by Rob Ellis, Camden and Haringey Socialist Party
Life for young people has only become more expensive over 16 years of austerity, as an increasing cost of living has coincided with the trebling of tuition fees. Maintenance grants have been replaced by loans, shifting even greater financial burden onto students.
This hardship continues once we are out of education. Degrees don’t lead to employment as easily as we were led to believe. Over one million people between the ages of 16 to 24 are not in employment, education, or training.
Under this backdrop, young Socialist Party members felt it necessary to hold a day of action in London – four groups across the city. Starting with a campaign stall, and ending with discussions in parks. This spread awareness of the Socialist Party to young people, and built solidarity amongst us by sharing our similar struggles.
We discussed with young people the pressure felt by cuts to local secondary school funding, leading to strikes in the area, such as Highgate Wood. Many echoed our concerns of rising tuition fees and an increasingly harsh job market.
East London — what change do we need?
by Andy, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
We addressed the issues plaguing young people, like ourselves, on our campaign stall in Bethnal Green in Tower Hamlets. Unemployment, unaffordable cost of living, underfunding of councils and vital education services from schools to universities, racism and the rise of far-right movements, and a lack of third places — or anywhere to socialise and relax outside of home.
I spoke with a man who lived in the area. He strongly resonated with “putting more money into councils and public services”.
One of us spoke to a RMT transport union member. He was also mostly in agreement, but did have concerns with immigration.
Reform and people on the far right blame growing inequality and worsening living conditions on immigrants. They’re egged on by the capitalist class, their parties, and the media. They don’t want us to focus on the actual issue — mass hoarding of wealth and resources by the extremely wealthy.
After, we went to Bethnal Green Gardens to speak to each other about our pressing issues and struggles as young people today.
Unemployment, and the government’s inability to secure jobs for youth who need them, is terrible. Capitalism justifies keeping some people unemployed to put pressure on workers, knowing that they could be replaced. It is inhumane and unnecessary.
Local councils don’t have enough funding. They need more money to keep pillars of our communities up and running. And Labour councils have made things worse by passing on 16 years of cuts.
Some schools like Lammas in Leyton are at threat of closing down, because of lack of funding, disrupting children’s education during their key development years, putting underpaid teachers and other staff out of work.
Many universities are falling apart, with departments that have worn down and outdated facilities and equipment, and a lack of professors and lecturers. All this while students are expected to pay back massive loans, up to six digits.
Young people lack anywhere to socialise regularly. If it’s too expensive, or inaccessible because of travel to find somewhere to casually talk with friends or meet people, this pushes many to staying inside, spending more time online.
The Labour government has shown no intention of building more youth centres or social hubs, but the exact opposite. Austerity has closed youth centres, removed skate parks, and shut down nightclubs.
Change is needed. Increasing funding to public services would help a lot. We need more to improve our schools, giving staff the wage they need, and children the education they need.
Make transport affordable by nationalising London transport companies and others. So everyone can afford to travel to where they need, and still have money left over.
Nationalising major industries would ensure that there’s enough funding and resources for us to have jobs, an affordable cost of living, councils that can support the needs of their communities, and university that is free.
This would also mean taking back control of the mainstream media that is currently controlled by billionaires, trying to divide us by pushing racist and anti-immigrant narratives. Instead, we can push real concerns, focusing public attention on the actual problems.
There is an alternative to this soul-crushing system, and it’s socialism. Giving workers and the public the democratic control of our resources and services, so that we set the standards for our living.
South London – fighting youth unemployment, demanding decent jobs
by Adam Gillman, South East London Socialist Party
In Peckham, we campaigned against youth unemployment. We linked this issue to the need for high-quality, well-paid jobs and apprenticeships. And a £15-an-hour minimum wage, as a step towards a real living wage, with no age exemptions. We pointed to the need for socialism to make any gains permanent.
One person was angry at the state of the country, and “doesn’t trust Burnham one bit”. He agreed we need a trade union-based, mass workers’ party. They bought our Socialist paper for solidarity price. A 12-year-old school student took a leaflet, and was interested in socialist ideas.