“This is the best time in human history to be born,” The Economist arrogantly proclaims. The concluding line of their hit-piece on ‘Gen-Z socialism’ reads: “There is time yet for liberalism to once again produce results – and win the argument.”
But as wildfires tear through the planet, war and militarism set the world ablaze, and millions struggle with collapsing living standards, we are entitled to ask: what argument is there left to win?
The radicalisation of young people terrifies the billionaires. Whilst they use their right-wing rags to rail against the left, they dimly hope that this rebellious spirit will pass.
But this is not a fad or an aesthetic. The crisis of capitalism is producing one of the angriest generations in its history.
The Economist is right about one thing – but for entirely the wrong reason. This is the best time to be born. Far from being down to the ‘wonders’ of ‘free-market’ capitalism, it is because we are living through a moment where fundamental change is more possible than ever.
From the Arab Spring to the Gen-Z revolts; from the streets of Minneapolis to New Delhi – our generation is on the move, demanding the future.
Demand the impossible!
This is the backdrop to the launch of Revolutionary Communist Students, the Revolutionary Communist Party’s national youth banner.
Organised at fifty universities across the UK, we are the largest left-wing force on campuses. Our aim is simple: to train up young people in the revolutionary ideas of Marxism – the only ideas that can change the world for the better.
The year that the majority of students beginning university this year were born, 2008, marked a decisive turning point.
The economic crisis exposed that it’s the poor who subsidise the rich – not the other way round. Whilst the banks were lavishly bailed out by governments globally, the bill was passed to the working class. And we have been paying ever since.
The RCS’s message is clear: we can no longer afford this system that is robbing us of our future.
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We will be running a series of flagship meetings across the UK titled ‘Demand the Impossible. Demand the Future.’ In London, Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Cambridge, Norwich, and elsewhere, you will find us making the case for revolutionary optimism.
We will be demanding what we are always told is ‘impossible’: for society to be run in the interests of ordinary people, rather than the parasitic billionaires, bankers, and bosses.
And that is only the beginning. Plenty more meetings will follow, tackling key questions including imperialism, philosophy, AI, the climate crisis, militarism, fighting the right, and more.
Fiona Lali – who you may know from demolishing Suella Braverman on GB News, and as co-host of the A World on Fire podcast – will also be touring campuses to speak on racism in Britain.
Using material from her upcoming pamphlet A Communist Guide to Fighting Racism, she will explain the role communists must play in fighting back against the ruling class’s divisive poison.
Going on the offensive
Revolutionary ideas are our weapons for action. Across the country, we are ready for battle.
The Cambridge RCS is not taking the revelations about James Orr lightly. This affair is a graphic illustration of how the most backward and rotten ideas fester on campuses. That is why our comrades are leading the charge, campaigning to kick Orr off campus, and for genuine democratic control of the university by students and staff.
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In Sheffield, we are heading into the autumn term off the back of big mobilisations against the far right. We will be leading a demonstration on 24 September against right-wing riff-raff, putting forward a clear, class-based programme.
Fresh out of a demo in Leeds against Microsoft’s plans to build three AI data centres, we are organising a meeting on AI and the climate crisis, to raise the sights on what could be possible if the technology at our fingertips was put to social use, not for profit.
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In Cardiff and Bristol, meanwhile, we will be organising ‘red days’, where every week comrades will take over part of the campus with postering and stalls, while reading and discussing with students interested in getting involved.
The communists in Cardiff are planning an anti-imperialism campaign for October. It will begin with an anti-imperialist book fair, where students can sign up for reading groups. This will all be excellent preparation for the International Youth Strike on 20 November, where the RCS will mobilise nationally against Burnham’s militarist agenda.
In London, RCS comrades are also organising their own anti-capitalist book fair – the first annual event of its kind. There will be short talks bringing Marxist classics to life, and stalls by Wellred Books – our own publisher and bookshop.
These ideas will act as the fuel for the demos, rallies, strikes, and pickets that our comrades will be mobilising for across the capital.
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All out for Palestine!
Our first big national mobilisation will be for the national Palestine demo on 10 October. We are calling on 700 students to come down to London and join our communist bloc!
Universities have played an atrocious role in Israel’s ongoing genocide. From clamping down on pro-Palestine activists in collusion with the state; to strengthening ties to arms companies – these are the dirty tricks used to protect the bosses’ interests.
The RCS is striving to be at the forefront of the struggle. Since most student unions do not touch the issue of Palestine, for fear of backlash, we are organising coaches down from campuses across Britain.
Don’t believe Ed Miliband’s theatrics. British imperialism remains complicit in Israel’s crimes in Palestine.
The fight for Palestine is a fight against British imperialism. And the fight against imperialism means building the party capable of tearing down the system that breeds war, poverty, and exploitation.
If you agree, then you need to get organised with the RCS. The future belongs to those who fight for it. Demand the impossible. Demand the future.
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