Momtaz Khanom, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate in Folkestone and Hythe
College students in Folkestone have sent a clear message to the political elite that they do not speak for the young, or have their interests at the core of their manifestos.
It was a pleasure to be invited to a hustings hosted by East Kent College. As a teacher, this was particularly special to me, as this is the field I care deeply about. It is the lives of our youth which matters most to me.
Tories hate young people
I have first-hand experience of the struggles and challenges young people face in our society, from lack of funding and taking away EMA grants for poorer college students. Tories have snatched opportunities away from working-class youth, reducing the prospect of social mobility.
Voters don’t want MPs who speak a lot of words with no substance. They want real people, who speak from the heart, whose passion stands out amongst the political jargon that we are bombarded with – our youth can see beyond that.
We had brilliant questions about mental health, young caregivers, and care leavers, as well as support for minority groups within our community. The students and educators at the college appreciated Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) policies about mentor support and equitable distribution of wealth, and community events around inclusion and social cohesion, led by local councils.
Kent Socialist Party member Eric Segal said:
Momtaz spoke passionately to the students and lecturers, explaining that the ongoing atrocities in Gaza have ignited a fire within her, compelling her to stand as a TUSC candidate.
As a primary school teacher, Momtaz knows the daily struggle people in this constituency face – inability to get appointments, lack of affordable homes, and sewage being discharged onto our beaches.
We don’t need another career politician in parliament. We need a socialist, a working-class fighter, like Momtaz, to hold the powerful accountable for their promises to the working class.
Neither the Tory nor the Labour candidates had any support from the students in the ballot at the end of the hustings.
