A Day In The Park

Yesterday, thousands of young trade unionists, students and school pupils marched from the University of Manchester Union to Platts Fields Park for the TUC's 'A Future that Works' march and rally. However, if you'd heard about it through the mainstream media, it'd have been a very different and demonstrably false story to the one that transpired.

The atmosphere on the march was electric. A potent mix of drum & bass, vuvuzelas and three thousand raised voices made our message loud and clear: That we would not accept the ConDem wipeout of the EMA, the three-fold hike in tuition fees, and their massive cuts to public services. Speakers made clear that these attacks on young people would only compound the real problem here - the one million young people left behind by this recession.

It was excellent to see that it was UNISON which was the clearly most visible union on the day. Young Members from across the UK came to join with the student movement and other trade unionists in our rejection of the ComDems' policies - they weren't left wanting!

As most speakers made clear, it is now up to us to organise in our workplaces and in our communities for the TUC March 26th 'March for an Alternative'. This is where we have our chance to show the real strength of public anger towards this government and defeat these regressive cuts.

Graham Smith