Saige Muldoon, Cirencester Socialist Students
The town around Cirencester College has a Conservative MP, and a mostly Lib Dem council. Despite this, the college has become a melting pot of political ideology for people from around Swindon and the Cotswolds.
Most students make a journey of around an hour to the college. This is almost entirely due to the deterioration and reputation of other surrounding sixth forms and colleges – a result of government funding cuts.
There is a large working-class population in the college, and class consciousness is growing among the student body. Young people need a new political space, especially now.
Witnessing capitalist crisis
We are living through the destruction of our world at the hands of the capitalist class. And we witness it every day – online, through the news, or even personally.
Being subjected to footage of massive destruction takes a substantial toll on mental health. We desperately need a place to voice our concerns, and to incite radical change among the society we will inherit.
We, as socialist youth in Swindon, are trying to create this space. We have garnered serious interest from roughly 20 people at Cirencester College regarding a Socialist Students weekly meeting.
Finding a space to hold our meetings is proving to be the only hurdle to having an official group. Staff members must book rooms for us, but aren’t permitted to display ‘political affiliations’ on campus.
As a result, after Easter, we will start holding meetings in a public space outside of campus. Students are also joining Swindon Socialist Party, with two new members, and serious interest from five more. This keeps our Socialist Party branch on track to be roughly 50% young members in the coming months.
Socialism
Students of Cirencester College are mostly interested in social issues, such as LGBTQ+ rights. We see this as a brilliant jumping off point, since many people already agree with most of the socialist programme we put forward.
In a system where the two major parties – Tories and Labour – are becoming indistinguishable from each other, we must show young people that we put people over profit, and that we will fight for the rights of the working class.
A study found that 67% of young people in the UK want a socialist economic system. It is up to us to find those who will fight for it. Those who will push for a socialist world.
