Ted North for Education

As a member of Communist Students and the CPGB I stand for radical democracy in all spheres of life. The current education system leaves students burdened with massive debts and forced to take low paid jobs, whilst the right wing NUS bureaucracy pathetically whimper for concessions of ‘keep the cap’ to the greasy politicians they want to become.

We need a leadership, both nationally and in Sheffield, which actively stands up for students’ interests. We call for the abolition of fees, and a living grant of at least £300 a week. This will not be handed down to us, but can only be achieved by a radical student movement. Education must be socialised and aimed at benefiting society, not providing capitalism with a new generation of exploited workers as now. Students and staff must stand together and democratically decide on the nature of education, which should be geared towards making university an enjoyable and fulfilling time – teaching the skills required to change the world. We recognise that the majority of students are part of the working class and that our struggles are one and the same. The struggle for democratic universities is a component of the struggle for a democratic society. The defects of our education reflect the inherent defects of capitalism. In education, as in everything, we fight for a system based on human need, not the vampire-esque pursuit of profits by a super-rich minority. Let us free education from the grip of capitalism.

Laurie Smith for President

As a member of Communist Students I stand for a democratic and militant NUS. The Student’s Union has become a training ground for right wing careerists more interested in their CV’s than in fighting for student’s interests. Their governance review hands more control to unelected bureaucrats and gives SU officers the power to appoint conference delegates rather than bothering with those oh-so tiresome elections. I oppose the removal of the Women’s Officer post from the Union executive. Women are still an oppressed group in society and we support their demand for representation and right to self-organise in the struggle against oppression. I will fight for NUS to demand free education with a living grant, funded by taxation of the rich and business.

The fight for concessions is part of the fight for a communist society, in which every individual could develop themselves fully and in complete freedom. In capitalism, the skills and knowledge we learn at university are hostages to the profit motive. Physics students have to take jobs designing weapons for our imperialist government, arts students careers in the glorious world of advertising. Many of us end up in dull white collar jobs with no freedom at all. The vast majority of students are a part of the exploited working class which must overthrow capitalism. The brutal regime of Stalin’s Russia shows that revolution must be global or it decays. We call for maximum unity of the workers of the world. Vote Communist Students!