Being Young Is Shite.

It has emerged that youth unemployment has risen to it’s highest levels since 1992. Officially 20.5% young people are unemployed in the UK as a whole. That’s just over 1 in 5 of us! Not only is this statistic worrying for young people it is the blunt, grotesque truth that young socialists have known for years; Capitalism is oppressing the youth. These statistics have been released as part of the

The full stats showing under-24s being the worst hit age group.

overall statistics on unemployment in the three months to December which shows a rise in the number of people unemployed  to 2.5 million (there was a minor decrease of people unemployed in Scotland). These stats do not paint a great picture for our future or the next generation’s future. The only way to change these stats is by changing the way in which we run our economy and it must start now!

For years we (the youth) have been told that we are a bunch of scroungers, we’re a spoilt generation and if we’re not in employment its all our own fault. That view is flawed and has been for years but now we have updated evidence to prove the knobheads who hold that view wrong. There is a reason why this current generation will be the first ever to become poorer than their parents’ generation. Unfortunately we are not going to have a public sector (becoming a bit of a luxury in the western world now!) by the time we become middle aged the way the current regime of cuts that are being forced upon us by the Tories and Lib Dems. These cuts are attacking those who are most vulnerable in society and the youth (in particular the working class youth) are being attacked by these cuts. The public sector cut-backs are being justified as being “necessary” as we are all in this together  the government believe that we shouldn’t punish the bankers who caused this crisis. As a result of these public sector cuts we have all been reassured by David Cameron and co. that the private sector will employ everyone! Well one look at these stats will show that the private sector ain’t doing what Cameron wants them to do. Cameron was so distraught about the announcement of youth employment he couldn’t hold back his tears when he said “(youth employment was) a matter of great regret”. Can you feel his genuine concern for the youth of this country? I fucking can’t!

The message from the government, even though there's no jobs!

In response to this report the government somehow claimed that it showed evidence of unemployment starting to “stabilise”. By stabilising they mean its going to get to a level so unbearably high it cannot go down or rise further thus “stabilising”, I guess. I cannot understand (well I can actually) how anyone in government are not in any sort of panic over the high youth unemployment rate. The simple fact of the matter is the government is run by middle aged millionaires who do not care about investing in the future, they only look at what money they can  make for themselves and people in a similar situation. That is why capitalism is exploiting the youth. Its not only this country that faces this problem. Its every capitalist country in the world. The people who are running the countries around the world are rather selfishly living for today. That’s not how govern. That’s a recipe for disaster, if you want to know how to sell out an entire generation look no further than the British governments from 1992 onwards. Although in that time we have had minimum wage act passed. This in principle is good for the youth of this country ending many years of relative slave labour for the youth but ironically the minimum wage is one of the most anti-youth acts right now (however its better than nothing.) . It is disgusting that the wage you receive is based on your age, that’s called discrimination but they get let off with it. If I was to get a job tomorrow which paid minimum wage I would receive £3.56 an hour (minimum wage for a 16-17 year old) but someone doing the same job as me but aged 21+ they would recieve £5.53 an hour (which is very poor anyway), an sad but true fact that shows how you are punished in employment if you are young, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

The campaign against youth discrimination must continue. That’s why come election we must put across our policies for a higher minimum wage (without age discrimination) for those young people lucky enough to have a job. The voting age should be lowered

Home from home for young people.

to 16 so those who are being screwed over by this government can at least vote against them (after all at 16 you are allowed to fight in illegal wars and deemed fit to be a parent). This article may be about youth unemployment but it is just one factor in this society that is run by people who are determined to increase their bank balance whilst  blaming the youth  for their own and society’s shortcomings and its time this attitude ends before its too late.