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From The Socialist newspaper, 20 February 2019
Socialist Students conference shows potential for fighting leadership
Socialist Students conference sending solidarity to Birmingham home care workers, 9.2.19, photo by Corinthia Ward (Click to enlarge)
Bea Gardner, Socialist Students national chair
Around 90 delegates and visitors from Socialist Students groups across Britain debated the student movement and its socialist potential on Saturday 9 February.
Socialist Students national organiser Theo Sharieff introduced the new national programme for Socialist Students, approved by the conference. He spoke about the potential role of the student movement in helping to kick out the decaying Tory government.
We welcomed Sam Morecroft from the Sheffield branch of the University and College Union (UCU). He highlighted the importance of Socialist Students' solidarity work during last year's pensions strike.
Mandy Buckley, a striking Birmingham home care worker, spoke about her union Unison's battle against Blairite Birmingham Labour council's cuts to jobs and pay. She thanked Socialist Students for our continued solidarity.
Commissions
In the afternoon, conference held separate commissions. Friedrich Engels' classic 'Socialism: Utopian and Scientific', just republished by Socialist Books. The lessons 100 years on from the German revolution.
And a commission on the very important upcoming strike for women's rights in the Spanish state. This was introduced by Marina Mata, visiting from the Sindicato de Estudiantes (Students' Union) and the Libres y Combativas (Free and Combative) socialist-feminist campaign.
A robust and political motions debate dealt with various pressing issues. We discussed our response to the capitalists' political crisis and growth of the far right. We resolved to support youth strikes for climate action, with our message that workers' struggle for socialist change is the only way of ending capitalist environmental destruction.
The UCU is again balloting for strike action on campus, this year over pay and conditions. Socialist Students continues to be an organisation with an enormous potential to bring about real change on campus and more widely.
In a year where the National Union of Students, controlled by the right, finds itself in an unprecedented financial crisis, the importance of building a fighting student leadership has never been more important.
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In The Socialist 20 February 2019:
News
Nationalise Airbus and other manufacturing plants to save jobs now!
NHS crisis deepens: Workers' and community action can save our health service
Youth climate strikes
"There's no planet B": Thousands of youth strike against climate change - we need socialist change!
Youth strike for the climate reports: "There's no planet B"
Opinion
TV: Les Misérables - Hugo's novel and this adaptation both offer a message of hope
What we think
Eight Blairites split - Now kick out the rest
Workplace news
PCS Left Unity must unite on pay and elections
Universal Credit staff ballot for action
Annoyed?! I'm annoyed to be on poverty wages
Nationalise to save jobs at Honda!
Birmingham bin strike against 'blacklisting'
Deliveroo riders strike against exploitative pay and conditions
Leicester college pay strike goes on
Cardiff Uni: urgent action needed to stop job cuts
Hackney: Unite fights racism and victimisation
Harrowing accounts of austerity at Unison women's conference
International socialist news and analysis
Spanish state: social polarisation and budget defeat force snap election
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Unite union London council workers back Enfield Labour no-cuts call
Leeds TUC presents a no-cuts alternative budget
Socialist Students conference shows potential for fighting leadership
London housing campaigners disrupt auction
Birmingham Uni: Standing up to racism is not harassment!
Leicester Socialists stand against Blairite mayor
Lincoln students back UCU ballot
Claimants and union slam Universal Credit
Energy retail firm collapse hits Tyneside
World economy
New recession fear stalks the world economy
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