Birmingham Socialist Students & Young Workers

Yesterday Socialist Students were out in Selly Oak canvassing for the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in the upcoming local elections. People on the doors agreed - all the major parties are the same, and an alternative is needed!

If you want to support a socialist student candidate in the Bournbrook and Selly Park ward who will:
- oppose all council cuts by building a movement of students and workers to demand more funding from central government,
- fight back against hostile landlords,
- campaign for improved safety measures for students, including better street lighting and extension of the Selly Oak Express running hours,
- clean up Selly Oak and continue the collection of recycling, achieved through a *fair deal for the bin workers* to end the strike,

Then join Socialist Students to support the campaign and vote TUSC on the 7th of May! 🗳

Promoted by Nick Hart at 342 Highfield Lane, Birmingham B32 1SD on behalf of Ben Lees.

US and Israeli missiles are continuing to rain down on Iran, with thousands killed. The Iranian regime is in turn still firing at targets across the Middle East.

Many young people will be worried about what this could mean in terms of spiralling into a wider conflict, prolonging the war in Ukraine and creating elements of a new world war.

But we are not powerless. Even now, Starmer’s mealy-mouthed criticism of Trump reflects the power of the anti-war movement. In the US, the mass working-class opposition to ground troops being deployed is a major factor curtailing Trump’s options. The working class, in Britain and internationally, is a potential super-power.

At this Wednesday's BCU meeting, we'll be hearing from an organiser of the student protests against the invasion of Iraq 23 years ago on what the lessons from that are for today, and how the struggle for a world free from war can inspire strong socialist movements.

It's taking place at the later time of 6:30pm in our usual spot in the cafe in Parkside - all students and staff welcome!

Around the world young women are part of the mass movements challenging the sexism, poverty, repression and exploitation of the capitalist system. We’ve had enough, and we need change.

Systemic problems require systemic solutions. To eliminate gender violence, we need to challenge the root cause of sexist ideas by taking economic and political control out of the hands of the small minority who profit from inequality and oppression.

Come to our next UoB meeting this Thursday 5th to discuss how we can build a movement on and off campus to do that.

On top of a cost-of-living crisis now. Students’ futures are of a lifetime of debt. As graduates, money will be taken from our wages monthly, and still the mountain of debt is likely to keep growing.

Universities are increasingly unable to cover their costs, with whole departments being closed around the country. Instead of funding education properly, the government is dipping deeper into the pockets of graduates to put a plaster on the situation.

The current funding policy commits Guild officers to lobbying the Government to advocate for free education based on a fair funding model. However, this policy is due to expire at 4pm this Friday. We need the Guild to fight for the students it represents. That's why we urgently need 400 students to vote to maintain the funding policy.

Follow the link in our bio to vote today and share this post with your fellow students. 🗳

Get in touch to find out how you can get involved in Socialist Students to fight for a fairer world both on and off campus.

Many working class people are concerned about the rise of extreme right populist figures such as Donald Trump, Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe, as well as a stepping up of anti-migrant street activity outside hotels housing asylum seekers and elsewhere.

Does this represent the rise of a new fascist movement headed for power, or something else? And crucially, what's the role of socialists and trade unionists in confronting and stopping this?

Come to our next BCU meeting tomorrow evening to discuss this and more!

Socialist Students Conference 2026 | Discussing a new national constitution for Socialist Students How can students and young people today best get organised for a socialist future? This question was at the heart of the Socialist Students national conferen...

Read Mack's report from last Saturday's Socialist Students conference:

​It's easy to feel disheartened at the moment. Global conflicts are increasing relentlessly, and the local reality of the Birmingham bin strikes or tuition fees increasing again is, well, grim. I went to the Socialist Students Conference in Manchester hoping for inspiration, and I wasn’t disappointed. We heard from students from all over the country who aren’t just complaining, but campaigning.

Niven, from Liverpool, is spearheading a campaign to unionise the Student Guild. He reminded us that the people pulling pints and cleaning floors at the SU are often students on zero-hour contracts, and that fighting for a "political home" starts with making sure our own universities and workplaces aren't exploiting us. Kat from the University of the Arts London, spoke about the "Circuit Go" laundry monopoly, where students are forced to pay more than £5 for a single wash. It might sound mundane, but as usual those with the least spare cash are the hardest hit, and no-one should have to choose between clean clothes and a meal. Demanding that universities bring services back in-house for the sake of human dignity is a radical act in 2026. In Worcester, England flags were put up in front of the campus in what students believed was a targeted attempt to intimidate international students. The university administration was happy to ignore students' concerns, but Theo described how his student group used their power to pressure the council to take them down.

The bad news is loud, but the quiet work of organising is happening. Join in!

Young people are growing up in a system that delivers crisis, war and inequality. The surge in popularity of politicians describing themselves as socialist, from Zarah Sultana to Catherine Connolly to Zohran Mamdani shows a renewal of interest in socialist ideas. But is just voting socialism into power enough?

At our next UoB meeting we'll discuss what kind of organisation is needed to bring about socialist change, and how we can be a part of building it. We're meeting at 6pm this Thursday 5th in the food court in University Centre building.

Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist running as the official Democratic Party candidate, has won the New York Mayoral election. He is the first candidate since 1969 to win over one million votes in the city, often seen as the epitome of capitalism.

The support for Mamdani’s programme represented a positive hunger for change. It is to be welcomed that workers and youth in capitalism’s flagship city came out to vote for and campaign for policies such as rent control, a raised minimum wage, opposition to the Gaza genocide, more public housing, and municipal grocery stores.

However, Mamdani will face fierce opposition from both the Trump administration and the capitalist Democratic Party, which he currently represents!

Join us at our next BCU meeting to discuss what Mamdani’s victory means for the workers' movement in the US, and what needs to be done to bring about meaningful socialist change - both in the USA and here in Britain!

🗓 Wednesday 28th Jan
🕕 6pm
📍Cafe in ground floor of Parkside Building