SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
Press Release: 28/11/05

Scottish Socialist Party MSP for the West of Scotland Frances Curran has joined the occupation of a care home in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, where Robert Toole, 75, a resident who has lived there for 10 years, faces eviction following the decision of Labour controlled West Dunbartonshire council to close the home.
Scottish Socialist Party councillor for Renton / Alexandria South Ward, Jim Bollan, is also taking part in the occupation and said;
“No prior consultation has taken place with the 12 elderly residents who call Leven Cottage their home.
“No consultation with their families, no consultation with a dedicated and caring staff, no consultation with the Trade Unions and no alternatives to closure were considered, it is an absolute disgrace.”

Frances Curran added;
“The actions of the Labour council are an affront to the dignity of our elderly population.
“They evicted an old lady on her 88th birthday who didn’t want to go and had taken part in protests against the closure.
“Just prior to the last general election John McFall MP along with Labour councillors visited Leven Cottage looking for votes.
“John McFall was asked to sign the petition to help save the residential home.
“He brushed the request aside saying; “I do not need to sign your petition because Labour will not close Leven Cottage".
“I fully support the occupation of Leven Cottage and will assist in any way I can.”
[ends]

SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
Press Release: 28/11/05

Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosemary Byrne today backed calls from the Scottish Drugs Forum for increased resources to work with those most at risk of developing a drug problem

Rosemary said:
"The SSP has long supported increased funding for vital rehabilitation and preventative projects in this field.
"We welcome the Scottish Drugs Forum's call for increased funding for those most at risk and hope that it will be heeded by the Executive.
“I have been arguing for community based drug rehabilitation centres for some time and there is a desperate need in many communities for such facilities.
"The SDF are right that Scotland's drug problem could be vastly reduced in 20 years' time, but we have to move away from 'just say no' to real action to tackle the problem.
"The SSP supports the creation of 5,000 apprenticeships and investment in further education to open up greater training opportunities, factors which can help divert young people away from drug abuse.
"We also support the prescription of heroin for existing addicts, a move which has lowered the number of new addicts as well as vastly reducing drug deaths and crime when tried in the UK and overseas."
[ends]

BBC NEWS Trade union members, politicians and faith and community groups have marched through Glasgow to show a united front against racism.

About 1,000 people were estimated to have taken part in the Scottish TUC's annual St Andrew's Day march and rally.

The procession ended with a celebratory event at the Trades Hall in the city's Glassford Street.

The protest aimed to deliver the message that there was no place for racism in Scotland.

Those taking part included Glasgow Govan Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar and Socialist MSPs Tommy Sheridan and Carolyn Leckie.

'Satnam Ner, of the STUC's black workers' committee, said: "The stigmatising of visible minority ethnic communities following the summer's terrorist attacks, along with the harsh asylum laws and tabloid misinformation on immigration, presents a politically-charged backdrop for this year's St Andrew's Day March.

"This makes it even more important that we continue to challenge racism and fascism wherever and whenever it occurs."

Harriet Campbell, of the African and Caribbean Network said: "Racism can still be a problem today and that was why members of the group joined in the march, to make a stand against it."

Sunday Herald

IMMIGRATION officers who carry out dawn raids on families of failed asylum seekers in Scotland have no legal clearance to undertake work that involves contact with children.

Disclosure certificates, which state whether an individual has criminal convictions, are a legal requirement for anyone whose work involves regular contact with minors and vulnerable adults, and were introduced this year as part of the Children Scotland Act.

However, in a move that will incense critics who are already angered by First Minister Jack McConnell’s powerlessness to stop dawn raids, the Home Office has decided these certificates are not necessary for their officials.

Last night the situation led to accusations that the Home Office was operating illegally in Scotland. Lord Advocate Colin Boyd, the country’s most senior law officer, is also facing demands to investigate whether the UK government is acting outside the law.

Around 10% of operations conducted by immigration officers this year have involved homes in which children have been living. These raids have required officials in squads of up to 15 to enter family homes, including children’s bedrooms, and remove the occupants.

Where necessary, the officers also travel onwards with the children to immigration centres or airports, which can be hundreds of miles away.

Testimonies from children who have been removed from their homes claim that officers have woken them up and separated them from their parents. Some have even talked of occasions where officers have accompanied them into the toilet...

... Rosie Kane, the Scottish Socialist Party MSP for Glasgow, said she was not surprised by the lack of disclosure because “everything that they are doing at the moment is above the law and beyond human rights”.