BBC NEWS | Scotland | Reshuffle 'a dog's breakfast'

Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan said it was an insult to put an English lord in charge of Scotland.

"I didn't rate Helen Liddell, but at least she was a Scottish MP," he said.

"Lord Falconer's main claim to fame is that he shared a flat with Tony Blair.

"This reinforces the SSP's view that it is time that Scotland took charge of its own affairs as an independent socialist Scotland."

Unreal perceptions of juvenile offending

Letter from Rosie Kane to the Herald newspaper

I WOULD like to take up Eddie Orme's point (June 11) that "I do seem to witness more and more anti-social behaviour in daily life". Our research, and that of several major organisations involved in juvenile offending, shows that offending rates have remained more or less unchanged over 10 years. Our contention is that the perception of juvenile offending by a section of the adult population is way out of proportion to reality and that it is played up mercilessly by the tabloid press who love nothing better than to scare folk.

The deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police, Tom Wood, said on June 1 that "The facts are that young people are no worse or better today than they ever have been. And there is no more youth crime than there ever has been, at least not in the last 10 years". He also suggested that the use of pejorative language in relation to young people "is misleading in that it implicates all young people" and "leads us down a false track".

Urban myths are prone to grow rapidly but "Rosie Kane wants to ban the word 'ned'" must surely be the fastest-growing fib in history. Here is the question I asked on June 5 in the Scottish Parliament that has caused this whole stramash: "Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP). To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on use by ministers [I repeat, by ministers] of the word 'ned' in relation to young people". I was asking the government what they thought of the use of pejorative language in relation to young people by its ministers.

The SSP group were saying that ministers should be ashamed of the way they have used young people as a political football to win the votes of people who may have genuine concerns over juvenile offending. They were able to get away with it because 16-17-year-olds in this country are an easy target - they don't have the vote.

Give them their democratic rights and you'd see the mainstream political parties falling over themselves to shake hands and ask for their support. It's an iron rule of politics that politicians don't insult the electorate; our youngsters should be afforded the same protection as the rest of us.

Rosie Kane, MSP, The Scottish Parliament.

Le SSP devient une force politique nationale Inprecor (France)

ROSIE KANE SENTENCED TO SERVE COMMUNITY

Rosie Kane was today fined £150 for her stand against Britain’s Weapons of Mass Destruction at Helensburgh District Court.

Rosie explained to the Sheriff that she had previously paid fines in respect to non-violent direct action at Faslane out of concern for her daughters but now that they were older, she was going to take a stand and not pay the fine.

Justice of the Peace Vivien Dance said that a 20 hours supervised attendance order would be used as an alternative to prison.

Rosie said after her court appearance;

“I’ll be back at Faslane to protest at the Weapons of Mass Destruction Britain keeps in Scotland.
“I’ll look forward to serving the community and suggest that it would do all the MSP’s good to join me.”

Both sides find something to cheer in announcement

Tommy Sheridan, leader of the Scottish Socialist party, said: "The SSP is opposed to the euro and in particular the pro-big business agenda which Mr Blair and Mr Brown are behind. We are currently meeting in Athens with the European left to prepare a socialist alternative for the European elections next year." The Herald

Rosie Kane takes a stand against Weapons of Mass Destruction

Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane will tomorrow appear at Helensburgh District Court charged with Breach of the Peace following the 22 October 2001 Blockade of Faslane nuclear submarine base on the Clyde.
Rosie will refuse to pay any fine imposed by the court in protest at Britain’s possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Rosie has been fined after previous arrests but has always paid up because of her two young daughters.
This time, however, Rosie’s daughters have told her that she should do as her conscience dictates and the newly elected MSP will refuse to pay any fine imposed by the court.
Rosie explained why she was prepared to go to jail over this issue;
“Iraq was bombed into oblivion because it was suspected they may have Weapons of Mass Destruction.
“ We know that there are WMD’s at Faslane and yet when we protest at their presence in Scotland we all get arrested.”
Rosie Kane will appear at Helensburgh District Court, 10.00am, Tuesday 10th June where she will be defending herself.

Telegraph | Opinion | Notebook

'The Queen coming means less than nothing to me," observed Rosie Kane of the Scottish Socialist Party of the Queen's visit to Scotland's Parliament a few days back. "It's just another load of pomp and ceremony that secures the monarchy in the Parliament and, quite frankly, there is no place for the monarchy in the Parliament.''

Left unity: the Scottish socialist experience Green Left Weekly Australia