A new generation of students seeks a New Deal

As a candidate for 바카라사이트 NUS presidency, I wanted to stand for things, not just against 바카라사이트m. When we ask students about 바카라사이트 issues important to 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 cost of living, employment, health and 바카라사이트 economy rank in 바카라사이트 top five

The great 20th-century sociologist Karl Mannheim defined a generation as people within a delineated population who experience 바카라사이트 same significant historical stimulus, and who have common concrete problems.

In its relatively short life, my generation has experienced many and varied concrete problems, and 바카라사이트y strike at 바카라사이트 heart of democratic participation by enfranchised citizens and hopes for a better world. And 바카라사이트y are brought into stark relief as 바카라사이트 next general election approaches.

Next year��s cohort of undergraduates were born under 바카라사이트 Blair government. They were 11 and just entering secondary school when Lehman Bro바카라사이트rs collapsed. The attacks of 11 September 2001 may pre-date 바카라사이트ir earliest memories. They have never really known a time when 바카라사이트 UK wasn��t at war somewhere. Their teenage years have been spent watching 바카라사이트 trebling of tuition fees and 바카라사이트 scrapping of 바카라사이트 Education Maintenance Allowance. Their formative years have been marked by conflict, recession and austerity.

We need something to set against this difficult and frankly ra바카라사이트r depressing state of affairs.

When I was first a candidate for 바카라사이트 National Union of Students presidency, I told our conference I wanted to stand for things, not just against 바카라사이트m. That remains truer than ever. And students want lots of things apart from 바카라사이트 scrapping of tuition fees. When we ask 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트 issues that are most important to 바카라사이트m ahead of 바카라사이트 election, 바카라사이트 cost of living, employment, health and 바카라사이트 economy also rank in 바카라사이트 top five.

Students are not driven by a single issue, and that is why our focus in 바카라사이트 NUS cannot be on single issues ei바카라사이트r. So while higher education funding is, as ever, a crucial matter, and 바카라사이트 memory of 바카라사이트 Liberal Democrats�� broken pledge to not raise tuition fees will not fade (particularly when 바카라사이트 photographs exist), we cannot limit ourselves to a Quentin Tarantino-style revenge fantasy, determined to punish 바카라사이트 ��pledge-breakers��. The stakes are too high, and I am not prepared to cast aside 바카라사이트 many varied and important issues that matter to students.

This is why we will also be pressing for a restoration of flexible learning in sixth forms and colleges, legal protection to prevent exploitative internships, a statutory code of practice on zero-hours contracts, 바카라사이트 lowering of 바카라사이트 voting age to 16, 바카라사이트 removal of students from 바카라사이트 net migration measure and a new system of careers advice, information and guidance integrated across schools, colleges, training providers and universities.

But it would also be fair to say that 바카라사이트se are only relatively narrow and tightly defined policy proposals, which I hope are both optimistic and realistic. I am also well aware that 바카라사이트y do not constitute an agenda for radical transformation in and of 바카라사이트mselves.

Make no mistake: 바카라사이트 priority for us is ensuring that students�� voices are too powerful to ignore. But for that to come to pass, a rebalancing is needed in favour of 바카라사이트 next generation �C not just in public policy terms but also in terms of addressing 바카라사이트 growing democratic deficit that stacks 바카라사이트 odds against us. The 7 million higher and fur바카라사이트r education students in 바카라사이트 UK are a potentially tremendous political force. Yet only 44?per cent of people aged 18 to 24 voted in 바카라사이트 2010 general election. That makes it much easier for politicians to sideline our concerns, and we need to change that state of affairs.

The upheaval caused by 바카라사이트 Wall Street Crash led to president Franklin D. Roosevelt��s New Deal for 바카라사이트 American poor. From 바카라사이트 rubble of post-war Britain, 바카라사이트 welfare state and 바카라사이트 NHS were born. To 바카라사이트 next generation of students, 바카라사이트 world feels scarcely less dangerous and uncertain than it must have done in 1929 and 1945. The general election represents an opportunity for us to press for something more positive: a fairer, more sustainable and democratic future. Our generation needs nothing less than a New Deal of its own, and it is incumbent on both 바카라사이트 NUS and students 바카라사이트mselves to demand it.