Students lead battle in the crisis

Published: 9 December, 2010

• BRAVO to the students who have turned out in droves over the weeks to protest the cuts to higher and further education. 

Their demonstrations represent the full implications of the economic crisis we are in. 

Would secondary school students be out on the streets if they felt they had a future to look forward to?  

I work with some of the most disadvantaged young people in south London as an educator/youth worker. 

I know that the greatest challenge I will face professionally over the coming months and years will be to convince young people with little economic incentive that it is in their best interest to stay in education. 

I am already faced daily with comments of “What’s the point of going to college? There’s no work anyway.”

Young people are incredibly perceptive as to the current political climate. They know exactly what is going on and are ready to combat it.

 The irony is that they are the ones who are doing something about it while the older generations are meekly watching from the sidelines. As time goes on it will become more apparent to more people that their own economic plight is parallel to that of the students.  

The standard of journalism within the mainstream media also needs to pucker itself up to the challenge. 

Why did the debate regarding last week’s demonstration focus sheepishly on the manner of the policing? 

Why were the issues of the cuts not discussed fully? 

What alternatives do we have to the cuts – taxing the rich, nationalising the banking sector? 

Does the ConDem government have a real mandate for carrying through the cuts? 

Is education secretary Michael Gove anti-democratic in calling on the media to starve the protesters of publicity? 

Yet we were bored with hours of debates on kettling. It makes me think that they’re all in it together. 

Well done students for taking up the gauntlet! It’s high time we had people standing up on the streets to this greedy government of bankers’ stooges.   

ROB BEHAN
Westbere Road, NW2