Bangor

Socialist youth conference and protest

Young socialists from north Wales received a helping hand from comrades from the south for an all-Wales day of action on Saturday 23 May in Bangor.

Sarah Mayo, Pontypridd

The day started with a successful 'Youth Fight for Jobs' (YFJ) protest in Bangor. Workers and students stopped to take our bilingual leaflets and sign our petitions. Our well-travelled YFJ banner attracted a lot of attention (this banner has previously visited Cardiff, Pontypridd and Swansea!).

The conference followed, with sessions on the role of the police, the world economic crisis and a practical session on organising campaigning stalls. Iain Dalton introduced the first session and there was a far ranging discussion on everything from speed cameras and police repression of protesters to domestic violence!

Economic crisis

Next, Joe Fathallah from Cardiff gave an excellent Marxist analysis of the world economic recession and its impact on workers and youth.

The economic crisis was inevitable: capitalism is unable to overcome the basic contradiction of 'boom and bust' because working-class people can't afford to buy back the goods they produce.

While we are conditional about how long this recession will last, it is clear that workers and young people will be forced to fight back.

The discussion centred on the tasks for socialists, including our socialist programme on the economy, the role of the revolutionary party internationally and the campaign for new mass workers' parties here and internationally.

The conference finished with a practical session on running a campaigning stall, with participants sharing ideas and tips, including how to lay out a stall and how to deal with typical questions when petitioning.

This inspiring day finished with an excellent fighting fund collection and a well deserved drink in the pub afterwards.