This Wednesday, there will be a National Union of Students demo in London, titled “Educate, Empower, Employ”. This title should indicate that the message of this demo is broad; NUS has opted not to make a bunch of really specific demands of the government, but to march under the broad message of; the current situation is not OK, and change needs to happen to ensure this generation doesn’t become a lost generation, falling victim to cuts to education, 9k tuition fees and high youth unemployment.
Leeds University Union has taken this broad message and emphasised the importance of individual students’ reasons for going; allowing for a broad range of opinions and perspectives to be represented. For me, youth unemployment and under employment is the main reason for my anger at the government; when graduates can’t get jobs or are getting jobs working in call centres for minimum wage something has gone very wrong!
Growing up, I felt that the support was there for my generation to get an education; from Sure Start to EMA, to go to university if we wanted to and to get a job at the end of it. And this government’s economic policies are hurting education and the economy; and therefore hurting us.
But will marching really make a difference? Clearly, we’re not going to hit the streets of London and, the next day, see EMA back or tuition fees lowered or investment in youth jobs. But what the march can do is keep the dialogue open; there’s a danger that when a government isn’t responding to what people are saying to it, people give up and fall quiet. And then it starts to look like people agree with the government’s actions; it starts to look like the government must be right simply because they are the only voice being heard.
So marching is a way to make our voices heard and to keep that dialogue open; and if you believe that our current situation is not OK, whether you want lower fees, or EMA back, whether you’re a communist or just would like a job when you’re older; you can bring your own message for the government to the streets of London.
The Union is putting on coaches for just £5 there and back; you can buy tickets here:
http://www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/demo/
The Facebook event for LUU at the demo:
http://www.facebook.com/events/220153798116029/
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