AFTER 16 years of preparation for the world of work, now that I am 17 1 have recently learned that my school taught me nothing of the real world. I feel let down by my teachers and the older generaLON. Since my awakening after education from Margaret and Glenn from the St Helens TUC centre of working class hisEducation, education ... unemployment Also I was led to believe that if ! worked hard in school this would help towards a well paid job. The reality soon set in when I tried to find these 'well paid jobs" that don't seem to exist in the job centres. All that is on offer are slave labour schemes such as New Deal which is a shit deal.
At the moment I am at college studying catering and hospitality. ing'. Someone is making a profit out of us and I feel we should be paid for our labour. I am pissed off with the way we "the youth" are being treated in today's society and l urge all youth to get organised. I am David Bishop Volunteer at St Helens TUC centre I READ with interest Michael Calvert's letter in your February 1999 Socialist Outlook entitled "Time to Get Good Guys Together". This is what I think.
Though not agreeing that there is as much demoralisation and low activity as he thinks at present, I do agree that the time is ripe for initiatives to be taken over the reunification of the socialist movement locally and internationally on a genuinely working class progressive basis. The question remains, how?
Bro Calvert's example of the 1986 Symposium on Hungary 1956 was a very good one, I think. However, the whole thing should be broadened to embrace all currents of the Marxist and Socialist movement worldwide.
An open historical commission should be set up in order to work towards the definite target of producing a sourcebook which would be published in several languages (French, English, Spanish) in order to reach as broad a readership as possible among all the internationai workine Class movements.
We could call the book something like the "Proletarian's Historical Guide to Action"'. What do Socialist Outlook readers think?
After 1905, the Bolsheviks under Lenin produced similar symposiums and for a time, with help from worker-intellectuals like Maxim Gorky, once planned to produce a workers' encyclopaedia. Such volumes were actually produced by some British socialists, and also, I think, by militants of the CNT in Spain in the same period.
Work towards a handy one-volume guidebook on our movement's history, involving people from all strands of genuine socialist opinion - not only Trotskyite Don't miss an issue: SUBSCRIBE now! 20 pages of internationalist news, views and marxist analysis each month. 12 issues delivered for just £10. OVERSEAS subscribers 12 issues for just £20. SPECIAL OFFER (UK only): One year of Socialist Dutlook, PLUS one year of International Viewpoint (Fourth International magazine) for only £30. PLEASE send me • 12 issues of Socialist Outlook • 12 issues of Sociinlise Quatel plus International Viewpoint. I enclose f... Name Address Phone SEND TO: Socialist Outlook, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU