48 hours after the results are known the media has had saturation coverage of an independence referendum. This morning on the Sunday morning politics programmes Labour and Tory politicians were wheeled out and attacked the SNP because of all the talk of independence.

The tory went as far as to repeat the Wendy Alexander Bring it on taunt to the SNP.

As daft as the phrase sounds, there is a minor point. In 2007 the SNP promised a referendum in 100days, er a year, er within the first term of office. The unionists allied in opposition enough to make the SNP bottle holding one. They are now hinting about one towards the end of the current term.

In addition the Tories supported holding the AV referendum even though advocated a No vote. If they see that the two positions are not contradictory then why do these parties not support having the referendum but then campaign against a Yes to independence result?

So on the one side you have the SNP trying to delay implementing the policy they exist for.

On the other you have the Lib Dems, Tories and Labour trying to block a referendum for a variety of public reasons (mainly cost) and private reasons (they don’t want it to pass). The arguments against didn’t stop Tories and Lib Dems supporting the recent AV referendum. Nor Labour the slightly less recent referendum on more powers for the Welsh Assembly.

As ever the goalposts have moved.

In the past few weeks Labour were saying a vote for SNP is a vote for independence. Presumably now they would insist a referendum has to take place first?

Of course rags like the Daily Mail are a bit miffed. Apparently the rest of the UK needs to vote on Scotland being independent, it’s not just those in Scotland. To use the old argument, a husband and wife would both need to agree to a divorce or if only 1 wants it be forced to stay together?

Quite pathetic really.

Of course the logical end of this argument is ignored.

The first commenter on the article Muggins, Manchester I want out of the Union as well; the European Union. What’s the betting we don’t get a referendum on that one!.

So does Muggins think that a UK referendum on leaving the EU would only be valid if the rest of the EU voted that the UK could leave?

Presumably not…

In the North East of Scotland 1115 people came out to vote for the SSP.

This broke down to
156 people in Dundee City West and
127 in Dundee City East

We hold stalls and leaflet houses throughout the year, not just at election time. All done by activists and members of the parties. Unlike some which we won’t mention, we don’t hire non-members to go and leaflet for us…

On May the 5th Vote SSP on the regional list.

You can download a copy as PDF from the main SSP site.

Hopefully this should cover most of the policy queries you may have. If you have a question about an SSP policy or position not included them leave a comment below or contact us.

The North East List is as follows

1. Angela Gorrie
2. Euan Benzie
3. Alan Graham
4. Soraya Kasim
5. Helen Fortune

With your first vote you vote in your constituency – Dundee City West, Dundee City East etc. With your second you can select one party on the regional list. That’s where you can vote for Scottish Socialist Party – Fight the Cuts

To find out more about Angela Gorrie and all of the candidates for the other regions of Scotland go to the Scottish Socialist Party site.

When the SSP were in Holyrood during the 2003-2007 term Colin Fox put forward a Bill to do just that. You can read his reaction here.

If only Labour hadn’t voted against it back then, we would have had free prescriptions for the past 4 years too.

If you want more of the same then putting more SSP MSPs into Holyrood will push these issues onto the political agenda. The other parties could ignore these obscene charges for 50 years but when shown the level of support for the abolition of charges, were slowly won over to support them too.

In the North East (Dundee’s region) Angela Gorrie is no1.

The Scottish Socialist Party has unveiled it’s lead candidates for the Scottish Parliament regional lists for the election to be held in May 2011.
The list includes two former MSPs, Colin Fox and Frances Curran, SSP councillor on West Dunbartonshire council, Jim Bollan, along with leading SSP activists.

The SSP’s decision to contest all Scottish Regional lists will mean that every voter in Scotland will have the opportunity to vote for Scotland’s socialist party, founded in 1999.

The Scottish Socialist Party will campaign for the rejection of public spending cuts, for an alternative policy putting people before profit and for the core policy of the party, an independent socialist Scotland.

SSP co-spokesperson Colin Fox said;

Working people are being hammered by the neo-liberal policies of the four establishment parties in Scotland.

The Scottish Socialist Party is the only political party in Scotland that stands up for working people and we will be campaigning for an independent socialist Scotland in the coming Scottish Parliament elections as we have done in every election since our founding in 1999.

You can find out more on the SSP site

It’s been 2 days and already the spinning is on overdrive. According to the Daily Sexpress

With brother David, he was surrounded frequently by socialist theoreticians and Labour activists while growing up in Primrose Hill, north London.

Stirring stuff. Man the barricades.

The Daily Hate Mail probably has some rant about how Labour will now be chucking Lords out of manors to fill it with gypsies or something but whilst checking I became too amused by this subheading Darling in swipe at Balls over Labour’s need for a ‘credible’ deficit plan to bother looking at their delusional rambling any further.

Iain Gray (that’s the Labour leader in Scotland by the way, you probably have as much chance of recognising him as Nick Clegg on May 1st.) has suddenly decided that the minimum wage should be raised. His colleagues probably forgot to bring it up during their 8 years in charge of Holyrood along with all the other reforms they will no doubt decide are really worthy now that they are out of power. He doesn’t really mention anything about the institutionalised age discrimination inbuilt into it by Labour though. That’s where your wage can jump up a pound overnight in your birthday for some yet to be explained or defended reason.

Jim McGovern meanwhile thinks that Ed will return Labour to traditional Labour values and move to the left. Given Labours history over the last few decades further moves to the right would be pretty difficult. It really would take a real lurch to the left to move them into the area of Social Democracy never mind anything further to the left.

Of course Jim McGovern will be aware of this given his voting record

• Voted very strongly against equal gay rights.
• Voted very strongly for Labour’s anti-terrorism laws.
• Voted very strongly for introducing ID cards.
• Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war.
• Voted moderately against laws to stop climate change.
• Voted to reduce abortion term limits.

Which really stands on its own. Or maybe his form of left-wing politics will be £700 desks and £200 DVD players for all.

1. Independence Refurendum
2. Free Public Transport
3. 100,000 new council houses
4. Free School Meals
5. Scrap Council Tax

We hope that we have won support on these important issues at a local and national level. Bleary eyed and tired we will find out at about 6-7 on Friday morning.

Whatever happens, we will be back out in housing estates, communities and the city centre on a variety of campaigns over the next four years and beyond. You will see us again before the whole shibang starts again before the next elections and the big business parties remember you exist.

Hustings, public meetings and leafletting have been the main activities. In the next couple of days everyone in Dundee should be getting an SSP

On Tuesday night you can see the second SSPSee the first one here if you missed it)

And don’t worry, the Saturdays immediately after the election will still give you an opportunity to meet the SSP ]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2007/04/21/weve-been-busy/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2007/04/11/manifesto-and-broadcast/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2007/04/11/manifesto-and-broadcast/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:33:22 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/manifesto-and-broadcast/ Yesterday saw the launch of our manifesto and the showing of our first Party Political Broadcast.

Our next broadcast will be on the 24th of April.