Scottish Socialist Party General Election 2005

SSP: Report shows Labour the party of the millionaires.

Scottish Socialist Party national convenor Colin Fox said today that the paper published in the British Medical Journal showing life expectancy in Glasgow is ten years less than that in Kensington and Chelsea in London was shocking proof that New Labour was the party of the millionaires. The paper also showed that the poorest 10% in society now receive 3% of the nation's total income, whereas the richest tenth get more than a 25%. Colin said;

"This election campaign has seen New Labour boasting about its success managing the economy. "That may be true if you are one of the richest ten percent living in Kensington or Chelsea but if you are low waged or unemployed living in Glasgow it is fiction. "For the people that the Scottish Socialist Party represents there is a cost to the wealth that is accumulating nicely for the richest ten percent and it is ten years off your life. "This is an absolute disgrace and proof that New Labour is carrying on the work that Margaret Thatcher started on behalf of the millionaires. "New Labour is very clearly the party of the millionaires, not the millions."

Scottish Socialist Party General Election 2005

Scottish Socialist Party call for £8 an hour minimum wage

As Labour highlight the minimum wage as a key achievement of the Blair government, Scottish Socialist Party convenor Colin Fox MSP called for the minimum wage to be raised to £8 an hour to lift thousands of Scots out of poverty.

Colin Fox said:

"Low pay and long hours are Scotland's national disgrace. "The UK has the longest working hours in Europe and a mountain of personal debt - unsurprising when you consider than 1 in 3 Scots earns less than £6.50 an hour.

"An £8 an hour minimum wage, equivalent to two-thirds of male median earnings, would lift thousands of families out of poverty, and would actually save money in benefits such as Working Families Tax Credit.

"It is a disgrace that a quarter of low paid workers are found in the public sector, including vital hospital workers, school caterers, and the civil servants paid to administer benefits such as WFTC who end up claiming the benefits themselves.

"Perhaps Tony Blair should reflect on the human price of low pay and long hours when he's relaxing with the G8 leaders in Gleneagles, surrounded by an invisible army of housekeeping staff who work a 48 hour week for £4.85 an hour."

Scottish Socialist Party General Election 2005

SSP attack two faced Lib Dems over Iraq

Scottish Socialist Party national convenor Colin Fox today attacked the Liberal Democrats over the Iraq war as another example of their "two faced" politics; saying one thing on a UK wide basis and doing another in the Scottish Parliament.

Colin said;

"The Liberal Democrats are at it again.

"On a UK basis they say they want to abolish the Council Tax but won't support the SSP's bill in the Scottish Parliament to do just that.

"They say they want to abolish prescription charges but won't support the SSP's bill in the Scottish Parliament to do just that.

"Now they are calling for troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year but in the Scottish Parliament debate on Iraq on 9th December last year the Liberal Democrats attacked the SSP's demand for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq as "utterly irresponsible".

"The Scottish Socialist Party is the only party standing in this election in Scotland which has consistently and fearlessly called for the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.

"The Liberal Democrats are nothing but two faced opportunists who deserve contempt from the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets to oppose the illegal war on Iraq."

The Herald
The Scottish Socialists said the sudden focus on world poverty was largely cynical tokenism.
Colin Fox, SSP leader, said: "For one day of the year Scotland's establishment political parties are paying lip service to the fight against poverty. Every other day of the year they attack those who make the fight against poverty the central plank of policy as being extremists and troublemakers. The only way to make poverty history is to make capitalism history."
He added: "Labour may promise more spending on aid but we are all used to Tony Blair's Labour manifesto promises being broken."

School Gate Mum has power to swing biggest election issue - The Herald: "'There's not a massive difference between the parties on maternity leave and pay, except the Scottish Socialist Party's proposal of 12 months' maternity leave with full pay would be fantastic. I have a friend – a male friend – in Sweden, who has 12 months on full pay.'"