In 2021, a cost-of-living crisis was declared in the United Kingdom. Disposable incomes have not been keeping up with increased prices, and for years, anxiety about inflation, shortages and the impact of war and austerity have become commonplace. They are accepted facts of life, which students must also face as they pay exorbitant tuition fees to get into university fees, and then accrue exorbitant debt once they graduate.

But Socialist Students says this isn't something we have to accept, just because we've become conditioned to. Even after Labour entered power, substantial action to combat the cost of living hasn't followed. So it's worth reflecting on what is actually causing it, what capitalism has to do with it, and how can we get out of it?

The discussion will be a roundtable; feel free to voice your thoughts with respect to others' perspectives.

The Organisers

At the Socialist Students Society, we are a big tent of socialists at the university helping to organise for funding higher education, tenants’ rights for students, and promoting a world beyond capitalism. Together with other groups in Southampton and beyond, we are committed to empowering young people to make a difference in politics. We come from all backgrounds, united in solidarity. Politics isn’t just something which happens to us. Instead, we should make politics happen!