On Wednesday 29 October, the Government confirmed to the Guardian that it plans to slash eligibility for student grants, and cut student numbers by up to 10,000.
For the details, see the Guardian article here.
Higher education minister Jim Denham denies that this has anything to do with the economic crisis, but it is a clear indication of how New Labour plans to cut back as things get tight. Its shows how we need to take social wealth out of the hands of the bankers and capitalists so it can be used for social need. That goal is a long way off; but we begin now by fiercely resisting every cut, and demanding what students need.
On 22 October, Irish students brought Dublin to a standstill when 10,000 demonstrated against increased university registration charges, budget cuts and threats to reintroduce tuition fees - see here. As a proportion of the membership of the Union of Students in Ireland, this is equivalent to 200,000 in Britain; in stark contrast to the Blairite-led NUS's total passivity in the face of New Labour attacks.
ENS's call for a national demonstration early next year, which is gaining support across the country, is more important than ever. For more information, a full list of signatories and how to get involved, see the Education Not for Sale website.
For the Facebook group, see here.
