In her Christmas day speech, the Queen encouraged those in need of ‘strength and courage’ to ‘take a deep breath’ when ‘her country’ is broken by the austerity she advocated. We have no need of her ‘majesty’s’ condescension. What does she know of the struggle that many people are going through at a time when the crisis of capitalism has rapidly eroded living conditions for millions of working class people? 2015/16: a review Going Read more…
The National Union of Students (NUS) is sharply divided. The election of Malia Bouattia as NUS President at the last national conference of the union was heralded as a victory for the “Left”. The NUS has since held a joint demo with the UCU union and come out in support of rent strikes. But those who want to build the NUS into an organisation that fights for students are finding their way Read more…
A demo was held at UCL on Tuesday to protest the government’s impending Higher Education reforms. Under the slogan “Grants not debt”, a group of students, union officials, and activists voiced their discontent across the campus with the direction in which our university system is heading. The ‘Teaching Excellence Framework’ (TEF) was the main object of this discontent: it threatens to impose a questionable set of standards (student satisfaction, graduate employment Read more…
Recent elections at Durham University resulted in a victory for Tom Harwood, a radical right-winger, as one of four delegates to NUS Conference next year. His campaign was built on parodying and mocking the politics of the Left, describing them as “irrelevant, grandstanding, self-aggrandizing, self-defeating” and pledging to singlehandedly bring down the Tory Government, use NUS boycotts to “destroy ISIS” as well as constructing a 217-foot bronze statue of NUS President Read more…
In the early hours of Friday morning Warwick For Free Education took control of Warwick University’s new £5.3 million Slate building in protest against further attacks on both students and staff by the University. The three key demands are: For the university to oppose the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), which is a blatant attempt to increase already exorbitant tuition fees and continue attacks on teachers and staff To show solidarity with and Read more…
Four million households in Britain are so cold and damp that it damages the quality of life and standard of living of the people who live in them. We’re in this situation because wages are stagnating while the monolithic utility companies continue to put energy prices up. This is happening in a country that has one of the largest economies in the world; where there are some of the most expensive properties Read more…
Dozens of UNISON comrades were out in force in front of King’s College London on Friday with placards and banners to protest the abuse and exploitation of cleaning staff at the university. Cleaners at King’s College London have just received the worst ever Christmas present: individual letters warning that they are likely to be sacked or have their hours reduced under a restructuring of the workforce. This disgraceful move comes after Read more…
Yesterday the college council met to decide whether it will engage with the Tories’ Teaching Excellence Framework, which will allow ‘high performing’ universities to raise their fees in line with inflation. The KCL Marxist society joined a small protest outside the meeting, demanding that education be defended. Why we oppose the TEF: It will place further education colleges and more diverse institutions in working class areas in jeopardy. It will be used as Read more…
This Wednesday morning, comrades from Newcastle Marxist Society made their way to County Durham to show solidarity with the striking teaching assistants. We got a bus through from Newcastle which sadly, due to poor weather, meant we arrived a little too late to join the picket line at East Stanley School. After discussion with some of the workers there, the receptionist contacted the rep for the school and she kindly offered us Read more…
The recent actions of the administration of the American University of Cairo represent an direct assault on the student body. The sudden decision to raise tuition fees by 40% will severely affect the students, many of whom would have to chose between leaving their studies or become heavily indebted. The students have embarked on a month long struggle against the fee hikes. They are demanding their legal right to view the accounts Read more…
Today and tomorrow teaching assistants involved in a dispute with Durham County Council will be on strike over the question of pay cuts. This follows on from previous days of strike action earlier in the month. Here is a report on the struggle so far. And below is a report and photos from this morning’s picket lines: We received a very warm welcome on a chillingly cold day today at the rally Read more…
The Marxist Student Federation marched alongside thousands of other students and workers on 19 November to defend education. Read the full report by Sarah and Rosie from Manchester here. See below for pictures and a video of the demo
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