HUNDREDS OPPOSE TORRY WASTE PLANT PLANS Aberdeen Evening Express

New delay as Holyroodheads for £400m bill

Glasgow MSP Tommy Sheridan, leader of the Scottish Socialist Party, slammed the open-ended contract that had allowed costs to escalate. He said: "If an ordinary worker made a mistake of such magnitude, he or she would be summarily sacked. The same fate should be applied to our so-called leading politicians." Glasgow Evening Times

Tommy Sheridan Mirror Column August 20, 2003, Wednesday

I CAN'T understand why we let someone else rule our land - sang The Proclaimers back in 1980s. That was during the high tide of Thatcherism. Across Scotland, the Iron Lady had been running amok. Factories were shut down like matchboxes. Thriving communities were turned into ghost towns.

And there was nothing we could do to stop her. Time and time again, the Tories were crushed in Scotland at the polls. But time and time again they were returned to power at Westminster. On the surface, things look different today. Scotland and England seem to be singing from the same political hymn sheet. On both sides of the Border, New Labour is in the driving seat. We even have our own little parliament in Edinburgh. But, as the French say, "the more things change, the more they remain the same".

Recently we were dragged into a war that the people of Scotland did not want. But we had no power to stop it. Next week, I'll be going to jail for protesting against nuclear weapons that the people of Scotland do not want. But we have no power to get rid of them. Last week, people in Scotland were outraged at the incarceration of little children in a Scottish jail. But we were powerless to stop it happening. More tha 70 per cent of Scottish pensioners live on the breadline. But we have no power to increase pensions.

Poverty is rampant across Scotland, mainly because of the shamefully low minimum wage. But we have no power over private sector pay. In the days before devolution, every decision which affected health, education, transport, the environment or local government in Scotland was taken behind closed doors by a single Government minister who was hand-picked by Downing Street. Now, at least, we have a bit of transparency. There is open debate and discussion. Decisions are scrutinised by the media and the public.

The MSPs who take these decisions are accountable to the electorate. So why should we fear extending democracy to all areas of government? Why shouldn't the people of Scotland have the right to decide whether we want Europe's biggest nuclear arsenal is sited just 20 miles from Glasgow city centre?

Why shouldn't we be allowed to decide whether our young men and women are sent to fight wars in distant countries for the glory of politicians in Washington and London? WHY shouldn't we have the right to scrap anti-trade union laws introduced by a Tory Prime Minister who regarded working men and women as the enemy within?

Why should we lock up little children in detention centres because a London politician orders us to do so? Why shouldn't we have the right to create a more equal society, where our wealth is shared out fairly?

I don't understand why people have a problem with independence. I certainly can't be accused of being a narrow, parochial nationalist. In the last month or so, I've spoken at meetings in England and Wales. I've met with Colombian trade unionists and Venezuelan socialists to offer solidarity. I've protested at Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and at Turkey's treatment of the Kurds.

I want to see a world without war and without hunger, a world where the wealth of the planet is shared by the people of the planet. But we have to start somewhere. If we can't change our own country, we'll never change the world.

That's why I'm a socialist internationalist who supports Scottish independence.

SSP Press Release 21 August

The Scottish Socialist Party today condemned the latest hike in the cost of the Holyrood fiasco and demanded that Westminster pick up the bill in full recognition of their responsibility for imposing an open-ended contract in 1998.

Tommy Sheridan MSP and SSP National Convenor said, "The disgraceful open-ended contract which has allowed Holyrood's cost to rocket from £40 million to £400 million was devised by Donald Dewar, Helen Liddell, John Reid and other Westminster cronies before the Scottish Parliament was even elected. This ridiculous contract was imposed on the new Scottish Parliament by the New Labour and Liberal parties. It is the responsibility of Westminster, not the people of Scotland. Not one penny should come out of Scotland's allocated block grant.

“The question remains, whose heads should roll over this fiasco? The role of people like Liddell, Reid and McConnell who was the first Finance Minister of the new Scottish Parliament must be thoroughly investigated. If an ordinary worker made a mistake of such magnitude, he or she would be summarily sacked. The same fate should be applied to our so-called leading politicians."

SSP Press Release 21 August

Tommy Sheridan, Scottish Socialist MSP and National Convenor, will hand himself in to Govan police station on Sunday night at 10.15 p.m. He was issued an arrest warrant for non-payment of a fine after being found guilty of breach of the peace when protesting against Britain's weapons of mass destruction at Faslane nuclear submarine base in Dumbarton last year.

Sheridan has always maintained his commitment to refuse to pay the fine as he does not accept it is a crime to protest peacefully against nuclear weapons.

He said, “Nuclear weapons are a crime against humanity and should be removed from the Clyde and from Britain. It is the duty of all peace protesters to make a stand against nuclear weapons, and politicians in particular should be at the forefront of the nuclear disarmament campaign. If we spent our money on pensions and hospitals instead of nuclear bombs, our society would be a much better place to live”.

Sheridan will spend the night in Govan police station before being transferred to Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday morning where it is likely he will be sentenced to 14 days in Glasgow's Barlinnie prison. Assuming Sheridan is well behaved, he should serve only half of this sentence.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Compromise over far-right visit

"However, the Scottish Socialist Party said the invitation should be withdrawn and promised to 'peacefully obstruct' the visit.

'The leadership of all other parliamentary groups have said they will not meet Vlaams Blok,' said the party.

'They are, however, willing for the visit to go ahead. We believe this is a shameless compromise.'

Earlier this week, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'Our advice to the Scottish Parliament is not to have any meetings with Vlaams Blok because of its far-right political persuasion.' "

SSP Press Release

The Scottish Socialist Party group in the Scottish Parliament today said that they would oppose the visit of the Belgian far right group Vlaams Blok to the Scottish Parliament.
The SSP lodged a motion on Monday 18th August opposing the visit and today’s meeting of the SSP group re-affirmed opposition to the visit and decided that the group would make every effort to publicly obstruct the visit if it proceeds.
The leadership of all other parliamentary groups have said they will not meet Vlaams Blok. They are, however, willing for the visit to go ahead.
We believe this is a shameless compromise.
The SSP group is demanding that the invitation should be withdrawn and has pledged to peacefully obstruct the visit.
Tommy Sheridan said today;
“Vlaams Blok is well known as a far right racist, sexist and indeed fascist organisation and it brings shame on the Scottish Parliament that it should provide a platform to known fascists”.
The SSP has today written to the STUC proposing a campaign to oppose this visit.

sundaymail - TOMMY ON WAY BACK TO PRISON

TOMMY ON WAY BACK TO PRISON

SCOTTISH Socialist leader Tommy Sheridan will go to jail for the fourth time next week - claiming he's the victim of a political plot.

He'll start a two-week sentence on Sunday in Barlinnie for refusing to pay a £200 fine for blockading Faslane nuclear sub base.The offence took place last February but he wasn't told when and where he would serve his sentence till last week.

Last night he said: "This smacks of political interference. The Crown Office must have known it wouldn't look good for Labour to make a martyr before the May election."