The last few weeks have been marked by a massive growth in student opposition to the threat of the reintroduction of third level fees. Over 200 students protested outside the Department of Education while last week over 6000 students protested on the dtreets of Tralee and Limerick.

These protests and occupations are a reflection of a new growing radicalism that is begining to develop amongst students as a result of the 69% increase in registration fees. This increase is undoubtedly meant to axt as a stepping stone towards the full reintroduction of fees next year and is part of a general programme of cutbacks on the part of the current FF/PD government.

The government have tried to justify this attack on students by arguing that the original intention of abolishing fees has benefited a significant minority of working class students. The fact that more working class young people aren't being given the chance to recieve third level education is an illustration of the inadequate resources being put into education as a whole at both primary and secondary school level.

If the leadership of the USI mobilised ordinary students through a campaign of protests, one day student strikes and occupations, any attempt to fully reintroduce third level fees could be defeated. However, up until now the careerist leadership of the union have simply limited their actions to publicity stunts.

This summer memeber sof Socialist Youth along with other ordinary students came together to launch the Campaign for Free Education (CFE), in order to build such a campaign. The experiences of other student struggles in the past has shown that militant action is the only way to defeat cutbacks in education.

Socialist Youth believe that our student union here in UCD should be reclaimed from the careerists who control it and have done precious little to defend free education. This is why we have come together with others in the CFE to put forward a common slate in the elections for the student council.

What Socialist Youth Stands For:

• Abolish all regristration fees
  
  
• No to the reintroducion of student fees
  
  
• Increse the grant to at least the level of social welfare payments as a stepping stone towards a grant of €150 a week plus rent allowance
  
  
• For the immediate building of decent student accomadation on campus, subsidised by the government
  
  
• For fighting, democratic student unions

The Socialist Party believes that rank and file activists must prepare in the unions to organise action to sto McCreevy's cut backs.

What is Socialist Youth