Louie Nardini, York Socialist Students
At our first York Socialist Students meetings this term, 16 attended our pre-freshers meeting. Then, post-freshers, 36 at the University of York, and 11 at York St John’s.
Some students were sceptical that a student fightback can succeed. We explained that the 20 November walkout is only the beginning. A student fightback would be boosted by the trade unions taking their own independent stand.
York St John’s ratified the first ‘Restore Britain’ society in the UK last year. Naturally, discussion turned to how we cut across right-populist division.
Andy Burnham raising tuition fees will only fuel more anger among students. We need a concrete alternative that tackles the deep problems in higher education and directs that anger productively.
At the University of York, the closure of 24-hour campus security and of individual receptions alarmed new students, many of whom had not been told.
Our new interim vice-chancellor, Ken Badcock, has co-authored numerous academic papers used to develop experimental fighter jets, including weapons research on the Lockheed Martin F-35 – a jet used in Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians.
Cisco and Israeli army
Universities use the Duo verification system to register students for class, owned by Cisco. Cisco has a 20-year history of investing in the Israel army, and has tried to clamp down on opposition to this.
This issue is connected to the uni funding crisis. Socialist Students fights for fully funded education. Staff and students should have democratic control over how universities are funded and run, including decisions on divesting from these companies.
Students should not pay for a crisis we did not create. Force Andy Burnham’s Labour government to make the super-rich fund our education.
