The strange case of the strange the disappearing future
Class Fighter1982 1982-07-01Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 2 →
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25p each, plus 12½p for postage. (Orders of more than 10 post free). From Socialist Organiser, 28 Middle Lane, THIS week, thousands of young people will be leaving school or college. Some may have GCEs, CSEs or even a degree. What will this fair democracy be offering them? Well for starters if you're 16 you won't be receiving any supplementary benefit until September.
Meanwhile, of course, neither will your parents get family income for you.
That means if you want to go anywhere, or buy anything, forget it.
And what is there offered by way of paid employment? Not much - both the quantity and quality of jobs are nothing to smile about. There aren't many apprenticeships anymore and it is almost impossible for young ar London N8. women tó get one in a society which encourages openings for males more than females.
And if you do an apprenticeship, there's still no guarantee of a job at the end of it. Nowadays, even trained nurses are thrown onto the dole queue, despite the understaffing and long waiting lists at our hospitals.
But all is not lost. if you've hunted for weeks, sent in your hundredth application form and can only find selling insurance or double glazing, you could always try one of the training schemes the government is running. YOPs provides a whole range of opportunities. You could do a "Preparing for work" course LULLCLLLLL Advertisement t the local tech for 3 weeks, or a TOPs course i a special centre, neither of hich guarantee you a job at le end of it - but will eep you off the streets and re unemployment register. Even better, though is he "Working on Employers' 'remises" scheme. You can lo a 40 hour week with no ecurity or trade union rights nd no health and safety egulations. You won't learn I skill and six people have sen killed on these schemes Ilready. But if you fancy it, 1o ahead.
What else does Thatcher's ob nightmare offer youth? Nell there's the Navy which until recently promised to be a safe bet because at least they didn't send you to Northern Ireland. Nowadays, though, there's always the slight chance that warmongering hysteria can send you to your death on islands 8,000 miles away, defending "national pride"
If you've a more domestic fetish for uniform then there's always the police, who at no cost can provide a riot shield and batons, reactionary bigotry and a chance to smash up your old school friends in places like Toxteth and Brixton.
At the present time, contrary to popular beliet, armament and defence expenditure is increasing. Expenditure on essential service jobs like hospitals and public transport is decreasing.
To add insult to injury the government is calling for us to give generously to the South Atlantic Fund. That is hypocrisy and cheating when it is the workers of this country that have already paid in sweat and blood for all the profits that finance the wars this bosses' state wants.
Youth (have no common interest with the exploiters and their decrepit system that offers a future of dole, cheap labour schemes, declining living standards and nuclear holocaust.
Our interest lies in uniting against a common enemy to end unemployment, repression, sexism and racism and build for a future that offers us not the the future doesn't hold for poverty of capitalism richness of socialism. you why not do something So if you're a school about it with Class Fighter leaver, demoralised by what in the LPYS and YCND.
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TI wearing..
should be an inspiration to us all. supported. Their fight is our fight.