Wage war on poverty, not Iraq, say Socialists

THE Scottish Socialists yesterday said they would fight under the slogan "wage war on poverty, not Iraq" and would make a real difference to the parliament when they gained a bloc of several members in Holyrood in May.

Tommy Sheridan, convener of the party, said their anti-war stance would continue right through spring no matter the turns in events in the Gulf and even if an anti-war stance became unpopular. "Regardless of the opinion polls, we will be opposing the war. This is not about electoral gain, this is about peace and belief," he said.

The SSP yesterday joined other parties in launching a medium-term campaign and floating the broad thrust of its manifesto. This will be built around six pledges.

The main policy is the replacement of the council tax with a Scottish service tax based on income, which would mean those earning less than £10,000 being exempt, and those earning up to more than £90,000 being taxed at 20% on a sliding scale.

Mr Sheridan said that this pledge, in common with all his party's others, could be achieved within the powers of the Scottish Parliament. Free school meals, a £7.32 minimum wage rate and 35-hour week for public sector workers, an end to public-private partnership deals, and total public opposition to the "war for oil" make up the other planks of the manifesto.

He said: "These six pledges are radical, exciting and achievable by the Scottish Parliament. They will make a real difference to the people of Scotland, unlike the pale, soggy policies of the four main parties."

The SSP had 300 members in 1998 and claims 3000 today. "We expect to have six to eight members in the new parliament. We could hold the balance of power, and the price of our support will be the implementation of our six pledges," Mr Sheridan added. The Herald