Fight for £15/hour , free education, affordable homes – and socialism!
The Tories were crushed at the general election. Reduced to their lowest vote in a century, they have been punished for 14 years of attacks on the working class, the young and the vulnerable.
But the new Labour government intends to serve the interests of big business, not to give young people a future to look forward to.
We need at least a £15-an-hour minimum wage, free education and living grants that cover the cost of being a student, affordable rents that let us move out, free public transport that actually works, a plan to end climate change, an end to war – and much more.
Starmer’s Labour has no plan to deliver any of this. The new Labour government offers ‘more of the same’ – a continuation of Tory cuts, privatisation and support for war. Under Starmer, the Labour Party aims to be a ‘safe pair of hands’ for the capitalist class and its profit interests.
No wonder there was so little enthusiasm for Labour in the election. The Labour popular vote in this election
was lower than in 2017 and 2019, when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader, with an anti-austerity programme that inspired hundreds of thousands of young people.
But none of this means that the new government can’t be pushed back by a determined movement. The strike wave against the Tory government demonstrated graphically how collective action can win results. A determined student movement linked to the trade unions could stop whatever attacks Starmer tries to make on education. Similarly we need a trade union fight for a £15-an-hour minimum wage. As events in France show, the workers’ movement and youth also need to create a political voice, to fight for the interests of the working class in parliament, giving voice to the struggles in our workplaces, campuses and communities.
There is more than enough wealth in society to give everyone a decent life; the problem is that it’s concentrated in the hands of a super-rich minority at the top. That’s why we are fighting to build a mass movement for socialist change, to put wealth, resources and control over society into the hands of the working-class majority – to run things according to what people need, not what makes a profit.
3 THINGS YOU CAN DO!
Join the Young Socialists
Young Socialists brings together young people around the UK who are fighting to end capitalism and replace it with a socialist system internationally.
We organise and attend protests, do public campaigning where we can meet other young socialists, and host open meetings to discuss the world from a socialist perspective – from key historical events, to the foundations of Marxism, to current affairs – all as a guide to fighting back today.
If you want to join us and meet other young socialists near you, click below:
Organise a protest
There is no shortage of things for young people to be angry about under this crisis-ridden capitalist system. And the Labour government is already lining up more attacks on our futures!
Labour are thinking about increasing university tuition fees. They won’t do anything to seriously tackle the climate crisis, and will continue to support capitalist wars in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Even a small protest could inspire other young people to stand up and fight this new Labour government for a future – but someone has to take the lead! Why not you?
For help with organising a protest in your area, or to tell us about your local protest, get in touch with our national organising team:
Share your view
Everyone has their own story for why they became a socialist. What are you angry about under capitalism? What made you see the need for a socialist alternative? What are you and other young people around you passionate to change in society?
Young Socialists 