LAST month Unite Scotland ran a political school for young people with question and answer sessions from Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard. They were taken to a demo, and then on a walking trade union history tour of Glasgow. There were talks on the miners’ strikes, a showing of the great movie Belonging and discussions about the economic state of past and present with a mixed audience of employed, unemployed, political, non-political, unionised, non-unionised with a few more experienced colleagues thrown in for good measure. This event was a perfect way to highlight how shared experience and education really helps to put socialising into socialism. 

I have no doubt all in attendance will have walked out with more questions than answers. One of them being: why was I not taught that in school? They are right to be indignant. Why over a weekend put on by Unite are you hearing parts of history that you did not know, and another side of history you were never taught?

Paying attention to the economic systems of past and present shows us evidence that we are heading towards disaster — yet we continue along that same trajectory. Events from our history about how rights at work were won and what those basic rights consist of are absolutely necessary for working people to understand. These are basic need-to-know facts for working people and their powers when they organise which cannot be censored in our schools by the powers that be.

In a world gripped by capitalism we are sold a lie — that the system is ticking along the way it should be, and the rhetoric along the way has been switched from “sharing is caring” to “my happiness depends on your unhappiness.” Thus fostering a hostile and individualistic society.

In those short school years in primary education the message goes from “you can be anything you want to be” to then focusing on what you can do to make the most money. This forms the basis of a person’s further education: a life of chasing economic prospects and not education to better yourself and for your own happiness. 

Politicians are the only ones to blame for this yes-no, in-out divide by neglecting political education and in doing so the curriculum has been shaped to exclude politics until late into secondary education. I navigate around many colleges and schools to spread the positive message of trade unionism, while integrating the importance of community and I am often met with “this is too political.” To which I say, it is a political decision not to teach it. 

And it begs the question of who loses out from these subjects not being taught? By refusing to bring politics into the educational discourse we are damaging society in the future. Within the current political climate where there is so much focus on the wonderful young climate activists we cannot just expect these young activists to take up the mantle without being educated on the impact of politics locally, nationally and globally.

We are taught never to question what we read and now they complain about fake news. We are taught never to question authority, and then people are entered into the workplace where a boss is not a teacher and their sole purpose is to make money from you, not nurture you — unless it is for the good of the company. 

But that is the point of capitalist society. As Tony Benn said: “An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern.” And the kids are beginning to ask more and more questions.

I welcome the youth climate activists and the strikes because it shows a thirst from these school students to understand what is going on around them. They have educated each other, organised and politicised their generation and that has woken up the debate on climate change. 

We must support and nurture that enthusiasm which can change the world. I met one of the climate change activists at Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution and what amazed me while talking to this engaged and dynamic young woman was her focus — it was not just on the strikes but understanding the bigger picture and the implications for her and future generations. 

She was telling me how they are actively trying to change things in their school around how it deals with general and food waste. Making changes they are directly responsible for therefore taking ownership of a mess which they have not created — cleaning up after the adults.

If only we had an SNP government that acted in the same way and made the changes it could to improve lives. Making buses and rail publicly owned, investing in true affordable homes, saving industry within Scotland and enforcing a true living wage. 

The SNP gives with one hand and takes away with the other, and has been allowed to get away with it by selling nationalism and independence as the answer. Selling the idea of seizing the means of production to an organised workforce while arguing we need to keep the board of shareholders. These concepts can not coexist. SNP is New Labour.

Joe Cullinane, head of North Ayrshire council, has taken part in hustings in high schools talking over local issues and getting the feedback from these future voters. He understands that school hustings change the dynamic of the argument, especially as a parent shifting the focus from themselves as an individual to considering their family unit and the impact of their vote in years to come for the future generations.

I’m proud of the work Unite does around political education, from these regional courses to Durham political school held before the Miners’ Gala, to thousands of school visits Unite and the STUC do. Trade unions do offer this important education, however it really should be a part of every school curriculum. Politics is not an extremely boring reality show but a dynamic and interesting process which our children need to be taught: they will be in control in years to come and those representatives are answerable to them.

Corbyn explained to young delegates at the political school his aspirations to radically overhaul the education system to allow for important political education. This is vitally important for living in and understanding the world around us and understanding the intersection of politics and society.

From March for Our Lives strike against gun violence in the US to the global school strikes against climate change, there is change in the air. 

The vitriolic, unstable political landscape has been scoped out as unfit for purpose by some formidable young people who will not stand being sold down a river of lies and deceit. 

We owe it to our young people to teach them about politics and not count on them to find this information out by themselves — which at the best of times is difficult due to the exclusionary language. So let’s break it down and have politics for the many, not the few.