SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
Press Release: 12/03/05

Socialist women demonstrate outside prison

Approximately 200 members of the Scottish Socialist Party’s Socialist Women’s Network today took part in a demonstration outside Corntonvale Women’s prison in Stirling as part of events around International Women’s day.
Attending the demonstration was Carolyn Leckie MSP who was imprisoned in Corntonvale at the end of January for her part in anti nuclear direct action at Faslane nuclear submarine base.
Carolyn came out of Corntonvale with prisoners accounts of strip searching, prison clothes that didn’t fit and communal showers and toilets with half doors you could see over and male prison staff in attendance.
The demonstrators outside Corntonvale today demanded more appropriate programmes and facilities in communities throughout Scotland, with equal access to help and support for women.
Many of the women in Cornton Vale women’s prison should not be there.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons reports that;
“90 per cent of admissions have addiction problems, 80 per cent have a history of mental illness and over 60 per cent have a history of being abused. The question has to be asked: what will the prison do for them?”

Speaking after the demonstration Carolyn said;
“Today was a fantastic event, organised by the SSP’s Socialist Women’s Network.
“I know that women inside the prison will have been heartened by the event and we could see them standing at the windows waving.
“International Women’s Day celebrates the gains made by women but also causes us to recognise just how much we still have to fight for.
“Today we were calling for a change to the prison system, to demand equality for women across the world and for socialist change to a system that produces poverty, inequality and injustice.”
[ends]

Scotsman.com News - UK - Pensions liability is set to hit £700bn The sensitivity of the pension question was brought home to Holyrood yesterday when Jack McConnell, the First Minister, was questioned on the issue by Colin Fox, the Scottish Socialist leader.

Fox asked McConnell to give yes or no answers to questions on whether the First Minister supported the five-year increase in retirement age and the end to the final salary scheme.

Fox told McConnell: "Each public-sector worker in the country stands to lose at least £20,000, if these changes go through. I’m sure public sector workers across the country will be disgusted by your evasions."

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Police break up Trident protest Police have arrested 10 anti-nuclear protesters using a 25ft model of a Trident submarine in Edinburgh.

Traffic had to be diverted as a result of the protest, which was organised by the Trident Ploughshares group.

Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane was among about 20 people taking part in the demonstration outside Holyrood.

Spokesman David Mackenzie said the protesters were happy for the sub to be dismantled and wanted nuclear weapons scrapped too.

Officers moved in at about 2200 GMT on Thursday, arresting 10 people. The rest of the protesters disbanded by 0045 GMT, police said.

BBC News

Anti-nuclear protesters used a 25ft model of a Trident submarine to bring traffic to a standstill in Edinburgh.

Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane was among about 20 people who took part in the demonstration outside Holyrood.

Traffic had to be diverted as a result of the protest, which was organised by the Trident Ploughshares group.

SSP MSP Carolyn Leckie was told to leave the chamber during First Minister's Questions for refusing to put down a support the protest poster.

Her sign read: "Rosie Kane is not at FMQs because she discovered WMDs."

She was asked to leave after Presiding Officer George Reid said she was guilty of "disorderly behaviour".

Ms Kane said MSPs were not representing the views of the 70% of the Scottish public opposed to Trident.

"Many of us in different parties have tried over a long period of time to get the Scottish Parliament to at least speak up about this," she said.

"Until we get the powers to do something about it ourselves, we will do something on the streets.

"As an MSP, I am simply representing the wishes of the people of Scotland."

The demonstration blocked the Canongate at the bottom of the Royal Mile.

Police said they would not be forcing the protesters, who said they had chained themselves together inside the silver mock submarine, to move on.

The campaigners included 53-year-old Angie Zelter, who said: "Our message is that it's up to Scotland to try and get rid of Trident.

"We have to obey international law ourselves and stop being hypocritical. We are going to stay here until we are dismantled."

Scotsman.com

ATTEMPTS by left-wing MSPs to strip independent schools of their right to tax breaks and rates relief were yesterday defeated in the Scottish Parliament...

The Scottish Socialist Party went further by calling for every private school except special schools, such as Donaldson’s School for the Deaf in Edinburgh, to lose their right to charitable status altogether.

Tommy Sheridan, an SSP MSP, described independent schools as "a symbol of elitism and privilege" that had no right to state support through tax and rates relief. "The people of Scotland want an end to the situation that says these elite institutions are able to hide under the cover of being charities," he said.

The Scottish Socialist Party wishes everyone a happy International Womens Day.

The Socialist Womens Network will be holding a demonstration outside Corton Vale Women's prison.

Demonstration
Saturday 12th March at 12 noon.
Bus leaves Waverley Bridge, Edinburgh at 10.00 am.

Bring your pals, kids and pots and pans!
let's make some noise!

More info:

Cornton Vale

Many of the women in Cornton Vale women’s prison should not be there. The
chief inspector of prisons reports that, ‘90 per cent of admissions have
addiction problems, 80 per cent have a history of mental illness and over 60
per cent have a history of being abused. The question has to be asked: what
will the prison do for them?’

Poverty

A recent Scottish Prison Service report restates clearly that the key cause
of crime in general is poverty: 155 of the poorest areas in Scotland provide
half of the country’s prison population. In Cornton Vale, almost half of
the women are in custody for defaulting on fines, fines that many simply
cannot afford to pay. The average of these fines is £214 - hardly evidence
of a hardened criminal.

Scottish Socialist Party

SSP MSP Carolyn Leckie was recently imprisoned in Cornton Vale because she
refused to pay a fine imposed on her because of a peaceful protest at
Faslane Nuclear base. Carolyn described conversations with other prisoners
who told of strip searching, prison clothes that didn’t fit and communal
showers and toilets with half doors you could see over and male prison staff
in attendance. What we need are more appropriate programmes and facilities
in communities throughout Scotland, with equal access to help and support
for all women.

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (8th March) celebrates the gains made by women but
also causes us to recognise just how much we still have to fight for. Join
with us in calling for a change to the prison system and a change to the
wider system that reproduces poverty, inequality and injustice.

SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit Press Release: 07/03/05

Asian Dub Foundation SSP benefit concert
April 3rd at the Academy Glasgow.
Support Monkey Tribe, DJ Loki.
Doors open 7pm.
Tickets through Ticketweb; www.ticketweb.co.uk or 0870 771 2000

The London based band Asian Dub Foundation are heading to Scotland in April to play a benefit gig for the Scottish Socialist Party; the only Scottish date on a world tour to promote their new album `Tank'. Asian Dub Foundation started off in 1993 at London based organisation Community Music and were brought to the attention of the UK press when Scottish band Primal Scream took them on tour in the summer of 1997. ADF have helped to demolish many stereotypes of Asian musicians and by extension, Asian people. An acknowledgement of this came in the form of the BBC Asian Award for Music in December 1998.

ADF member Pandit G explained why the band is coming to Scotland to play for the SSP; "Whenever we can help progressives we do. "Because we all live in London we don't hear much about what goes on in Scotland but we know a lot of work's been done in the anti-war movement with the SSP. "Hopefully our gig on April 3rd will be a help."

Scottish Socialist Party national convenor Colin Fox expressed delight at the news of Asian Dub Foundation's benefit gig for the party. Colin said; "Asian Dub Foundation are a major force in popular music worldwide and it is a great honour for the SSP that they have chosen to play their only Scottish gig as a benefit for our campaign funds. "The proceeds from the Asian Dub Foundation gig will go to spreading the message of the SSP; of our continuing outrage at the Iraq war, opposition to the polices of the G8 leaders and our determination to end the gross inequalities of wealth and health in Scotland in the 21st century."