Workers of the world are uniting at Chelsea

by Harry Nielsen

The Marxist Society believes that the crisis facing higher education – increased fees, course cuts, the commercialisation and, ultimately, the privatisation of education – is a reflection of the crisis in capitalism.

We campaign against the attacks on higher education, the poor and the working class by the current government.

The main objective of the society is to explore the ideas of Marxism and to actively campaign for political and social change. We see Marxism not as dogma but rather as a way of understanding society, and as a guide to political action.

In our upcoming meeting on November 8 we will be discussing the August riots in Britain, as for Marxists the riots were a symptom of the general crisis in capitalism.

As we see it, the damage resulting from the riots is nothing compared to the wreckage of lives and homes inflicted by the crisis itself.

This will also lead on to our next discussion on November 15, in which we will discuss the historical and practical differences between anarchism and Marxism and how they relate to these events.

For Marxists, it is the organised strength of the Labour movement that can change society and has the power to stop any government policy.

As Marx himself once said: “Previous philosophers have only interpreted the world. The point is to change it.”
Our last meeting of the term will be to discuss Russia. Russia in 1917 was a backward country with a very low rate of development.

After the revolution of 1917, the Soviet Union developed economically at a greater pace than has been seen anywhere before or since, and became a world super-power. However, as is well known, the Communist regime eventually collapsed.

Does this prove that communism can never work, as we are told almost daily by those who, coincidently, profit most from capitalism? Come and discuss.

Along with meetings we arrange a number of activities as a society. We are involved in the current campaigns against public spending and education cuts and we completely reject the idea that these cuts are inevitable or unavoidable.

The Marxist society will be attending the November 9 national demonstration against education cuts and privatisation, called by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts and supported by the National Union of Students.  

In conjunction with this, we will also be supporting the ‘day of action’ on public sector pensions called for by the Trades Union Congress this takes place on November 30.  

We are proposing that the Students Union at the University of Arts (SUARTS) officially support both these demonstrations and use its resources to campaign for them. If necessary, we will call for an emergency student assembly to commit the SU officers to supporting these proposals, but we will need your help to do this.

We are also calling for SUARTS to organise a student walk-out on November 30, as is being done by student unions in other universities. Shut down the university and let management know the depth of anger there is amongst both staff and students!

Join the debate

We meet every Tuesday evening at 6.30pm, in room A336, at Chelsea College of Art
and Design. In our meetings we discuss political topics and plan the events and campaigns that we get involved in.

Political discussions for this term:

Tuesday November 22:
What does it mean to be contemporary?

Tuesday November 29:
Film night! To be announced.

Tuesday December 6:
Was Russia socialist?

We also meet informally at London College of Communication – and other colleges – during lunch times in the cafe or canteen.

Join us – to educate yourself, and to help fight the most vicious attack on education and on living standards since the ‘30s.

For news and information or to be added to our mailing list, please email: marxist@su.arts.ac.uk

For more information on University of the Arts Societies visit www.suarts.org