The Socialist 23 November 2010

Youth Fight for Education: No cuts, no fees, save EMA!

Youth Fight for Education: No cuts, no fees, save EMA!

No to victimisation, defend student protesters!

Defend university access for all!

Universities occupied over fees and cuts

Not one job or one service to be cut

Mass organised action can stop cuts

1,000 march in Gloucester against 'scorched earth policy'

Fighting cuts: A militant stance is what's needed

Profiting from the most vulnerable

Government plans are an attack on council tenants

Fast news

Firefighters on the march

McCluskey elected Unite general secretary

Ireland in crisis

Scotland and Wales: Don't accept the 'hand you have been dealt'

Cholera epidemic sparks clashes between Haitians and UN troops

Massive food price hikes spell disaster for poorest people

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Youth Fight for Education: No cuts, no fees, save EMA!

Students on the march, photo Sarah Wrack (Click to enlarge)

This hated Con-Dem government is facing the first mass national action against its brutal cuts. There has been a huge wave of students and young people protesting against the slashing of teaching budgets in colleges and universities, £9,000 university fees and the heartless abolition of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

Ben Robinson, Youth Fight for Jobs chair

This movement is capable of defeating the government, and the politicians know it. They are trying to rush through their attacks quickly, especially the introduction of sky-high tuition fees, so that the full strength of students' rage can't be heard.

The National Union of Students says that there is a majority in parliament against an increase in fees. Tony Blair showed this generation how much politicians listen to us when he ignored the massive demonstrations against the Iraq war. Nick Clegg showed how much politicians' promises mean when he started 2010 pledging to abolish fees and ended it by trebling them.

There has been a supposed 'majority' in parliament on the side of students twice before - in 1998 and 2005. Both crumbled in the last few days and hours before votes to introduce tuition fees and top-up fees.

Universities UK, which represents university management throughout Britain, has said it is worried about the effects of the student protests and is organising a large-scale lobbying campaign. This is a clear sign that our movement is having an effect! But we can't leave it there.

There is a real majority that is opposed to this education massacre. This is the five million university and college students who are being directly affected. This is the millions more in school whose futures are also on the line. It's the pensioners who won the right to decent education and now want to defend it. It's workers and the trade union members, whose fight to defend jobs and services is the same battle as the battle against fees and education cuts.

50,000 on the streets was a fantastic beginning. We need to link up every college student who walks out, every university student who occupies, every school student who demonstrates. We need to democratically discuss, to coordinate with the trade unions and to fight back so that all our actions are the most effective. That's what Youth Fight for Education stands for, and you need to be part of it!

www.youthfightforjobs.com

www.socialiststudents.org.uk

Youth Fight for Jobs conference

Organise the fightback!

Saturday 4 December, 10.30am

A great opportunity to have your say on the future of the campaign and for people who want to fight the bosses' onslaught to hear from those already leading the struggle for our right to a decent future.