Carnival of Socialism 49 : A Salute To Youth In Revolt

Welcome to the 49th Carnival of Socialism. 





 

 Originally I was going to title this carnival 'Ideas into Action', but over the last fortnight any such ambitions have been taken over by events. The only possible theme for a Carnival of Socialism in December 2010 in Britain is to salute the momentous movement of youth that has sent a bolt of electricity up the spines of the establishment through the courage and militancy they have displayed on our streets.






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The boldness and vigor of the student movement has inspired socialists all over the blogosphere. They have changed the way protest works in this country forever. The police used 'kettling' against Stop the War' march after 'Stop the War' march, and the demonstrators endured this combination of crowd control, illegal detention and collective punishment grimly. When the police tried the same measure against the students, within days they had worked out new tactics to evade being kettled, showing the difference between a movement that assumes it is defeated before it has even started and one that is determined somehow to succeed.



Right at the forefront of the Student movement has been the UCL Occupation, which has their own blog. In this article 'Cuts and Bruises' they reflect on what they have learned from the last 2 weeks:



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We have learnt much from the cuts and bruises we have sustained. But we have learnt even more from the huge triumphs of the last two weeks. We have learnt just how much we can make a difference, and just how much power is in our own hands to make changes for the better. And we have learnt that we can’t afford to leave these changes to a political class which refuses to serve the people they claim they represent. This is just the first wave. Come the beginning of next year, it will not just be students revolting against this attack, it will be everybody

Luna 17's blog maps out some practical ideas about how the movement can respond to police violence.

The police's hospitalisation of 20-year-old Alfie Meadows, who needed urgent brain surgery, is especially outrageous and upsetting. Everyone in the movement can raise awareness of this - and there needs to be a serious, sustained campaign demanding justice for Alfie. This is important in itself, but it can also make it harder for the police to behave so brutally again (and make it harder for most of the media to vilify demonstrators).

Martin Powell Davis points out that the key task for both students and trade unionists today is to build unity between students and workers:

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What's clear is that the best student activists are looking to build links with trade unions. With the UCU now looking to ballot for strike action in late January, a complete education shutdown through joint  UCU/NUT action in March is a real possibility. It's another reason why the January meeting of the NUT Executive needs to vote for an early ballot for action. A delay, leaving the UCU, and perhaps the PCS, to take action alone, would be a mistake for the pensions campaign - and also miss a real opportunity to show students and school students that unions were following their lead with joint action across the education sector.





This has really been a movement of youth, and it's the under 18s that have given it its true sense of danger for the ruling class. In Climate and Capitalism, Derek Wall has posted this speech by 15 year old Barnaby Raine, giving a flavour of how this new radicalised and determined generation will approach politics in the next period.

The New Left Project continues this theme, with a letter to the Camden School Sit-In



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be proud of what you have done. You have the perfect right to defend yourselves, your families and your society from the profound injustice of these cuts. If you maintain your energy and commitment, you can achieve great things.

The Great Unrest analyses some of the press lies that have been told about the student demonstrations. Social media is making it so much harder for these kind of lies to be believed. In the past there was only one story told about protest, from the TV news studio. Today there are as many cameras as there are protestors, each able to document the truth of what is happening. The TV and the tabloids still lie, but a strong torrent of alternative reportage is now available to the public.

One of the finest photographers of protest working today is Marc Vallee, surely a photographer whose time has come!

I intend to Escape, and Come back again points out that the Labour 'candlelit vigil' against fees was virtually unattended. The real opposition to the government is not coming from the Labour Party, even slightly, it is coming from the streets, in the shape of the anti-cuts movement.

David Osler  weighs up the PR implications of trashing the royal roller and poking the Duchess of Windsor with a stick. Journeyman blog points out that Charlie managed to get a free place at Cambridge with just a B and a C at A Level. No fees or loans for him...



Stuttgart: A man's eyes ripped out by Water Cannon



Now that the students have shown that it is possible to evade being kettled, by the simple expedient of moving faster and more intelligently than the police are capable of, the government is considering the introduction of Water Cannon. Third Estate brings us this chilling image of a man whose eyes were ripped out by water cannon, showing what a vicious, dangerous and oppressive tool this is, and is every reason why the whole working class movement must resist it's introduction.

 Local blog 'Blog Preston' gives us coverage of the student demo in Preston, here the NUS leadership went to the cringing and fawning extent of 'thanking' local Labour MP Mark Hendrick for voting against the government. They forgot to mention that Hendrick voted to introduce fees in the first place!

Stoke Socialist Party covers a similar demo in Stafford, while my own blog 'Rivers Edge', explains 'How To Radicalise a Generation'.

Another local blog 'Youth Fight for Jobs North Wales' is calling for a big mobilisation in Wrexham on 'Payday 18th December'. This is part of the really well thought out campaign by 'ukuncut' targetting the billionaire tax avoiders with a 'citizen army' of 'big society volunteers', helping HMRC to do their job properly,  in the form of the 'Big Society Revenue and Customs'. This movement has grabbed huge public sympathy - even though people's christmas shopping might have been disrupted, the elan of the protestors occupying TopShop and Vodafone stores has been overwhelmingly supported by ordinary shoppers, showing how the public mood is shifting rapidly in this country.

The Coalition of Resistance against cuts and privatisation gives us it's report of it's founding conference. They had some big name speakers including Tony Benn, John McDonnell, and Jeremy Corbyn. For the Greens, Caroline Lucas sent a video message and Jean Lambert spoke from the platform. Headline trade-union speakers included Bob Crow (RMT), Len McCluskey (Unite), and Mark Serwotka (PCS). Then there was entertainer Billy Bragg, film-maker Ken Loach, black activist Lee Jasper, pensions campaigner Dot Gibson, radical student leader Clare Solomon, Andrew Murray from STW, Kate Hudson from CND, Chris Bambery

The National Shop Stewards Network has issued a call to students to attend its conference on 22nd January, maybe not as many big names, but plenty of big ideas and a strategy that can win:

some may argue for stronger tactics against the police who have shown by their brutal and vindictive actions which side this state force is on. Socialists and trades unionists on the other hand, will be arguing that joining up with organised workers to create a mass force is by far the most productive route to go. Workers, especially those in local authorities now getting redundancy notices in their thousands, have been inspired by the students struggle and welcome joint actions. Those living with uncertainty about jobs and homes have watched the students come from nowhere to present the government with its biggest challenge so far - and dare to wonder if they can do the same.

If an appeal was made to all unions in education for a total one day education shutdown, that could ratchet up the opposition; if students set the next demo on a Saturday, and made a call to all unions, and all parents who themselves want to vent their anger, that too could result in a mammoth show of strength, and prepare the ground for serious coordinated strike action. Such action could rock this government. The ConDem Coalition could break. This NSSN Conference can play a part in making these things happen. We urge students to join with us.



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It's important not to ignore some of the other big developments in world history that have unravelled just in this last month. The Wikileaks revelations have shown the world that the rich and powerful elite of all countries, whether nominally democratic, or openly dictatorial, is just as cynical and scheming, and just as keen to hood wink the ordinary people in order to maintain their own power and wealth. A Very Public Sociologist gives us some of the history of the last time such diplomatic revelations were made, just after the Russian Revolution when Lenin and Trotsky shared the secret diplomatic correspondance that the Czarist regime had conducted with the major powers.

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Finally for all of us preparing for Yuletide, Jimjay at the Daily (Maybe) gives us 'ethical christmas ideas'

I hope you have enjoyed the Carnival of Socialism. I hosted Carnival Number 47, which I (rather optimistically at the time) gave the title 'Resugence, Renewal, Rebirth'. The rest of the Socialist blogosphere, with a few exceptions, did not seem to share this optimism. What a difference a few months makes! You can also look back at Carnival 48 at 'Third Estate'.

Given the sudden upswing in struggle, it's important that socialist bloggers continue to chronicle the movement, and that we collectivise this coverage through the means of regular carnivals. Make sure you volunteer, in the spirit of the big society, your blog, to host a future edition!