The Socialist 26 September 2012

Action against austerity

Action against austerity

Teachers: march together, then strike together against austerity

Reasons to join the 20 October demo, reasons to build for a 24-hour strike

General strike, the biggest weapon

Model resolution for a 24-hour general strike

Labour Party conference: Can Labour give a lead in the fight against austerity?

Afghanistan war: end this 'pointless waste of life'

Spain: March on Madrid kicks off a hot autumn of struggle

South Africa: 'Lonmin settlement a victory - struggle pays!'

TUSC conference: A step forward for working class political representation

Murdoch empire: a whole barrel of bad apples

Action needed to save NHS from privatisation

Them & Us

Workers strike as Argos tightens the screws

Knowsley council fears anti-privatisation campaign

Solidarity with workers sacked from Crossrail

Workplace news in brief

No excuse! Thousands protest against victim blaming on London Slutwalk

Scrap student fees

Enthusiastic start to the year for Socialist Students

Why Hull council should defy the government's cuts to services

Tameside library closures - "Get used to it" says councillor

Opportunistic speeches at Hull march against NHS cuts

Cellist Alfia Nakipbekova speaks out about Kazakhstan

Opencast mining: "Protect us from Provectus"

Belfast Outdoor Relief Strike 1932

Previous issues, etc

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Scrap student fees

Kick out this sorry lot!

Chaz Lockett, Sheffield Socialist Students

There's a part of me that almost feels sorry for Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg - trapped between his own dissatisfied grassroots Lib Dem members on the one hand, and the rabid Tory back-benchers on the other.

But then I remember what he did to me and my fellow students back in 2010 - he sold us down the river when agreeing to the Con-Dem coalition.

I watched him sign his pledge to abolish tuition fees (instead of tripling them!) on the steps of Sheffield City Hall.

Yet a few months later, me and thousands of my classmates in Sheffield were occupying, marching and organising on campus, having been utterly betrayed, with our futures thrown into uncertainty.

Quite rightly, Nick Clegg's attempt to save face by apologising to students has been ridiculed. Perhaps his apology might have had a little more weight if he'd apologised for the privatisation of university education, the slashing of teaching budgets, the removal of Education Maintenance Allowance for college and sixth form students, and the tripling of tuition fees.

But no - what he actually apologised for was that he made the promise in the first place!

"There's no easy way to say this: we made a pledge, we didn't stick to it - and for that I am sorry," said Clegg.

"When you've made a mistake you should apologise. But more importantly - most important of all - you've got to learn from your mistakes. And that's what we will do."

"I will never again make a pledge unless as a party we are absolutely clear about how we can keep it."

This is a sign of a weak leader of an impotent party, desperately trying to win back support. Recent polls suggest that the Fib Dems will take only nine seats at the next general election.

But students starting courses this year, disgusted with having to pay £9,000 a year in fees, are not in any mood to forgive Clegg. Instead they're looking to fight back and kick out the Con-Dems.

Socialist Students is meeting students across Britain who support the call for a 24-hour general strike, as part of uniting students and workers against all cuts.

Solidarity from students when workers go on strike will be returned with solidarity when we march - including the National Union of Students demo on 21 November - and when we occupy.

Looking after the 1%

Nick Clegg has said his fees pledge was unaffordable, but there seems to be plenty of money for bankers and fat cats:

Student loans: £3 billion a year
Corporation tax cuts 2010-2012: £4.5 billion a year
Total student debt: £40 billion
Total bank bailouts: £850 billion

Socialist Students says:

Abolish tuition fees. Write off student debt.
For a mass mobilisation of students on both the 20 October TUC demo and the 21 November NUS demo
Support the Youth Fight for Jobs fortnight of action on 13-27 October
For 21 November to be the start of a mass campaign of demos, walkouts, occupations and nationally coordinated action
For student unions to link up with the trade unions. For a 24-hour general strike against austerity that includes both workers and students
For education that is fully funded, publicly owned, democratically run and universally free at all levels - a socialist education system