Twelve months on from the founding conference, the Marxist Student Federation continues to go from strength to strength and continues to educate students in the ideas of Marxism. Last weekend, on Saturday 14th February, over 80 representatives from around 25 Marxist societies across the country attended second annual national conference of the Marxist Student Federation.
The profile of the Marxist Student Federation is rising, with growing numbers in the universities being radicalised by events and looking for a way out of the crisis. The activities and impact of the Marxist societies on campuses across the country is now being noticed in the student press, with a series of articles in various student newspapers highlighting the work of the MSF.
Last week, 200 youth participated from across Brazil in revolutionary summer camp organised by the Brazilian Marxists of Esquerda Marxista. Ben Gliniecki, organiser for the Marxist Student Federation, and delegate from Britain to the Brazilian camp, reports on the enthusiastic and revolutionary mood of the young Marxists in Brazil.
At a General Assembly of the University College London student union (UCLU) late last year, almost 600 students attended to discuss a move by certain societies to merge sabbatical officers’ positions for the sake of making more funds available elsewhere. Nina Christou of the UCLU Marxists looks at the issues involved in this important debate.
Recently released figures demonstrate that the number of children being admitted to hospital in England for self-harm is at a five-year high. Similar statistics for suicides demonstrate the same trend. Lee Singh Gill looks at these figures, which provide a graphic picture of the increasing feeling of hopelessness, despair, and alienation felt by youth under capitalism today.
On Saturday 14 February delegates from all over Britain will be joined in London by international visitors for the 2nd Marxist Student Federation conference, held in SOAS. The theme of this year’s conference is internationalism: struggles of workers and youth are breaking out in one country after another. There is much that we can learn from these struggles
We publish here a draft of the main document being discussed throughout the Marxist Student Federation at the beginning of the upcoming academic term. The final document will be discussed and voted on at the MSF national conference, to be held in SOAS, London, on Saturday 14th February 2015. We encourage all our student readers to come along and take part in the discussions!
It is now seven weeks since the disappearance and kidnapping of 43 students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico. The brutal incident acted to open up a wave of mass protests which continues to grow and spread throughout Mexico. The Marxist Student Federation here in Britain has energetically participated in solidarity action with the Mexican students and their struggle.
According to recent research, almost a third of university graduate interns are being forced to work without pay, as a means of ‘getting their foot in the door’ of their respective careers. These latest figures demonstrate the myth of social mobility that is peddled by the apologists of capitalism.
On Wednesday 19th November, thousands of students took to the streets in London to protest extortionate tuition fee rises, to demand free education for students in the UK, and to show solidarity with students everywhere who want a fairer society. Ed Rosier of the Manchester Marxists reports on the latest expression of the radicalisation amongst the youth.
Today, November 19th, there is a demonstration by students in central London for free education. Marxist students wholeheartedly support this demonstration and will be participating in it energetically. The NUS leadership has failed, however, once again, to live up to its task of taking the side of the students.
Wednesday 19th November will see students from around the country march through the streets of London, demanding the removal of tuition fees and the re-establishment of free higher education. Marxist students will be present calling for a revolutionary alternative to providing free education and a living grant.