Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/731/15111
From The Socialist newspaper, 29 August 2012
Jobs and homes, not racism
Fight their system, demand our future!
Sarah Wrack, Waltham Forest Youth Fight for Jobs
Racists Out! Youth against Racism in Europe marches for jobs and homes not racism, photo Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)
Hidden away behind headlines of a lion roaming Essex and Prince Harry getting naked, you might have missed the latest figures for the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neets). 16% of 16-24 year olds are stuck in this group, not able to use or develop their skills - what a waste of potential talent!
The government claims it's spending millions on training young people. But really what it calls 'training' just means subsidising companies to use us as slave labour and then throwing us back on the dole before they have to pay a proper wage.
The government says its 'education reforms' will lead to a world-class education system. But it's trebled tuition fees and scrapped EMA student payments so what working class young person will have access to it?
In reality, pro-big business parties offer no real future to young people. They will keep cutting the jobs that could be ours, attacking our right to an education, closing our youth centres and making it impossible to afford somewhere to live - because they're not willing to challenge big business.
Meanwhile £750 billion is sitting idle in the banks of big business in Britain alone because they can't see a way to make profit from investing it. A 50% levy on this could transform our lives if it were invested into jobs, infrastructure, research and developing technology.
Some people, like the far-right, racist English Defence League (EDL), want to see us turn on each other - to blame immigrants or other groups in society for the problems we face. They must be stopped. We see past the EDL's lies and know who the real enemy is. The rich, and their friends in government, are the only ones not suffering as a result of the crisis they caused.
We have to be as united as possible to stop them in their tracks. The government won't stand up for the 99% because they're too busy defending the 1% - and what's good for them is bad for us.
Young people all over the world are fighting back and demanding an end to austerity. In Athens, New York, Cairo and London, workers and young people are shouting 'we won't pay for their crisis'. And we can win. Youth Fight for Jobs rejects racism and division. United we are stronger to fight their system and demand our future!
- Protest to stop the racist EDL marching through Waltham Forest: 11am Saturday 1 September, Walthamstow town centre. Meet at the Youth Fight for Jobs stall, opposite 99p stores on High Street. See www.youthfightforjobs.com
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In The Socialist 29 August 2012:
Socialist Party news and analysis
Paralympics, Atos scandal, Remploy closures... Con-Dems win gold for hypocrisy!
Build for a 24-hour general strike!
Crisis services handed over to charity food banks
Socialist Party workplace news
Building workers fight pay cut threat
Sparks protest at London Crown House site
Local government pension scheme
Sheffield recycling workers to resume strike action
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Lobby the TUC for a 24-hour general strike
East Midlands: Save our ambulance service
NHS: Unions must defend national pay bargaining
TUSC councillor rejects Walsall cuts 'consultation'
Prisons
Prison work - £3 a day is exploitation for profit
Women's prisons - Con-Dems' 'reforms' mean cuts and privatisation
International socialist news and analysis
Norway: Mass murderer Anders Breivik gets life sentence
Kazakhstan: Human rights campaigner Vadim Kuramshin freed
Reviews and comments
Leon Trotsky: A revolutionary's life
Fight council tax benefit cuts
The 'madness' of building homes
Socialist Party news
Notting Hill carnival-goers support Lonmin miners
Why I joined the Socialist Party
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