Joe Woolfall, South Liverpool
Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds were 66% more likely to be not in education, employment or training (NEET) than average, a report from charity Impetus has found. The north of England and the Midlands held the highest rate of NEETs, but all regions in the country have areas defined as deprived and consequently have more NEETs. The worst outcomes were for young people who come from a disadvantaged background, while also having special educational needs and/or disabilities, and lacking GCSE-level qualifications.
Right-wing Labour employment minister Alison McGovern gave an interview in which she expressed ‘concern’ about the prospects of young working-class people. This sort of sentiment sums up Labour politicians – giving lip service to the plight of the working class, while continuing to push through austerity, whether in parliament or the council chambers. McGovern said that the plans set out last year for a ‘youth guarantee’, intended to offer all young people access to a job, training, or apprenticeship, would allow community organisations to reach young people who missed out on the ‘support’ offered to benefits claimants through jobcentres.
Labour back the bosses
On the other hand, Labour plans to cut disability benefits and prevent young people from claiming the health component of Universal Credit. Labour politicians express concern for some of the most disadvantaged working-class people, including disabled people, while taking away their benefits. Along with rises in tuition fees and the effects attacks on pensioners’ winter fuel payments will have on entire families, Labour have shown whose interests they protect and who they expect to pay for it. They are protecting the capitalist class – the super-rich bosses that make their money through the exploitation of working-class people.
Labour MPs tell us that they are attacking our pay and living standards for the good of us all. But this is clearly not the case. Working-class people need our own party to fight for our interests. Labour isn’t Labour anymore – we know whose interests they’re serving, and they aren’t serving ours.
We need a socialist job creation programme to provide a decent job with decent pay for all those looking for work. Young Socialists fight to reverse the cuts to disability benefits and every other attack on the working class. Currently, there lacks an effective mass political vehicle in which people can express these beliefs. That’s why we call for a new mass workers’ party, backed by the trade unions, as a key step in the fight against austerity and for the socialist transformation of society.
Young Socialists 