University vice-chancellors’ average salaries ballooned to £272,000 last year, a £12,000 increase on 2014. As higher education faces cuts, staff see stagnant wages, and students rack up debt to pay £9,000 per year fees, university management are laughing all the way to the bank.
On Tuesday 9th February, the Oxford Marxist society hosted Ben Morken of the IMT in South Africa and Simukai Chigudu of the Rhodes Must Fall Oxford campaign to discuss the topic of “The Fight Against Racism and Exploitation from South Africa to Oxford”. Meg Harrington of the Oxford Marxists reports.
Over 100 young revolutionaries gathered at SOAS in London on 13th February for the largest ever national conference of the Marxist Student Federation. Everyone left the conference brimming with energy and enthusiasm for building the forces of Marxism in the student movement and beyond.
The 2016 national conference of the Marxist Student Federation will take place on Saturday 13th February in SOAS university, London. We encourage everyone who is interested in the ideas of Marxism and who would like to meet Marxist student activists from all over Britain to attend and participate in the debates and discussions.
The quality and quantity of education available to the public has always been a general measure of social progress. But capitalism in crisis is cutting away at the prospect of a free education for all. We publish here three articles from the Marxist Student Federation about education in the age of austerity.
We publish here a document by the Marxist Student Federation (MSF), which is a brief outline of the ideas and tasks of the MSF for the year ahead. This document will be discussed and voted on at the national conference of the MSF, taking place in SOAS university, London, on Saturday 13th February 2016.
Marxist students joined thousands of students and youth from across the country as part of the national demonstration on Wednesday 4th November in London against tuition fees, against the scrapping of maintenance grants, and for free education. The fight for free education is a fight for socialism.
A recent report by the Equality and Human Rights Commision has warned that young people ‘have the worst economic prospects for several generations’. For Marxists, the findings of this report come as no shock. The task is for workers and youth to unite and fight against the capitalist system and its austerity.
Emily Cosentino and Joe Attard of the Labour Young Socialists’ steering committee discuss the programme and demands that are needed in order for the Corbyn-led Labour Party organise young people and workers in the fight against the Tories, against austerity, and against capitalism.
The Marxist Student Federation (MSF) has kicked off the academic year by signing up thousands of new students to Marxist societies around the country. Anti-austerity protests and Jeremy Corbyn’s inspiring victory in the Labour leadership contest has radicalised a whole layer of students and youth, who are now looking for an organisation that is ready to fight for something better.
On Sunday 4th October, dozens of Marxist students from all over the country joined the TUC’s No to Austerity! Yes to Workers’ Rights! demonstration, with over 60,000 marching to give the Tory Conference a welcome it won’t soon forget! The high turnout and militant mood showed the Tory government that workers and youth are ready to fight back.
From the 4th – 7th October, the Conservative Party will be holding their annual conference in Manchester. On Sunday 4th October, tens of thousands of workers and youth will descend onto the streets as part of a protest against austerity, organised by the TUC and the People’s Assembly. Join the Marxist Student Federation to march against the Tories and austerity!