in the UK are NEET, meaning ‘not in education, employment, or training.’ One tenth of these are university graduates. The capitalists have been scratching their heads as to what the reason might be; everything from smartphones to mental health diagnoses have been thrown out as suggestions.

What they won’t consider, however, is the gutting of the education sector that has taken place over the last 20 years at their own hands.

The National Education Union (NEU) warns that there will be a £630 million real-terms cut to school funding in the coming year. As much as the Burnham government pays lip service to the importance of apprenticeships and technical skills, without funding these subjects will have to be dropped by schools.

University students are not only being fleeced by ever-increasing student loans, but they are paying for a worse product as university services keep getting shut down. The University of Gloucestershire, in my area, is currently selling off one of its campuses, which includes an extensive library. The staff are not taking this lying down, however – earlier this year they went on strike for fair pay, not having had a real-terms pay-rise in 17 years.

Compare these cuts to Labour’s proposed £15 billion increase on military spending, a number which the Tories say isn’t high enough! Worse yet, a ‘Defence Universities Alliance’ has been set up by the Ministry of Defence, which aims to ‘build the highly skilled workforce needed to support the UK’s future defence capability.’

It is clear that the capitalist class doesn’t care to invest in our education, and young people need to join the fightback against them to make our voices heard.

I’m building walkouts to fight for a future which has high-quality free education for all, fully funded and democratically controlled so its not big companies like in the defence industry calling the tune.

Billy Jones, Gloucester

…against the cost-of-living crisis

Like everyone in the country, young people today are facing soaring food prices amid the worsening cost-of-living crisis. Even for those that have found work, inconsistent hours and low pay mean that the bulk of our income goes on the basic essentials.

As a full-time student in part-time work, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is a constant struggle. Quality ingredients are expensive and time-consuming to prepare, not to mention a long bus journey away. I often find myself defaulting to a diet of baked beans, meal deals and frozen pizza.

Supermarkets continue to rake in huge profits, with Tesco reporting an increase of 8.5% over the course of 2025. Food prices have risen in turn by roughly 38% since 2020. Anger over this surge prompted the Labour government to suggest a voluntary price caps on essentials, which was predictably met with frenzied resistance from the bosses.

Our food security is being undermined on multiple fronts. Domestic food production has taken a hit, with wheat yields falling by over 10% due to the extreme heat and widespread droughts.

Internationally, Trump’s war on Iran and the resulting closure of the strait of Hormuz has cut off an essential trade route for both fertiliser and food. Ukraine, crucial for global food production, has cut grain export forecasts by 12% due to Russian attacks on seaports.

Production costs will continue to rise, being passed on to consumers in order to maintain the profits of billionaire shareholders.

For those not born into wealth, this country has nothing to offer besides a failing welfare system, unstable work and skyrocketing prices on essentials, disproportionately affecting young people. While we can barely afford to put food on the table, the wealthy are diverting billions to fight their wars. It’s time to take our future into our own hands and take the wealth off the super-rich. Walk out on 20 November!

Daniel Bassey, York Socialist Students

…for real jobs

Young working-class people today face an unprecedented situation where our living standards are lower than that of the previous generation.

Record levels of youth unemployment (16.4%) paint a grim image for prospects for young people leaving education. This stat doesn’t even show the full image, many young people also find themselves in exploitative zero-hours contracts. We are the majority of zero-hour workers overall. Despite the promise to ban zero-hours contracts, the Labour government is still dragging its feet (see page 10).

We need decent jobs and decent pay. The money being poured into military spending could be put to use on things we actually need. Socially useful jobs fixing our crumbling infrastructure would be a start.

Thomas Butler, Liverpool Socialist Students

Get organised and fight for socialism

To fight for our futures, and all the reasons to walk out, we can’t do it on our own – we need to get organised. Socialist Students have groups at universities, colleges and schools across the country. We are campaigning and want to build the types of organisation we need: campaigning, democratic, and linked up with others across the country.

For those of us at school or college, that might mean building a fighting student union. A student union is a group of students who discuss the issues affecting them and collectively take action to change things.

This means democratically discussing and deciding what issue to campaign on and what actions to take collectively to do so.

Student unions could call for an end to repressive measures, like unfair uniform policies. Demand affordable prices for canteen meals and school trips. Support education staff when they take strike action. Protest against racism, sexism and all attacks on young people.

The first step could be calling a meeting, either at a break in the canteen or after school in a local café. You can then discuss with your classmates about the next steps, like organising a campaign stall and how to start building support for the 20 November walkouts.

To fight for our futures we need to fight for socialism

Capitalism puts the interests of a tiny few and their short-term profits above the expense of our futures. As capitalism goes further into crisis, our living standards are on the chopping block. We need to organise for a socialist alternative. 

Under socialism, the working class, which makes society function, would take control of the vast wealth and resources, and democratically plan what we produce and how it is distributed for the needs of us all, rather than what makes the most profit for the super-rich.

This means we could make sure that everyone’s needs are met, with high-quality genuinely affordable council housing, free public transport and so much more.

If you want to get organised in the fight for socialism at your school, college or university then get in touch with Socialist Students today.

Adam Gillman