Oxford freshers – Fighting in the belly of the beast

Rae Cox, Oxford Socialist Party

Over three days, Socialist Party members in Oxford hit the campuses to meet the new cohort of students. Oxford’s universities may not be the first places you think of when it comes to support for revolutionary socialism but, as we found, the crisis of capitalism has left few stones unturned.

Last year we saw spontaneous protests over the cuts being levelled at students at Oxford Brookes University, with music and maths courses on the chopping block, among smaller cuts to many more. We also saw students at Oxford University launch a Palestine camp that was reported worldwide, getting support from local trade unionists and the trades council.

Anger at the cost of living, lower wages and higher debts, a continuing war in the Middle East, and rising tensions over right populism, were all reflected on the ground at this year’s freshers fairs.

This year, students were engaged with the direct issues they face. There was strong support for Socialist Students’ campaigning approach to the issues at hand.

At Brookes, we had a good initial meeting, building on our existing base. We are also discussing plans with those we know in other groups such as the University and College Union and Brookes Student Union on how we can continue the campaign started last year around cuts to funding. At Oxford Uni, we made new ground with a group of students who are keen to build on campus.

Now more than ever we need fighting student organisations on campus with a Marxist approach, even in the belly of the beast that is Oxford.

Southampton students’ housing anger

Nick Davies, Southampton Socialist Students

A freshers stall and a couple of meetings into the academic year and it is clear that students are fed up and ready to get involved in campaign that fights for free, fully funded education, affordable housing for all, and against the capitalist-created wars and conflict across the world.

In our very first meeting of the year, we had instant support for a campaign on student housing due to the experience of freshers moving in to halls with gas leaks, and rents that take up the majority of maintenance loans. This, combined with existing students dealing with sky-high bills and negligent landlords, has left an overwhelming need for action. Students need to organise to stop the marketisation of universities and bring funding not fees.

Building a base in Liverpool

Dean Young, Liverpool Socialist Students

Liverpool Socialist Students changed its plans for its second meeting of the year to respond to the appearance of a pro-life student society becoming a presence on campus.

We held our meeting on the topic of reproductive rights and how socialists must link the struggle for civil liberties to the wider struggle for a socialist transformation of society. Around 30 came along, about half were new students returning after coming to our first meeting.

The next meeting is on the topic of the Middle East, amidst Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. We will discuss the right to self-determination of all nations in the Middle East, with the goal of a voluntary socialist confederation in the region.

Liverpool Socialist Students is establishing a solid base for the future. Part of that is developing our campaigning skills, giving our members confidence to be able to chair meetings, contribute in political discussions, and lead discussions. We are making plans for a reading group to discuss the history and ideas of the socialist movement to better prepare people for the struggle ahead amidst the Starmer government’s attacks on workers and young people.

So let’s crack on with our task ahead, and we will share any lessons we learn in the Socialist, so keep an eye out!

York student hospital strike solidarity

Jacob, York Socialist Students

On the morning of 11 October, members of the Socialist Students Society at the University of York, holding placards and banners, stood at a picket line in solidarity with striking workers at York Hospital. After one of the labs at the hospital was shut down, workers from the other lab were forced to do twice as much work with no compensation, leading to a strike.

BBC News turned up to the strike to take pictures and videos. It was filmed live on air, and the Socialist Students Society was thanked for the solidarity shown.