“We are the engine for opposition to these cuts” – another view on the student protests in Manchester
Curtis McLellan from Manchester Labour Students explains why students from schools, colleges and universities marched through the city against the cuts.
Over 3,000 people marched in Manchester to protest against the Governments reckless approach to higher education. Who were they? There were students from both the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, the latter institution facing what can only be described as funding massacre. But more heartening was the presence of College students from FE colleges and Sixth Forms from across Manchester.
Vince Cable asked us last week, why are we bothering? Well Vincent, I will be very happy to tell you why. We aren’t going to be the generation that pulls up the draw bridge after we graduate just like your shameful generation. What you don’t understand, Vincent, is that we are a movement- a movement that believes in certain principles, unlike your bastardised political entity of orange book liberals and disaffected social democrats. Whatever hue on the leftist rainbow you identify with, we are in this together.
So why did we march? We marched for those students all across Manchester that decided to make their voices heard, voicing their rightful concerns for their own future. We marched because we believe in the fundamental right that education should be open for all, regardless of social, economic or ethnic background.
We are the engine for opposition to these cuts. And this movement will grow and grow. I urge every student on Campuses up and down the country to get involved with their cuts group and be part of this opposition. It is imperative that the left show utmost solidarity and leave the old arguments behind. We are now facing the great threat: the dismantling of the state in education.
We won’t pay for YOUR crisis. Fight the Education cuts.
Maybe you should read your own banner. Why should we pay? The Working Class people of Britain will fight back, and after your show in London yesterday, I can safely say that certain people will get their just desserts. Winston Churchill’s statues? Throwing bottles at Horses? Looting? Defacing the Cenotaph. Your vermin, and I hope they throw the book at you. Why should the working class people of Britain pay for the education of a bunch of thugs?
Deary me, another nonsensical post by someone whose own post is a complete contradiction. You manage to include all the rubbish that is consisently printed in the media but avoid the causes of most of the problems.
The protesters had been kettled in before any of the real violence started a few minor scuffles occurred but nothing of any real merit happened until after the kettle began. Why is it people don’t understand the notion of what a kettle is, it is a deliberate attempt to stir up violence amongst the protesters so as to give the Police justification for using violent tactics. It works everytime and most of the protesters were aware it was going to happen so they came prepared hard hats, makeshift shields. All of these are defensive weapons in case you didn’t notice and it isn’t a coincidence that students brought them. Like the media and other idiots you don’t place any of the trouble in context you simply think that violence occurs with no cause? It is a reaction plain and simple.
The throwing of bottles at horses? I think you’ll find they were aiming for the animal on top of the horse after they forced the horse to charge at protesters again without just cause.
Looting? I’ve only been informed of a smashed window at the treasury but I wouldn’t class this as looting more criminal damage
Defacing the Cenotaph? The person pictured swinging from the cenotaph was in fact doing so shouting ‘wee’ in a way similar to how one swings on a swing. He was not trying to rip it down and was told to stop it by others who claimed it was insensitive.
And of course dear Winston Churchill, it seems you have written this from the persepctive of being working class and in doing so make a fatal flaw here with your obvious outrgae at Churchill being defaced. His statue compared to thers was relatively left alone others were far more defaced like Jan Smuts which was defaced with an slogan calling him the ‘architecht of apartheid’ which is true and quite why his statue is still there remains a mystery. The guy who pissed on him was foolish not because I believe Churchill was a great person I don’t, but because this type of act on damages the movements credidbility by giving fodder to people like you to describe us as vermin. Why don’t I like Chruchill? Simple Churchill was an imperialist and one the most anti working class politicians this country ever had. He had a long histroy of violence against the working class and consistently opposed any concessions to them.
The last point you make is nonsense, the majority of these people on the marches are working class and our making it clear why they bleive it is necessary to fight for free education. Maybe you should attend instead of making comments from afar with no real experience of what is happening and maybe when you or people close to you are put in a position where you can’t afford edcuation then you may remember those so called vandals defacing a few statues. Instead of calling us vandals maybe you should concentrate on the vandals inside and the system they support which consisently destroys our education in the name of profit.