Walk-outs for the future of education

In Leeds today over one thousand students walked out to demonstrate against the Government spending cuts.  The demonstration was friendly with slogans such as, "Education is a right","Fib Dems" and "Fuck Capitalism not students".  The students were joined with school children from Allerton Grange, Ilkely Grammar, Lawnswood and more. There is also a video of the demo.

Other UK Demos: Manchester, London [1] [2] [3] [4] , Birmingham, Lancaster,

Other news: Student Protest on Campus At Sheffiled, Manchester, Southampton University, UWE Under Occupation, Royal Holloway, Student protest in London.

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On the 20th October the Comprehensive Spending Review was released by the Conservative/Liberal-Democrat coalition government. The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who had the aristocratic pleasure of unveiling the review, brought the news of greatest cuts in public spending since the 1930s and claimed that the British economy was near bankrupt. His deficit reduction plan was ‘unavoidable’, like the bailout of the banks (cost £850bn) and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (cost £18bn).  Osborne set out to cut £80.5 billion of state expenditure over five years with higher education amongst those sectors to be hit hardest.

The pupils from local schools were worried about having their Educational Mantiance Allowence removed.  This hits the poor pupils only.  They said that it would make it less likely that they could afford to go to uni and would open up the gap between the rich and the poor.