Britain: Youth and students – organise to fight for a future

After New Labour’s axe men began the education cuts, the Con-Dem butchers seem to have been let loose with a chainsaw.

Proposed cuts to university budgets over the next two years amount to £1 billion. £340 million is being removed from college budgets. The UCU lecturers’ union believes this will mean 34,000 job losses at colleges in England alone.

These cuts will slam the door of access to further and higher education in the face of millions. The UCU estimates the effects of last year’s cuts will mean that at least 170,000 qualified students will not find a university place.

Fees review

Billionaire ex-BP chairman Lord Browne is conducting an ’independent’ review into higher education funding and tuition fees.

It seems David Willetts, Tory universities minister, already knows the result of this report. He is dropping hints that the Conservatives are in favour of a gradual increase in tuition fees leading to removing the cap completely.

If this is implemented elite universities will be on the road back to the situation of the early twentieth century, when they were the preserve of the wealthy and privileged.

Privatisation

Lib Dem Vince Cable plans to expand privately owned universities and encourage ruthless competition in the higher education sector.

This will mean the closure of 20 of the lowest ranked universities and ruthless attacks on jobs, courses, wages, pensions and campus facilities.

Cable’s graduate tax is a dodgy rebrand. Students would pay or owe the same amount or even more than under the present system of top-up fees.

Cable and the Lib Dems want to fool students that they are sincere about getting rid of unfair fees. However, they are really trying to convince their Tory coalition partners that a graduate tax will allow the government to cut harder, faster and deeper without provoking mass public opposition. But their agenda for education will not be accepted.

Fight back!

This autumn we fight back! Young people have no option but to organise for education and a future. Let’s build a mass movement of students, anti-cuts campaigns, university staff, trade unions, communities and the wider working class.

In September, Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) and Socialist Students will go to the colleges and sixth forms inviting young people to pledge to take action. We can fight their cuts and fees with mass demonstrations and student strikes.

Demonstrate

On 20 October the politicians will announce more education cutbacks in the Comprehensive Spending Review and it’s likely that the Browne Review will have finally come to a conclusion.

YFJ and Socialist Students will respond by calling a national day of action of campus protests. We call on the National Union of Students (NUS) to begin to lead a mass movement of students to fight for free education!

The NUS is likely to call a national demonstration in November. Name the date now!

Every student on every campus needs leaflets and posters for this demonstration. Organise mass meetings and rallies. Let’s show the government our power.

Special financial appeal to all readers of socialistworld.net

Support building alternative socialist media

Socialistworld.net provides a unique analysis and perspective of world events. Socialistworld.net also plays a crucial role in building the struggle for socialism across all continents. Capitalism has failed! Assist us to build the fight-back and prepare for the stormy period of class struggles ahead.
Please make a donation to help us reach more readers and to widen our socialist campaigning work across the world.

Donate via Paypal

Liked this article? We need your support to improve our work. Please become a Patron! and support our work
Become a patron at Patreon!

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


August 2010
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031