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Youth March For Jobs

Peter Marshall | 29.11.2009 18:56 | Education

Approaching a thousand people took part in a 'Youth March for Jobs' through central London on Saturday 28 Nov 2008. The marchers, mainly young people, demanded decent jobs, a return to free higher education and an end to cuts in education and the public sector. They called for a socialist system that would support workers rather than bankers.

In Malet St
In Malet St

Going thorugh Bedford Square
Going thorugh Bedford Square

Day-Mer Youth
Day-Mer Youth

Whitehall
Whitehall

Defiance at Downing St
Defiance at Downing St

The petition was taken in to Downing St
The petition was taken in to Downing St

Houses of Parliament
Houses of Parliament

On Lambeth Bridge
On Lambeth Bridge


The national march started in Malet St, outside the University of London Union. Many of the marchers were from around London, but there were also banners from Hull, Huddersfield, Birmingham and elsewhere. Many were students and most but not all were young. Some of the slogans chanted as they made their way through the crowded streets of Central London represented a disillusion with both the current government and politics generally:

Labour Cronies
Tory Snobs
Fight their cuts
Fight for jobs

but others were aimed specifically at Labour – or at least ‘New Labour’:

Mandelson's a Tory
He wears a Tory Hat
And when he saw our top up fees
He said I'll double that!

Some contrasted the billions made available to rescue the failed bankers with the stringencies being imposed on students and the poor:

Gordon Brown, stop the rot
Give us what the bankers got,

and

Bail out the workers
Not the bankers!

The billions wasted on ill-conceived and probably illegal wars - currently the subject of yet another enquiry expected to state the clearly obvious - also came in for noisy and enthusiastic criticism.

What the marchers want is the right to education rather than it becoming a privilege for the wealthy, and for decent jobs. They oppose privatisation, which has so often led to lower standards, replacing a pride in work and a social responsibility by cost-cutting, minimum standards (often not achieved) and part-time working, short term employment and loss of rights and pensions for workers.

The march halted for a few minutes outside Downing St, where, after a speech that only a few could hear as restrictive laws prohibit the use of megaphones in the area, a small delegation went to take a large petition to the Prime Minister, before continuing past the Houses of Parliament. I left the marchers as they crossed over the Thames on Lambeth Bridge on their way to their final rally.

More pictures on My London Diary in a day or two.
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2009/11/nov.htm#youth

Peter Marshall
- e-mail: petermarshall@cix.co.uk
- Homepage: http://mylondondiary.co.uk

Comments

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life in Trotland

29.11.2009 20:06

How is life in the SWP, or whatever Trot front this is?

judean peoples front


Reply

29.11.2009 20:15

I think, although i'm not sure, that this isn't in fact a SWP front. I think a lot of it is organised by the Socialist Party, who to be fair have some decent committed people in their ranks.

Anarchist


please!! "do me"

30.11.2009 00:43

I take up my placard in favour of my further enslavement. Classic. Who thought this up? Who bought it? (I know, pictures were provided).

last century


working is a waste of time

30.11.2009 06:22

march for jobs? they should be marching against work. right to work? no. right to not work.

doc


true revolutionary spirit!

30.11.2009 12:23

Malet St to Whitehall and the right to jobs? Shake in your Shoes bureaucrats!

dot to dot


Real Jobs?

30.11.2009 12:30

Blimey! Demanding 'real jobs' from the bosses. How depressing. Whatever happened to a refusal of work and imagining running a society where work (of the type that these lefties are begging for) is abolished.

Bartleby


Against the 'Right' to Work

30.11.2009 14:48

@ Bartleby and Doc
Don't worry, I can confirm that there are a lot more 'youths' (myself including) fighting for a world without work as it currently is than the young Trots (unless Anarchist is right, but even the SP aren't great) on that march.
It looked quite nice, but that isn't really the point of a protest. Just not threatening, I somehow doubt the ruling classes lost any sleep over it. Sadly.

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Anarchist


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march for waste of your time

02.12.2009 00:21


March to not work? You mean march to not eat?

Anyway, shuldn't it be march-to-get-on-the-telephone-and-ring-around-for-a-job rather than march-for-self-pity-and-socialising-but-not-actually-doing-anything-towards-getting-a-job?

Max


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