As water approaches boiling point more and more atoms fly off the surface. The same process can be observed in society. A revolution is where the majority actively enters the stage of history and challenges for political power. But long before society undergoes a revolutionary transformation advanced layers of the working class, and in particular young people, ‘fly off the surface’ and begin to draw revolutionary conclusions for themselves.
Socialist Appeal comrades have seen this process accelerate in the past couple of months. Rather than individuals approaching us, we have seen whole groups of young people wanting to find out more about the ideas of Marxism. The crisis of capitalism that has seized the planet has created a thirst for change. This process has been most apparent in the universities, where a new academic year has begun with a political bang.
Hands off Venezuela
In September we were present at the Leeds University fresher’s fair where we continued our solidarity work with the revolutionary movement in Venezuela, running a Hands off Venezuela campaign stall which attracted many people keen to learn more about what is going on in Latin America. At the end of the week Hands off Venezuela had a screening on campus of ‘No Volveran – the Venezuelan Revolution Now!’ and on October 8th Darrall Cozens, recently returned from reporting in Latin America, spoke on the fascist coup attempt against the government of Evo Morales in Bolivia. Alan Woods will speak at the university in December on his recently published book, ‘Reformism or Revolution’, which has been a best seller in Venezuela and has been publicly endorsed by Hugo Chavez.
Chavez
In Edinburgh, Newcastle, Norwich, Cambridge, Brighton and Goldsmiths and Thames Valley (both London), we continued campaigning for HoV on the university campuses, and for the first time registered an HoV society at Glasgow university. Recently Socialist Appeal comrades helped hold our first meeting there: World Economic Crisis – a Venezuelan alternative?
ULU Marxists
We linked up the current anti-capitalist mood that is building up everywhere in society with the positive concrete example of the movement towards socialism.
As well as the HoV campaign, the comrades in Norwich continued participating in the excellent work of the UEA Socialist Society, recognised as the biggest political force on campus. A film screening of ‘The Revolution will Not Be Televised’ and the ‘Corporation’ preceded a very well attended ‘Reformism or Revolution’ book launch.
At the beginning of 2008 student comrades of Socialist Appeal in London helped set up the ULU Marxist Society. The University of London Union is an umbrella organisation involving over 20 different London universities, representing over 100,000 students. The Marxist Society intervened at as many of the Freshers’ Fairs as it could in September and October, registering interest from hundreds of students. At the LSE Freshers’ alone we registered 122 new students for the society. This was followed by the first of first of four very successful meetings held so far at ULU.
1929 Again?
 |
| Jesus Pino – Worker’s Control |
The first was on the current economic crisis to a packed room, entitled ‘1929 World Crash – Can it happen again?’ Since then meetings on ‘Marxism and the Modern World’ and ‘The Philosophy of Marxism’ have been held. Most recently a representative of the Left Women’s Network, spoke on ‘Socialism and Feminism’. Next week Jesus Pino of the nationalised steel factory in Venezuela, SIDOR, will speak to the society on workers control in Venezuela. On the 4th of December Fred Weston will debate with Dr. Peter Hatton of the Methodist church in a debate entitled ‘Marxism Vs Religion’.
Marx Walk
At the end of October the ULU Marxist Society held its first ‘Marx walk’ around London, taking in many of the old haunts of Marx and Engels during their life in the city. This also included a number of pubs the founders of Scientific Socialism frequented, ending with a drink at the Red Lion, where the Communist League commissioned Marx and Engels to write the Communist Manifesto.
Lenin Walk
In the coming period there is plenty of work still to be done. On the 8th of November the ULU Marxists will hold a ‘Lenin walk’ to celebrate the Russian Revolution, and on the 22nd of November there is the Hands off Venezuela National Conference.
Up and down Britain Socialist Appeal will be intervening in the political movements among the youth, putting forward a socialist alternative and inviting people to support Socialist Appeal and join with us.
Since the beginning of term it has become apparent that there has been a sea change in the consciousness of young people, who in history have acted as a barometer for impending revolutionary events. The capitalist system stands revealed for what it is; anarchic and serving the interests of big business profits, not social need. Now the question is posed: what is the alternative? Our answer is socialism. How we get there is the task of Marxism, the theory of Socialist Revolution.
