Socialist Students
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Socialist Students is a left wing organisation based in universities and FE/sixth form colleges across England and Wales, established in the late 1990s by the Socialist Party of England and Wales (SP). The Socialist Party orientated part of its youth work towards a radical layer inside universities that responded to the introduction of tuition fees and the Occupation of Iraq. The SP believed that there was a need for an independent socialist organisation, in distinction to existing groups such as the Campaign for Free Education, Student Broad Left or Socialist Worker Student Society, to represent students locally and in the National Union of Students (NUS), while trying to bring the ideas of Marxism to a wider layer of students that would ordinarily be put off by a youth wing of a political party.
Socialist Students describes itself as a politically independent organisation, and has its own national committee and annual conference. However, many still believe that the Socialist Party has too much influence over Socialist Students' programme and organisation. Socialist Students produces the political magazine The Student Socialist once a year in September. It works together with International Socialist Resistance (an SP-backed youth organisation involving school students, trade unionists and young workers) on campaigns such as "Know Your Rights At Work" and "Hands off our Schools" (against city academies). The two organisations have a joint presence on anti-war and anti-G8/climate change demonstrations, which they term the "Red Contingent".
[edit] Political programme
Socialist Students is anti-capitalist and generally follows the ideas of Marxism. However, the organisation is reasonably broad, with some in the ranks being members of parties other than the SP - for example the Green Party of England and Wales or Forward Wales, with others being non-aligned . The structure of Socialist Students mirrors their political outlook. Unlike an out-and-out revolutionary organisation it is not based on democratic centralist lines, instead being federal, with each society having a relative amount of freedom. It is thought by the leadership of Socialist Students that in the objective situation of limited workers struggle and capitalist growth, that is not desirable to hold a rigid structure prepared to lead a wide layer of youth in revolution. Instead, Socialist Students aims to educate students in socialist and Marxist ideas, while giving students experience in debating, organising and intervening, hoping that those who accept Marxist ideas and the need for revolution will go on to be active cadres in the revolutionary movement.
Socialist Students tries to put forward a working class perspective of events. They believe that students are unable to change the political system on their own, due to their place in the economic system, arguing that it is the working class with help from the student movement, that can bring down the capitalist system. This programme has led Socialist Students to often take a class approach over nationalistic conflicts such as in Israel and Palestine. In conflicts such as these, Socialist Students has argued that there can be no peaceful settlement under capitalism and that class should be the defining issue and not religion or race. While calling for the right to self determination for the Palestinians, they have argued that the working classes and economically disadvantaged masses of both countries should unite to overthrow the ruling classes of both Israel and Palestine. A class approach is also argued for in the anti war movement where Socialist Students argue for opposition to the methods of individual terrorism, class unity against sectarianism in Iraq and the immediate withdrawal of coalition forces.
The focus upon class in Socialist Student's programme has also led to the support for the industrial action taken by public sector workers in and outside education in 2006 . As well as the calling for a mass party to represent working class people, Socialist Students supports the Campaign for a New Workers' Party.
[edit] Recent growth
Until recently, Socialist Students was only established in a limited number of universities, with little national influence. However, over the last few years Socialist Students has grown, as of 2006 claiming that it has 49 official student societies with a presence in about 15 more universities and colleges. It stood two candidates for the block of 12 at the 2006 conference and has gained prominence and recognition inside the student movement.
