Solidarity with students

In an earlier blog entry here I was bemoaning the fact that as we approach the second decade of the 21^st century the political consensus had shifted away from trying to reduce the retirement age and instead, for the first time since the war, was planning to make young people work longer and for less money than their grandparents did.

The gains made by working people during the 20^th century, securing small improvements to their lot from the state such as the NHS, decent public services, a state pension are all under threat whilst the idea of free higher education seems like a distant memory. The recent debate in Westminster on tuition fees is testament to that.

Make no mistake, the measures voted through Parliament in a shameful manner last week mean that in England and Wales kids from poorer backgrounds are now much less likely to get a university education. Trying to survive whilst studying, holding down jobs and struggling to make ends meet was hard enough before that vote. Now, faced with years of financial hardship followed by debts in excess of £9,000 for tuition fees many working class kids will simply give up on the idea that university is meant for the likes of them. In Scotland the situation is slightly better, but here too, unless you have the means to support yourself or you are lucky enough to come from a wealthy background, the cost of a university education is a daunting prospect.

Previous generations of working class youngsters were denied the opportunity to attend university and unless they had occupational apprenticeships even Further Education Colleges were out of the question for some. After the Second World War, socialists and trade unionists were at the forefront of the battle for the introduction of free higher education and the student grant. Thousands benefitted from a system that placed a worth on learning and equal opportunity. Many of those currently in government and most of those in the previous Labour administration benefitted from a free university education yet now seem hell bent on denying the right to future generations.

The attitude of this government towards students exposes the lie that is David Cameron’s “The Big Society.” The Tories want a much smaller society, one in which the role of the state is reduced and the private sector is enhanced. One in which the idea of profit replaces the idea of service and provision. A society where if you have money you have opportunities unavailable to those who have none. Whilst the Conservative administration of John Major preached the “back to basics” morality of Victorian Britain, the ConDem government seems to want to create the economic and social conditions that existed at that time as well. With community projects reliant on the whims of wealthy philanthropists and the state urging the unemployed to have to work for their dole money history it seems is repeating itself, (and as Karl Marx would say) this time as farce.

This is more than just a disagreement about cost savings in time of austerity. This is fundamentally an argument about the type of society we want to live in. The population of a country benefits from students completing their degrees and entering society as new doctors, architects, surgeons, dentists, scientists, engineers and dozens of other socially useful careers.

As each graduate progress in their chosen career they contribute their knowledge and experience to the benefit of us all. If they earn more money as a result then they should pay the exchequer back through a fair and progressive system of taxation. A system that recognises ability to pay at its core.

The size of the fee increase also exposes a fundamental truth which is at its heart; this is a government of the wealthy and privileged elite. If you come from the background the most of the cabinet members of both parties do, then £9,000 or even £15,000 is not a lot of money. Clegg and Cameron never had to worry about the cost of their university education, never had to work two jobs to be able to survive, never had to worry about the cost of their next text book, or how they were going to make the rent. A handful, mainly on the LibDem side, don’t come from that background, which makes it all the more disgraceful that they voted for the measures in order to maintain their status as junior partners in the administration.

It seems that whilst the government expected some opposition to the move to triple tuition fees it has been entirely unprepared for the size of the backlash from students themselves. The protests across the country are proof positive that young people, often accused of being apolitical are very much aware of the importance of the battle they face. As the rest of the austerity measures planned by the ConDems hit home it is my belief that the demonstrations we have seen so far will just be the tip of the iceberg. Trade Unionists and communities affected by the government’s determination that we all should pay the price for the bail out of the banks are also beginning to mobilise in opposition to the cuts.

If we can unite students, community campaigners, trade unionists, working people and all of those worst affected by the cuts then the challenge to this government would prove unstoppable.

Yours in Solidarity,

Tommy

 

We Need an Avalanche of People Power

The UK seems to have ground to a halt with the recent heavy falls of snow and the weather has even impacted on our court case.

Whilst it may be spectacular to look at and the kids may enjoy extra days off school to enjoy sledging the snow has once again underlined just how vitally important the  battle to oppose cuts in public sector spending really is.

The ConDem axe is currently hacking its way through services and jobs that are essential to our communities. Home helps, meals on wheels, health and social care to pensioners and the vulnerable are all under threat at this time whilst community centres and libraries that can provide care, shelter, companionship and vital face to face contact are to close.

The madness of our economic system is exposed at this time of year more that any other. Even before the recent raft of cuts Councils across Scotland have been sacking workers employed in clearing snow and ice from our roads and pavements. At the same time as DLO workers are being paid off or privatised, our roads have never been in more urgent need of repair. Building workers are on the dole at a time when we are desperate for affordable social housing that provides decent, dry and warm accommodation. Pensioners and others in low paid jobs or on benefits shiver in poorly insulated and damp homes. For those homeless people, sleeping rough in our towns and cities, weather like this can be the difference between life and death.

At a time when we rely on gas and electricity the most prices are set to rise increasing profits for a handful of wealthy shareholders. Petrol prices continue to soar to crippling levels especially for those in rural communities whilst already scandalously high train fares are set to rise further.

In just a few weeks we will move further into the second decade of the 21^st Century in a country whose millionaire leaders seem determined to drive us towards 19^th Century levels of poverty and destitution. This Dickensian theme is further confirmed by a report published by The Register General of Scotland yesterday which concluded that men living in affluent areas of our country live on average 13 years longer than those living in poverty. As Glasgow contains some of the poorest parts of any conurbation in Western Europe side by side with wealth and affluence it literally is a Tale of Two Cities.

Just as sure as this snow will eventually thaw then you can be certain that ordinary people will not stand idly by and allow the Governments plans to continue without resistance. Young People and students are talking to the streets, occupying their campuses and demonstrating in unprecedented numbers. Anti-cuts campaigns are springing up across Scotland whilst in Ireland, just as they have across Europe, people have come onto their streets in their tens of thousands to voice their opposition to the austerity measures brought forward by their governments. It is an avalanche of people power that politicians will finder harder to resist.