With the announcement of the new lockdown, our rent strike page, Student Justice Now, exploded in interest from angered and confused students. We also witnessed the creation of another rent strike page run by students at the University of Birmingham, it hit 1500 followers within 24 hours of being established. Whilst we have been working on our rent strike campaign since October 2020, there has never been a wave of support for Read more…
We re-publish here an article written by our comrade Andy from Goldsmiths Marxists in 2017, which outlines the radical history of tenants’ struggles in Britain, from the beginning of the twentieth century onwards. While the ideologists of capitalism maintain that we have come a long way since the days of slum tenements, the reality is that poor housing conditions are an everyday experience for many workers and youth and Britain. And, with the current housing crisis pushing many students into organising rent strikes up and down the country, there’s no better time to reflect on the lessons passed down to us from the struggles of the past.
Thousands of students are preparing the biggest rent strike for decades. Marxist societies around the country are part of this fight. Unite Students, the largest student accommodation provider in the country, has offered students a 50% rent reduction. Some universities have offered some reductions too. They can feel the pressure beginning to build, and in most places we haven’t even begun the strike yet. Now is the time to go on the Read more…
Last Sunday, Boris Johnson insisted on multiple occasions that the majority of primary schools in England would fully open the following day, on Monday 4 January. He repeatedly assured that they would be safe for students and staff. These assertions from the Prime Minister came despite a planned week-long delay in exam-sitting pupils (those in Years 11 and 13) returning to secondary schools, along with a fortnight-long delayed return for non-exam-sitting pupils. By the next evening, however, Read more…
An article in the BBC has highlighted the University of Birmingham (UoB)’s past-role in organising and facilitating gay conversion therapy. The university’s stubborn refusal to apologise and take accountability for their involvement in the practice has caused justified outrage amongst the student population who have accused the university of simply not caring about LGBTQ rights. The article brought into public light that a gay man has been demanding an apology from UoB Read more…
Trotsky’s advice to young Marxists: “It is better to read one book and read it well; it is better to master a little bit at a time and master it thoroughly. Only in this way will your powers of mental comprehension extend themselves naturally.”
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of those stories we can’t seem to get enough of. Since the original novella was released in 1843 under the title ‘A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas,’ it has been adapted numerous times into many different formats: plays, TV shows and movies – even inviting the Muppets along for the ride in 1992. Part of that is undoubtedly because Read more…
We republish here a transcript of Lenin’s speech given at the Third Congress of the Russian Young Communist League in 1920, which sheds light on what a communist education consists of, and how young revolutionaries should link their education to their practical activities.
Brunel Student Justice has been launched at Brunel university to fight the way management has handled the pandemic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brunel Student Justice (@brunelstudentjustice) They have launched a petition, which has already achieved hundreds of signatures. The petition and demands can be read below: ______ Rent Strike At Brunel Students are currently paying Brunel £9,000 in fees for this year’s education, the cost is up Read more…
These four statements form the discussion points of an undergraduate English Literature theory lecture on Marxism at Birmingham University. Rather than being an accurate introduction to the basics of Marxism, it serves as a prime example of the ways in which Marxism is distorted in the field of academia. Firstly, the statement ‘Marx was not against capitalism’ is such a clear falsehood to anyone who has come into contact with Marx’s work, Read more…
Last Thursday, school and college students from across the country joined together to discuss the #tellthetruth campaign. The campaign is hosting three meetings throughout December, one on economics, one on history and one on politics. Last Thursday, the topic was economics. The speaker spoke candidly about the lies taught to students in GCSE and A-Level economics, which are easy to find by merely opening a text book. He looked at the statements Read more…
Rob Sewell commemorates Engels’ 200th birthday, by looking at the vital contribution that he made to developing the ideas of Marxism, for which we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.
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