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Youth Fight for Jobs As smug MPs fail to convince... Young voters need real change
Greg Maughan How did these politicians do? They failed spectacularly. They were so patronising and out of touch that a fair few television screens may not have made it through the whole show in one piece! The first audience question was on graduate unemployment. Labour minister David Lammy can wring his hands about not wanting a 'lost generation' as much as he wants, but when the solution put forward is to "marshal business to offer jobs and voluntary opportunities" he's wasting his time. New Labour sold the travesty of university tuition fees on the lie that a degree guarantees you a better wage down the line - now this Higher Education minister is telling graduates they should work for free. On the MPs' expenses scandal, Tory MP Jeremy Hunt bragged that he was one of the first MPs to publish his expenses online and lectured on how we "need a generation of politicians that are comfortable with transparency." But he only published his expenses after he'd been rumbled and this smug, unapologetic Tory was told to repay £9,500! Not a whisper from the panel about the three Militant MPs in the 1980s, including current Socialist Party councillor Dave Nellist, who only took a worker's wage rather than the full, inflated MPs' salary. There was also discussion about 'celebrity politics' stemming from Gordon Brown's TV interview with Piers Morgan. Although the politicians tried to defend their party leaders, some of the young people in the audience cut through this and pointed out that the attempted 'personalisation' of politics stems from the fact that there are no fundamental policy differences between the main parties. As one young woman said: "Maybe 10 or 15 years ago there was a difference, but I don't see any difference between Labour and the Tories now; they're all just scrambling over a tiny piece of land but nobody's saying anything anyone wants to hear." The main parties find it impossible to engage with young people because, no matter what spin they put on it, they represent those at the top of society, millionaires and people a million miles away from the young people that they wetly tried to inspire on this show. What a difference it would make if another voice was allowed, that of working class people in the form of a Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) representative. A clear call of no cuts, no privatisation, and for free education and workers' rights would have gained support and would force the establishment politicians to address real political dividing lines. TUSC supporters are finding this out on doorsteps across the country; there is a thirst for a working-class alternative, but the drought at the top of the political establishment means many young people are amazed when they find out that an alternative is developing. As the general election campaign develops, more and more workers and young people will be given the chance to find out about TUSC and the sort of politics that young people in the audience of this show could be genuinely inspired by.
Short video of Barking Demo below Members of Coventry Youth Fight for Jobs, Socialist Students and Socialist Party on the November 28th demonstration in London.
Please install the latest version of Adobe Flash®. Click here to download Flash now. Youth Fight for Jobs National Demonstration
on 28 November 2009
 Youth unemployment is at a record high
What does the government do? It plans to slash funding for youth training schemes.
What do the bosses do? They cut jobs, pay and conditions.
What do the main political parties do? They all insist that university tuition fees are the best way to fund education, despite the enormous debt this entails.
But young activists, trade unionists and socialists have a different approach. The Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) demonstration on 28 November was just the start of the fightback that will be necessary to fight for a decent future for this generation of young people. Left labour movement leaders explain why they supported this march:
An active response by the youth to mass unemployment and attacks on free education is precisely what is needed at this time. I know, from my EU parliament vantage point, that the surge in unemployment has particularly hit young people hard. I therefore urge as many young people as possible to come out on 28 November which I hope will mark the beginning of a sustained fightback by young people. Joe Higgins Socialist Party MEPThis march highlights the plight of the million young people who are now unemployed and the many more who are facing joblessness as a result of this recession. Young people are being forced to pay for the economic crisis whilst bankers award themselves another £5 billion in bonuses this month. I support the march and urge people to join this campaign to demand action against youth unemployment. John McDonnell MPUnemployment is a massive human cost to accept. Capital can't provide full employment for young workers. It's even more damaging with one in five young people being unemployed. It's important that we place young people at the core of our aims and objectives, to achieve developing policies for them. Bob Crow, RMT union general secretaryI would urge all trade union members, not only young members, to attend this important march. At a time when working people are being expected to pay the price for an economic recession that they haven't caused, it's vital that we make it clear that the right to work is a fundamental right of all working people, and young people in particular. Janice Godrich, PCS union presidentTrade unionists should support the demonstration on 28 November. Young people are bearing the brunt of the job losses, the pay cuts and the short-time working caused by the current global economic crisis. It is up to all of us - but especially trade unionists - to carry on the fight for real union-organised jobs and a decent future for young people. See you on the demo behind the RMT banner. Alex Gordon, RMT national executive committeeThe trade unions must ensure that the horror of mass unemployment among young people is at the heart of political debate in the UK today. We cannot afford to see another generation thrown on the scrapheap. That means we must demand genuinely free education and decent jobs and training on union rates of pay. Young people themselves have to be at the heart of campaigning around these issues and I hope that the demonstration is a significant step towards achieving this. Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretaryIn a recent You.gov survey, almost a quarter of young people said there was no political party that represented their views. The YFJ is an inclusive campaign with many key demands for workers and young people alike. Young people have had enough of the greed and corruption that has engulfed mainstream politics, YFJ provides the much needed alternative and a platform for young people to vent their anger and fight for change. I would urge all trade unionists to attend the demo and encourage and support young people in your branches. We are the activists of the future and we know we have a future worth fighting for. Alan Warner, PCS National Young Members Committee chair The Youth Fight for Jobs banner flew high over Trafalgar Square as Kyly takes to the plinth!The Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) banner flew high over Trafalgar Square as Coventry YFJ and Communication Workers' Union (CWU) member Kyly Wilson used her hour on the 'Fourth Plinth' to raise awareness about this important campaign.
During her stint, as part of Anthony Gormley's 'One & Other' art project, on Sunday 9 August, Kyly addressed the crowd on her megaphone, describing the situation young people face and the aims of the YFJ campaign. Red t-shirt clad campaign supporters distributed leaflets to passers-by and found a lot of support for the campaign. In her press statement Kyly said: "No one's going to just give us what we need to survive, we need to fight, and we need to do it now."
Kyly on the plinth!
CWU conference backs Youth Fights for Jobs Campaign despite leadership opposition
She explained that because youth are the most vulnerable to job cuts, are often not unionised and rarely know their rights, the trade union movement has to do something and YFJ has started on this. Earlier the deputy general secretary of telecoms had argued it is 'unrealistic' to call for nationalisation of the telecom industry'. CWU general secretary Billy Hayes came forward to oppose support for YFJ, again arguing its demands are 'unrealistic'. As the debate moved on, conference swung away from the executive and for a much more combative position and overwhelmingly supported the proposal.
Visit the Coventry Youth Fight for Jobs Facebook page by clicking HERE
Visit the National Youth Fight for Jobs Website by clicking HERE |
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Fifty-six percent of 17-24 year olds aren't registered to vote. Of those that are registered, many still do not vote come polling day. With this in mind, BBC3 hosted a 'first time voters' Question Time, giving politicians from the three establishment parties a platform to explain to young people why they should vote for them. 
It was great to see the revolutionary anti-capitalist band Rage Against the Machine make Christmas No.1 against X Factor winner Joe McElderry this Christmas. Rage are known worldwide for their anti-authoritarian lyrics and actions – frontman Zack de la Rocha has even been to Mexico to assist the “
The Communication Union Workers (CWU) conference in June gave its backing to the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign, this was despite opposition from the leadership and general secretary Billy Hayes. Conference delegates clearly felt the union leadership went too far when they tried to oppose a motion calling for CWU support for the Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) campaign. Kyly Wilson, from Coventry branch, moving support, explained the campaign's demands of real apprenticeships and training, an £8 an hour minimum wage and opposition to university tuition fees.