Student demo season comes around again

I went along on the student demonstration today. It was organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, a grassroots organisation attempting to fill the role the National Union of Students has largely abdicated from: defending the interests of students.

The NUS had voted to support the demonstration, but in the last few days student union managers have been getting calls and emails suggesting all sorts of reasons why they should be worried about the demo: have the stewards been CRB checked, have the organisers taken out public liability insurance, etc. Since when?!

I'm glad to say that around 10,000 students (I'm told - I was at the back of the march) were undeterred, and held a peaceful and lively march along a novel route that took us along Fleet Street, through Holborn, close to St Paul's, and ending up close to Moorgate tube station. Lots of sightseeing on the way, then!

The only 'incidents' I witnessed were when some of the students refused for a while to move on past the site where some protesting electricians had been kettled by the police. The electricians, members of the Unite union, are defending their pay rates, which the employers, led by Balfour Beatty, have decided to try and slash.

And some anarchists climbed onto some scaffolding in a sort of demonstration of solidarity, I imagine, with the building workers. The police weighed in heavily - I know, I was nearly felled in the crush - to arrest some of them.

Was it only a year ago that we saw such momentous student marches - since that incident at Millbank, among others? In that year a lot has happened. The global financial system, in the first place, the euro, appears to be spiralling into chaos, as this evening's headline on the Evening Standard spelled out; protesting has got more serious, as the police have hardened up; and, slowly, oh, so slowly, the trade union movement is lumbering into life, with the planned national day of strike action to defend public sector pensions coming up on 30 November.

Dark days, busy days ahead.

Students protest against creeping privatisation of higher education, Wednesday 9 November

Students organised in the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) are holding a national education demonstration this coming Wednesday 9 November. The focus is the Government's White Paper, a complex document which basically aims at creeping privatisation of higher education.

You can read more about the march on the NCAFC website. Detail here:

Protesters will be marching to derail the government’s higher education white paper, which has been described by academics and students as a chaotic and regressive attempt to introduce markets and private providers into education, effectively ending it as a public service.

Michael Chessum, from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, said: “In marching on the City, we are sending a message that we will not let the Government to hand over education to the markets. Education should be a public service, accessible to all – not a corporate enterprise.”

Students will be joined on the day by thousands of striking electricians, who are marching with Unite the Union in protest at a 35% national pay cut. The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts is fully supporting the electricians’ strike as part of a broader opposition to pay and pensions cuts ahead of the November 30th strikes, and the two mobilisations may link up on the day. UK Uncut have also indicated support for the demonstration.

Middlesex University students and staff (who are fighting a battle against 300 proposed job cuts) will join the demonstration. They are assembling at 11am outside the main entrance of the Hendon Campus to go together to the march assembly point (ULU, Malet Street, nearest tube station: Warren Street/Goodge Street).

Ça bouge en Angleterre... led by students

I went to Paris this weekend for a break and to find out how things stand there.

After mustering three million in the streets, and several weeks of strikes, the French "social movement" has gone rather quiet (by French standards). Nevertheless, I found a small demo on a street corner outside a Metro station (Pernety in the 14e arrondissement); it was a reunion of people who have been involved in the campaign to stop the pension age and contributions requirement being extended.

They made an inventory of all the big dates and important landmarks in the campaign and vowed that although the law has been passed it can still be abrogated. With 71% of people opposing the pensions changes, the French social movement still feels there is a lot to play for.

And how about this? Someone said, I heard them distinctly, "and now things are moving in the UK" (actually: "ça bouge en Angleterre"). Coming from a French socialist, this is really something to hear!

Let's be clear, things need to move an awful lot more in the UK in order to mitigate the horrors that are being prepared for us, but, yes, I do believe that things are moving.

For instance, tomorrow is the second national day of action by students and school pupils. I hope that they have thought of some more creative things to do to show their anger tomorrow than last week; I am not getting at them for jumping up and down on a conveniently placed police van. I'm just telling them to avoid getting "kettled" again: eight hours in temperatures such as are predicted tomorrow is going to be downright dangerous.

And if the police try that again, I hope parents and passers-by will intercede on the young people's behalf. They do have a right to protest against what is happening to them without being frozen half to death.

More details about the campaign at the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts.

Barnet Alliance supports students' protest

We held a Barnet Alliance for Public Services organising meeting this evening. We mulled it over for a few seconds before approving the following statement supporting the students' day of action today (Wednesday 24 November):

Barnet Alliance for Public Services statement:
We support the students’ day of action on 24 November 2010

Pupils from Barnet schools and students at college and university in the borough will join a national day of action on 24 November.
They are protesting against attacks on their education and future livelihood including hikes in tuition fees and abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
The students’ action is courageous and we wholly support them in their decision not to take the government’s attacks lying down.
These young people are setting an example to all who do not accept the level of cuts that the government plans.
Public sector workers and users of public services should join our young people in protest. We should not and will not leave them to fight alone.
We also deplore any attempts to discipline them for fighting for their own future.
Let 24 November be just a start in the escalation of activity we need to defend our vital public services!

Barnet Alliance for Public Services, 23 November 2010

ENDS

Barnet rally: there will be a rally at Hendon campus of Middlesex University at noon on 24 November 2010 in support of the national day of action.

For more information:
barnetalliance4publicservices@gmail.com

Students' walkout on 24 November

One of the worst kept secrets must be the planned school students' walkout of education on Wednesday 24 November. This has been organised by grassroots student campaigns, including the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC), and is in protest at the cuts in education; hikes in tuition fees; and abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance paid to over 16s in full-time education.

Some members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) executive have written a statement to support the action, and are urging their members to discuss how they can support pupils who support the walkout. (Students in Further Education and Higher Education are also due to join the protests.)

The NUT exec members' statement is below. More of them are expected to sign it before Wednesday.

Obviously, it's tricky how trade unionists relate to this. We can't just urge the kids to go and do reckless stuff because it gives us a filip, but if they do feel strongly - and they do - and they want to act, we must support them. And, in any case, education trade unionists should be taking action themselves: to defend their own jobs and to defend the quality of the service they provide.

Statement in support of the national day of action against fees and cuts on 24 November, from members of the National Union of Teachers executive

We, the undersigned members of the National Union of Teachers National Executive, wish to express our wholehearted support for, and solidarity with, the national day of protests and walkouts being organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts on November 24th.

The student demonstration against fees on November 10th has provided a huge boost to all those organising to fight cuts and defend public services. The turnout on that demonstration was the most effective response possible to all those who claimed that young people were apathetic and unwilling to fight. We hope that the day of action on the 24th will be a huge success and reinforce that message.

It is clear that many thousands of sixth formers and other school pupils are planning walkouts on November 24th. These young people will be the primary victims of the Coalition's proposal to raise the cap on fees and to savagely cut university funding. They are absolutely right to be angry about this and their keenness to be involved in the protest against fees and cuts is a tribute to them.

We stand wholly in support of those school students who take part in the NCAFC protests on November 24th.

We urge our members in schools to do what they can to support pupils who wish to protest and to avoid, as far as possible, any instruction to prevent walkouts or to retrospectively discipline pupils who take part.

We encourage NUT groups to meet and consider ways in which they can collectively support protesting pupils, protect them from any disciplinary action and send them messages of support to pupils taking part.

Gill Goodswen, National President
Nina Franklin, Senior Vice President
Patrick Murphy; Hazel Danson; Chris Blakey; Ian Leaver; Nick Wigmore; Dave Harvey; Pete Bevis; Simon Jones; Tony Tonks
(more names to come this week...)

Statement written and signed weekend 20-21 November 2010