Theory and analysis

The Higher Education pay dispute: on two hour strikes

Since the start of the New Year the industrial action within the Higher Education (HE) pay dispute has increased in tempo, with UCU – the union to which lecturers and teaching staff are largely affiliated – organising a number of strike days throughout January and February. However, whilst the strike action itself has increased in frequency it has consisted mostly of three weekly two-hour strikes throughout January and February (with national action Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

Hands Off Venezula! (Spanish translation)

Esta resolución fue aprobada en la Conferencia Nacional de la Federación de Estudiantes Marxistas de Gran Bretaña el 15 de febrero de 2014 con la presencia de delegados de 20 universidad de todo el país. Los estudiantes marxistas están en solidaridad con la Revolución Bolivariana y el pueblo de Venezuela. Manifestamos nuestra solidaridad con los que luchan en contra de la guerra económica y la violencia de la oposición contrarrevolucionaria. Para obtener Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

Hands Off Venezuela!

The motion below was passed by the Marxist Student Federation conference on 15th February 2014. Marxist Students stand in solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution and the people of Venezuela. We express solidarity with those fighting against the economic war and the violence of the counter-revolutionary opposition. For more information on the events in Venezuela see: http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org/ ———————————————————————- The MSF conference recognises the important advances of the Bolivarian revolution in the field of education, achieving such Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

For International Socialist Revolution

The Marxist Student Federation stands for international socialist revolution because we understand that socialism is international or it is nothing. We were delighted to receive greetings to our founding conference (held on 15th February 2014) from many comrades from all over the world. We publish below a selection of those greetings and we express our solidarity with workers all over the world struggling for socialism. We were also delighted to have comrades Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

School students being made to pay for capitalist crisis

Michael Gove’s Department for Education is to make a new line of biting attacks on college students, as part of yet more cutbacks that students must bear. This is despite the failing economy being thanks to a capitalist government – we didn’t cause this crisis and yet we’re being made to pay for it. Recently, Gove announced that his department is to make tens of millions of pounds worth of cutbacks to Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

Reports from the picket lines (6/2/14)

  Thursday 6th February 2014 saw the third round of joint strike action between UCU, Unison, Unite and EIS in defence of their pay and conditions. While University Vice-Chancellors and senior managers are on six figure salaries and receiving pay increased of 8% this year, staff and lecturers have,  since 2008, suffered a 13% real pay cut and are now being offered a measly 1% increase. Marxist Students were out on the Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

January report from the Sussex Marxists

The Sussex Marxist society made a promising start to the new year at the Sussex University Refreshers Fair on the 21st January. From our stall we advertised a range of theoretical material, collected contact details and handed out leaflets and other information to a large number of fellow students interested in revolutionary ideas. Despite the relatively low-key nature of the event, we were able to take down the details of 25 people keen to Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

The reality of low pay in Cambridge

Following recent revelations that over 1,000 employees of the University of Cambridge are earning below the living wage, one young worker got in touch to describe her experience of work in Cambridge. We publish her letter below. Of the three jobs I have worked in Cambridge, all have paid under the living wage. The living wage for cities outside of London stands at an hourly rate of £7.65; in all of my Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

The murder of Mark Duggan: police and law under capitalism

Following other recent shameful verdicts, such as the Trayvon Martin case, the Mark Duggan ruling further highlights the contradictions of the law and its role as a weapon of the rich and powerful against the most oppressed layers of society. After a long drawn out inquest, in which it came to light that Duggan posed no threat to those around him and more importantly, was unarmed when he was shot, it was Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

Patrice Lumumba and the Permanent Revolution

Friday 17th January 2014 marks the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first democratically elected Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, who after being beaten and tortured for days, was finally shot. The assassination was the work of US and Belgian imperialism with the United Nations playing a complicit role. Lumumba led a movement for the liberation of the Congo and had a vision of national and pan-African Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

War and revolution: the legacy of the First World War

In a recent article for the Daily Mail website the Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove, on account of the approaching 100th anniversary of the First World War, has taken the opportunity to denounce what he has claimed are attempts to write out the glory and heroism of WW1 in the education system. Gove writes: Our understanding of the war has been overlaid by misunderstandings, and misrepresentations which reflect an, at best, ambiguous Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

Zero-tolerance on zero hours contracts

Last month it was revealed by QMessenger (student newspaper at Queen Mary, University of London) that several students working at QMSU venues are being employed under zero-hour contracts. This revelation is disgraceful, yet unsurprising. Zero-hour contracts, or “casual-hour contracts” as they are euphemistically dubbed by the Student Union, are all about maintaining flexibility of labour in the interests of employers. What’s happening at Queen Mary is a reflection of the increasing “liquidation Read more…

By Marxist Student, ago

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