SOCIALISTS CONDEMN CUMBERNAULD ARRESTS

The Scottish Socialist Party today condemned Strathclyde Police for arresting two of its members whilst they were campaigning against the war on Iraq.

Willie O’Neill and John Miller were arrested in Cumbernauld town centre this afternoon after facing intimidation from Jim Dowson, the extremist anti-abortion campaigner with links to loyalist paramilitary organisations. Mr Dowson verbally assaulted members of the SSP on an anti-war stall and incredibly, Strathclyde Police arrested the SSP members and not Mr Dowson.

Tommy Sheridan said today,

“This is outrageous. Despite contacting both a Constable Hutton and a Sergeant Graham, the police will give me no information regarding the arrests. My fear is that they are acting in a political manner to target SSP members and anti-war activists. Our two members should be released immediately and we will certainly protest their innocence vigorously.”
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For more information, contact Tommy Sheridan on 07887 795075, Cumbernauld Police Station on 01236 503900 or Kevin McVey, SSP Organiser on 07817 123917.

Inverness Anti-War Demonstration
Saturday March 15

Assemble at 1.00, outside Marks and Spencers on Eastgate.

The march will move off at 1.30. The front banner will be the Coalition for Justice not War, then CND and Peace Banners, then Political Parties.

The route is down Eastgate, High Street, over Ness Bridge, along Ness Walk to Bught Park.

At the Park there will be a small pick up truck, with posters on it, which is our platform for speakers. There will be a good PA system.

Speakers at the rally are: · David Jardine, Highland Justice not War · Izhar Khan, Palestine Solidarity Campaign · Rev Colin Anderson, Church of Scotland · Jean Urqhart, Ullapool Justice not War · Steve Arnott, Scotish Socialist Party · Elinor Scott, Scottish Green Party · David Thompson, Scottish National Party

Guardian Unlimited | Online | Sites of resistance

info-archive.scottishsocialistparty.org
Another first (I believe) - a blog from a UK political party; albeit the Scottish Socialists, who currently only have one elected member, Tommy Sheridan, in the Scottish parliament. Although all that may change with the elections on May 1 2003, this site is a distinct entity from the SSP's official site at www.scottishsocialistparty.org, and is a genuine, if slightly anonymous, blog. Undeniably right-on, it is a bit of a one man show ("Rock On, Tommy" would sum it up), and reliance on press releases and links to positive coverage in the mainstream, it smacks a little of preaching to the converted, rather than the personal idiosyncracies that make a blog, whether politically palatable or not, so readable. Still, it's designed with the disabled in mind, and it is the first of its kind. The Guardian

The Scotsman - Politics - McConnell scrapes through in Iraq vote

Tommy Sheridan, the leader of the Scottish Socialist Party, attacked Mr McConnell for siding with those who he described as the "gangsters of Washington". He said: "Jack McConnell will regret the fact that he has sided up with a government who across the world is now becoming a pariah." The Scotsman

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Holyrood debates Iraq crisis

Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan also urged MSPs to back Mr McAllion's amendment.

"Let's send a powerful, unified message from this chamber, simply put, that we don't believe the case for war has been made" he said.

"It is not appropriate to engage in this massacre of innocent men, children and women."

Another strike on the way as firefighters reject deal

It emerged yesterday that two firemen are to fight for the right to be MSPs under the banner of Tommy Sheridan's Scottish Socialist Party. The SSP said 60 firefighters had joined in the run up to the May elections, and that six firefighters have agreed to stand as SSP candidates in the local council elections.

Jimmy Scott, 42, a firefighter for 16 years, based at Maryhill station, and Steve Oram, 48, the station officer at Clarkston, will stand for the SSP. Mr Scott, who was a Labour member for a year in 1997, but only attended two party meetings, said he joined the SSP because it had provided moral and financial support during the dispute. The Herald

LEFT MSPS TABLE SIMPLE ANTI-WAR MOTION FOR TOMORROW'S DEBATE

A group of independent, socialist and Labour left MSPs have tabled a simple anti-war amendment for tomorrow’s anti-war debate (attached below). Tabled in the name of John McAllion MSP, it is signed by six Members and is expected to be accepted for debate and attract significant support in the debate tomorrow.

Tommy Sheridan, Scottish Socialist MSP said,

“We wanted to put a very simple view to the Parliament tomorrow and not complicate it by references to the United Nations or weapons inspectors etc. This is an amendment any Member can support who does not believe the war is justified at present. We would hope it would get widespread support in the debate tomorrow.”

Amendment to S1M-0412 (John Swinney: The current international situation):
“That the Parliament believes that no case for military action against Iraq has been proven.”
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For more information, contact Tommy Sheridan on 07887 795075 or Hugh Kerr on 0131 348 5631/07713 063647

MSPS CALL FOR EMERGENCY DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT WHEN WAR BREAKS OUT

A group of MSPs has called for the Scottish Parliament to hold an emergency debate when the war breaks out. Tabled in the name of John McAllion MSP the motion attached has so far attracted six signatories but is expected to gain many more tomorrow.

Tommy Sheridan, Scottish Socialist MSP, said,

“It is inconceivable that the Parliament should not debate the war when it breaks out which looks certain before the Parliament is dissolved. With the election coming up, we are entitled to know where the MSPs stand and we want them to state their position on the war clearly.”

MOTION:
“That the Parliament believes that the outbreak of war which seems imminent requires an emergency debate in the Parliament and calls on the Presiding Officer to schedule such a debate as soon as war breaks out, up to and including Monday 31 March.”

Signed by: John McAllion, Tommy Sheridan, Dorothy Grace Elder, Donald Gorrie, Margo MacDonald, Robin Harper MSPs[ends]

For more information, contact Tommy Sheridan on 07887 795075 or Hugh Kerr on 0131 348 5631/07713 063647

SOCIALISTS PLEDGE TO END LOW PAY IN THE HEALTH SERVICE

Tommy Sheridan, SSP MSP and National Convenor, today addressed the Royal College of Nurses Annual Conference in Edinburgh and pledged to end low pay across the health service, reintroduce a living wage for student nurses to increase recruitment and retention, and raise the salary of existing nurses by at least the 13% MSPs voted to award themselves last year.

Tommy said,

“The introduction of a public sector minimum wage of £7.32 an hour and a 35-hour-week would eradicate low pay in the health service and improve working conditions. It would also create 24,000 new jobs - all for £450 million: just 3% of the Scottish Parliament’s budget and significantly less than the last two years’ underspend totals of £643 million and £718 million respectively.”

Tommy further added,

“By winding up Scottish Enterprise, £450 million becomes available to eradicate low pay in the public sector. The introduction of a £15,000 per annum salary for student nurses would cost only £70 million a year in net terms and lead to greater recruitment and retention of nursing students. A 13% increase in current salaries of existing nursing staff would match that awarded to MSPs whose contribution to society is a lot less valuable than Scotland’s 43,000 registered nurses within our health service.”[ends]

For more information, contact Tommy Sheridan on 07887 795075 or Hugh Kerr on 0131 348 5631/07713 063647

Aberdeen Anti-War March

The first to take the podium was Scottish Socialist Party regional organiser Duncan Rowen, 29, who had set up the march.
To loud cheers, the Froghall Avenue resident said: "This has been the largest peace demonstration in Aberdeen.
"If Tony Blair and the Labour Party don't do what they are told we should make them pay on May 1." Aberdeen Evening Express

Executive offers new housing association £300m 'gift' after promising to end subsidies

Tommy Sheridan, leader of the Scottish Socialist Party, said the change suggested GHA was unable to meet its promises without massive public support. "The idea that this money is available for the GHA Ltd but not for elected local authorities betrays the minister's political ideology and that of her New Labour colleagues. They are prepared to support mass sell-offs, but not mass investment in publicly owned stock." The Herald

Socialists call for Iraq debate

The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) is calling on Holyrood to hold an emergency debate on Iraq if war breaks out before the dissolution of the parliament on 27 March.

SSP leader Tommy Sheridan has written to the presiding officer, David Steel, claiming not enough time has been given for MSPs to discuss the Iraq crisis.

"The Scottish Parliament speaks for the people of Scotland," he said.

"More than one third of the British troops invading Iraq will be Scots.

"It is therefore unthinkable that we should not debate the war when it begins, as looks likely, next week." BBC

International Womens Day



International Womens Day was celebrated in Scotland with events all over the country. In Fife, activists picketed RAF Leuchars in protest against the threat of war in Iraq. In Glasgow the SSP Womens Network met in George Square to rally for peace. In Edinburgh the SSP Womens Network joined activists from the No Sweat campaign and the People and Planet group to picket Edinburgh's Gap store. They were campaigning for workers rights for sweatshop workers, who are predominantly female.

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