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…

A call to the people of Dundee

• The Tory / Lib Dem Government has proposed massive cuts in services, benefits,
  pensions, jobs and wages as their answer to the deficit created by the banking crisis.
• Dundee City Council is set to cut £40Million over the next four years, and that’s on
  top of local cuts in budgets for Police, Fire, Health, Universities and the Civil Service.
• The poorest are facing a bigger share of the cost of a crisis that was not of their
  making. The bankers, who caused that crisis, are still raking in their bonuses.
• Last year £123 Billion of UK tax was either dodged through loopholes (avoided),
  illegally not paid (evaded) or simply not collected. Google’s UK earnings were £1.6
  Billion. Using loopholes in UK tax law, they paid no Corporation Tax. They should have paid £450 Million. UK Boardroom pay went up 7% and bonuses by 22%.

There is a better way

• The Government’s vicious cuts are not necessary: Current UK debt is only 68% of
  GDP, compared to Greece 115%, Japan 217%, USA 83.2%, Germany 73%, Belgium 97% and France 77%. The average for advanced economies is 77.3%.
• The UK and Argentina are the only G20 countries to withdraw financial stimulus from
  their economies for 2010. The others are investing in infrastructure and growth.
• We should be supporting our economy by investment in jobs, industry, training and
  research. We should be building our way out of this crisis; creating a future for our
  young people by developing our green industries such as offshore wind generation.
• We should be supporting our students and our Schools, Universities and Colleges.

Public March & Rally

Dundee, 29th September 2010

The European Trade Union Confederation is staging a European Day of Action on 29 September next. This Day of Action follows a decision by the ETUC Executive Committee on 1 and 2 June. It will be made up of a Euro-demonstration in Brussels and trade union actions in the various European countries. The European trade unions will be demonstrating against the austerity measures adopted recently by many EU countries, and to demand recovery plans in favour of quality jobs and growth.

As Dundee’s contribution to this activity a March & Rally will take place;

Assemble Hilltown Park, 11.30am

March off; 12 noon: Route: Hilltown, Victoria Road, Meadowside, Albert Square (North side), Reform Street to City Square.

Rally: City Square from approx 12.20pm to 1pm.

Called by Dundee Public Services Campaign, comprising Dundee TUC, Dundee Joint Shop Stewards Liaison Committee, Right to Work Campaign (Dundee).

To usual form they claimed that it was only Iraqi Insurgents killed etc etc.

The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow were boycotted in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Then–U.S. president Jimmy Carter announced the boycott in February 1980, and Canada and dozens of other countries soon followed suit. In his state of the union address that year, Carter made the case against the Soviet war:

“The vast majority of nations on Earth have condemned this latest Soviet attempt to extend its colonial domination of others and have demanded the immediate withdrawal of Soviet troops. The Muslim world is especially and justifiably outraged by this aggression against an Islamic people. No action of a world power has ever been so quickly and so overwhelmingly condemned. But verbal condemnation is not enough. The Soviet Union must pay a concrete price for their aggression.”

Now Canada is part of a coalition occupying Afghanistan whilst hosting the Olympics.

Read the rest of the article at the link for more information.

Dundee SSP are holding a public meeting about the continued war and occupation in Afghanistan on the 24th of February at the DVA.

Don’t forget to commemorate the Dundee volunteers to the International Brigade at Macmanus Galleries this Saturday.

We previously covered the re-dedication of the new plaque

Today, though, the occupation is not one enforced by a conquering imperial army, but consists of refugees fleeing from the occupation of Tibet by the army of the People’s Republic of China.

Mcleod Ganj is a suburb Dharasalam, home of the Tibetan government in exile and of the spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, since he fled there from his native Tibet in 1959. Many of the Tibetans in exile there have terrible tales to tell of human rights breaches and atrocities committed by the army of the People’s Republic of China.

There is a DVD called Ce Qu’il Reste De Nous (What Remains Of Us). It is the story of a young Tibetan refugee who was born in India but grew up in Montreal, Canada. She returns to Tibet (using her Canadian passport) with a portable DVD player and a message from the Dalai Lama. She also films the reaction of the Tibetans to the video, all, of course, in secret.

As an additional feature on the DVD there are interviews with three Tibetans in exile. Each interview is a personal horror story of torture, exile and human rights abuses committed by the Chinese against the Tibetans.

Dawa Khyzom is now a refugee in India after escaping through the mountains. She spent three years in prison for the horrendous crime of bearing a flag during a peaceful demonstration in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

They took us to the prison, legs and hands tied up. I was with two other nuns. The soldiers wouldn’t stop hitting us all night. They would hit us all over. It’s the same in every prison. They kept us starving while in jail. The only food we had was sandy and rotten.

Tenzin Choedak was sent into exile by his mother, who sacrificed all that she had with the hope that her son could freely go to a Tibetan school. He left Tibet, guided by a Sherpa, by way of Nangpa La’s pass, which lies between Mount Everest and Cho Oyu at a height of 5800 metres.

He describes his perilous journey to India through the vicious cold and heavy snow of the high Himalayas, relating how he arrived there with frostbite and having counted five dead bodies frozen in the snow on his journey. Tenzin Choedak was eight years old at the time of his escape from Tibet.

Palden Gyatso is a monk who enraged the Chinese authorities and was imprisoned for 33 years, his “crime” in their eyes being resisting patriotic re-education. After spending all that time in jail he made his escape to India through the mountains. He took with him some of the instruments of torture which he had managed to take from the prison.

On the wall there was all these torture tools. When I asked for my rights a soldier picked up the biggest one and showed me how it worked.. I could see the electricity come out. And then he said, ’Here are your rights.’ He would put it in and out (of his mouth), breaking my teeth. Then he let it in my mouth. The electric shock went through my body and I fainted.

These three people are at least now out of Tibet and the reach of the occupying Chinese forces. But thousands are still imprisoned under this brutal regime for simply demanding their basic human rights and wishing only to be left alone in their own country.. The source of all this misery has its roots sixty years ago.

The People’s Republic of China invaded Tibet in 1950, and though life in much of Tibet continued as normal, an uprising in 1959 was brutally put down and the Dalai Lama was spirited away to begin a lifetime of exile from his native land.

Though the accepted mythology has it that there was no resistance to the Chinese invasion, there was, in fact, a fair amount of armed resistance, as Tibetans, backed by the American CIA, fought back. It should not be thought that the Americans were extremely concerned about Tibetan independence, it was just that, as one CIA man put it, one more opportunity to create a running sore for the reds .

This resistance went on for nearly twenty years, but times change, and when US president Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, the writing was on the wall for the CIA sponsored Tibetan resistance movement, leading to the eventual closing down of the operation.

In 1971 the seat of China at the United Nations was taken over from the Republic of China, situated in Taiwan, by the People’s Republic of China. The PRC, as permanent members of the security council, had the right of veto, making it virtually impossible to debate the fate of Tibet at the UN. (Which says much about the democratic structures of that organisation.)

With the lack of any meaningful debate on the question of Tibet at the United Nations, the occupation by the People’s Republic of China has become an almost forgotten occupation. While we have in recent years heard much about the military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Chinese occupation of Tibet rarely makes the headlines in the world press.

The United States and China drew ever closer, till in the year 2000, normal trade relations became permanent between them. All of this, it should be noted, against a background of brutal repression by the PRC in Tibet.

But now, the United States and the West had access to the world’s biggest supply of cheap labour and a gigantic new market for their exports.

Yet though the partners changed, for the Tibetan people the tune remained the same, and their slow dance of death continued seamlessly, uninterrupted.

With this change of partners, however, one of capitalism’s most enduring truths was revealed, namely, that for capitalist elites, the making of millions will always be more important than the lives of millions.

And how those millions and the very land of Tibet itself have suffered at the hands of the Chinese military occupiers!

Since the Chinese invasion over 1.2 million Tibetans have disappeared in labour camps and prisons, been executed, died of starvation or been tortured to death (1 in 5 of the population). With spies and informers everywhere it has been likened to the old Stasi of East Germany. It is very dangerous for Tibetans to talk politics publicly, leading to an almost permanent air of mistrust.

Apart from this racial genocide there is also a parallel cultural genocide taking place simultaneously. Over ten million Han Chinese have immigrated to Tibet, making the Tibetans the minority population in their own land. The very Tibetan language is under threat. In a scene from Ce Qu’il Reste De Nous (What Remains Of Us) a group of university students open up after viewing the secret film.

We’re university students, but since childhood we have studied in Chinese. It has become almost useless to learn our language. People of my generation already have difficulty speaking Tibetan. Imagine how hard it is for those younger than us. I worry about our future.

When a student is asked whether any one of them had ever thought about leaving Tibet he replies that everyone present would very much like to go to India.

Beijing has changed the names of rivers and mountains, and for the last three generations Tibet, in tour books and schools, is a suburb of the motherland.

As a further attack on Tibetan culture between 1959 and 1977 the Chinese invaders looted, burned and demolished over 6000 monasteries, leaving only twelve undamaged.

In March 2008, the Channel 4 series, Dispatches, screened an episode entitled, Dispatches: Undercover In Tibet. They discovered a horrific situation, including the forced sterilisation of Tibetan women. This is despite Tibetan women supposedly having exemption from China’s strictly enforced laws concerning birth control.

Forced abortions and sterilisations are commonplace if women cannot afford the fine (the equivalent of £70) for having more than one child.

In the programme, one woman, a married farmer, tells her horrific story.

I was forcibly taken away against my will. I was feeling sick and giddy and couldn’t look up. Apparently, they cut the fallopian tubes and stitched them up. It was agonisingly painful. They didn’t use anaesthetic. They just smeared something on my stomach and carried out the sterilisation.

Apart from aspirin for the pain there were no other drugs. I was so frightened, I can’t even remember how I felt. Some people were even physically damaged by the operation. They have limps and have to drag their hips.

Environmentally, too, the Chinese invasion has been a catastrophe for Tibet. Since 1950’s invasion 68% of the forests have been felled. Many rare animals unique to Tibet such as the snow leopard and the wild blue Tibetan sheep are now rarely, if ever, seen. And to add to this woeful tale, China is using Tibet as a dump for its nuclear waste and a store for its nuclear weapons.

Tibet is a land rich in natural resources. Gold, silver, some of the largest reserves of uranium in the world and even some oil have been discovered. But like some colonialist power of old the PRC plunder another’s land to enrich themselves.

But even with all the brutality, oppression, imprisonment without trial, torture and attempts at humiliating the Tibetan people, the spirit of resistance remains, the flame of freedom still burns. In 1989 and again in 2008 the people rose and were brutally and lethally put down by the Chinese military.

The whereabouts of many of those arrested two years ago in 2008 are still unknown but their fate is very unlikely to be a happy one.

Sixty years on from China’s original invasion of Tibet, and fifty years on from the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile, the Dalai Lama now adopts the approach that he would settle for Tibet to be an autonomous region within China, much like Hong Kong is, but the Chinese refuse to negotiate even with this concession. Some more radical elements within Tibet maintain that only independence should be considered if Tibet is to be truly free.

In the third century BC the Chinese began building the Great Wall of China. In the sixty years since the People’s Republic of China invaded Tibet they have been trying as far as possible to build a great wall of silence. Taking over the chair from The Republic of China at the United Nations has been a great help to them in this.

And they are not slow themselves when it comes to imposing censorship. When the uprising of 1989 took place foreign journalists and observers were quickly expelled, allowing China’s human rights violations and violent response to the uprising to go largely unreported in the west.

In the uprising of March 2008, by the seventeenth of the month, all foreigners and journalists had been expelled from Tibet, again making the reporting after that date of Chinese brutality in the repression of the uprising extremely difficult.

But the keystone in this great wall of silence is the complicity of the so-called free world, the west, whatever you wish to call it. As a major trading partner and source of cheap and plentiful labour China must not be offended at any cost. Why should the suffering of a small population at the roof of the world matter when placed against the vast profits to be made for the capitalists by simply ignoring the situation.

As socialists we side with the oppressed against the oppressor, we defend the small and the weak against the big and the powerful.

The Scottish Socialist Party has a great record when it comes to opposing military adventures and occupations. We have opposed the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this opposition did not mean that by implication that we supported Saddam Hussein or the Taliban.

Our stance was that if change was to come in those countries it had to come from within, from the Iraqi and Afghan peoples themselves.

So, it should follow from this stance that while we should support the Tibetan people in their struggle against brutal repression and occupation, some may not wish to see a free Tibet under the Dalai Lama, though some may.

What we should, however, look for is a free Tibet with the people of Tibet themselves deciding how their country should be run, and not having tyranny and terror forced upon them by an invading army every bit as brutal as anything that the old British or the new American empires ever came up with.

Editors Note: Last night the Dundee East branch of the Scottish Socialist Party passed a motion about the Chinese occupation of Tibet. This will be heard at the party’s conference in March.

The SSPs annual educational weekend is taking place soon.

Friday night will have a rally with international speakers, expected guests include members of Frances NPA, Portugals Left Bloc and Denmarks Red-Green Alliance.

Saturday will have workshops and educationals on a variety of subjects

More details posted soon, or keep checking the SSP site

Dundee East and West branches of the Scottish Socialist party organised a public meeting in the city’s Queens Hotel on the evening of Wednesday, September 23, to protest at the continuing war in Afghanistan, and calling for the troops to be brought home.

It was a particularly poignant time to hold this meeting in Dundee, as two young soldiers from the area, one from Dundee itself and the other from nearby Monifieth, had lost their lives in the fighting in Afghanistan during the previous three weeks, in this pointless and senseless war.

Street stalls were held on the five days leading up to the meeting and the reaction from the public was overwhelmingly against the war and agreeing with the SSP‘s position.

Many of those signing our petitions and pledging support for our stance told us that they were either family or friends of service personnel currently on duty in Afghanistan.

In the two days leading up to the meeting, Dundee West member Angela Gorrie was interviewed on the two local radio stations, Radio Tay and Wave 102, giving her the opportunity to state the Scottish Socialist Party’s case against the continuation of the war in Afghanistan.

The meeting itself was well attended with around thirty members of the pbulic turning out to show their anger at Britain’s continuing involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

Speakers at the meeting were Colin Fox, national spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party; former MP and MSP and Scottish Socialist Party member John McAllion; and Mohammad Asif, of the Scottish Afghan Society.

First to speak was John McAllion, who highlighted the enormity of the lies and deceptions surrounding the war, while the next speaker, Mohammad Asif, told of the countless unnamed Afghan casualties who never seem to rate a mention as victims of a war being fought on their own soil.

In the final speech of the evening Colin Fox stated that on the run-up to next year’s general election the war in Afghanistan and the ongoing crisis of captitalism would be the main issues on which the election would be fought.

Following their speeches, the speakers then answered various questions from the floor of the meeting.

As regards further anti-war activity, it was agreed that we should use the time between now and the anti-war demonstration in Edinburgh on November 14 to build for the demo, and we should attempt to get the maximum number of people from Dundee through to Edinburgh for the event in order to keep up the pressure on the government.

SSP Public meeting on Afghanistan – Aberdeen

Wednesday 28th November in Aberdeen Trades Council Social Club, 13 Adelphi, off Union Street

Speakers
Colin Fox, SSP joint national spokesman
John McAllion, Former MP and MSP
Mohammad Asif, Chairman Scottish Afghan Society

Wednesday 23rd September, 7.30pm, Queen’s Hotel.

Confirmed speakers include Colin Fox and John McAllion

Afghanistan Public Meeting Leaflet

Wednesday, September 23rd, 7.30 p.m.

Queens Hotel, Dundee

Confirmed Speakers—

Colin Fox,
John McAllion

Assemble 8.15 p.m. march off 8.30 p.m.

Speakers: John McAllion (confirmed) others yet to confirm.

Bring candles, hand lights, banners, etc.

Also, to commemorate the bombing of Nagasaki, please join Erik Cramb on Sunday, 9th August, at 11.01 a.m. at top of Law.

In order to answer these questions I’ll begin with a brief chronology of the events which led to Manuel Zelaya being deposed as democratically elected president of Honduras. After that I’ll briefly touch on Zelaya’s politics over the last 4 years, his relation with the so-called Bolivarian revolutions, and the relation of forces within Honduras. Finally I’ll explore those aspects of the crisis which are of greater interest to Socialists: The reshaping of power relations in the region, both with regards to the US, and the efforts for greater regional integration.

José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, to give his full name, is a most unlikely left-wing politician. So unlikely in fact, as to be almost unique. Manuel Zelaya, or “Mel”, as he is known in his country, was sworn president in 2006 following his electoral victory the previous year as the candidate for the centre-right Liberal Party of Honduras. By 2007, however, Zelaya seemed to have completely transformed his political outlook. From the mainstream politician with a privileged background pandering to law and order rhetoric, and wedded to neoliberal orthodoxy, he went on to join ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas), the Chavez and Castro inspired alternative to the US led Free Trade Treaty. This move made him a dead man walking in the view of his own class. When asked recently about his conversion he replied, half-jokingly:

I tried to make changes within the constraints imposed by neoliberalism. However, the rich never give up anything, not a penny. They want everything to themselves. The consequence that follows is that in order to change things you need to incorporate the people into the process.

It’s not our business as Socialists to examine the state of his conscience as he made this statement, but it’ll suffice to say that his actions have brought him in an open collision course with the Honduran traditional establishment, and made him what some call the ‘oligarch oligarchs hate’.

Joining ALBA meant access to cheap oil, and the possibility of financing social programs. Nevertheless, given his background, he was unable to create an independent and organised political base. He has, however, gained the conditional support of the pre-existent popular movements and its most politically advanced expression, the Popular Bloc.

Earlier this year, on the back of these modest but undeniable achievements Zelaya proposed holding a non-binding referendum on June 28 on whether to call a National Assembly to change the constitution, to take place concurrently with that day’s election, a proposal that had obtained the support of 400,000 signatories. This was keeping with the wind of constitutional change sweeping other Latin American countries ruled by progressive governments. However, the international press, and the opposition, also in keeping with their habits, tried to present the plebiscite as a populist move towards ‘re-election’. A possibility granted to politicians in practically all Western democracies.

The intended referendum was immediately opposed by the country’s Congress and judicial organs and even declared illegal by the Supreme Electoral Court, which incidentally, the international press keeps referring to as ‘Supreme Court’, as to give gravitas to what’s no more than a Congress designated body.

The Congress, having failed to stop the referendum from being called, tried to get Zelaya impeached, but they lacked the legal instruments to do so.

The crisis came to a head when Zelaya sacked army chief general Vázquez Velázquez, a graduate of the infamous School of the Americas, after refusing to distribute the ballots for the coming referendum. The dismissal was declared illegal by the Congress. On June 28, as the referendum was about to be held, the army deposed Zelaya, held him for a few hours and eventually flew him to Costa Rica. Later that day he flew, this time by his own will, to Nicaragua to join an urgent meeting called by ALBA.

Despite the curfew ordered by acting president, Roberto Micheletti, the next two days were marked by increasingly vociferous protests. Two protesters were reportedly killed at the hands of soldiers. The new government has also shut down a number of TV and radio stations, and those that remained on air limited their schedule to broadcasting tropical music and soaps.

You may know from the papers that Zelaya announced his intention to return to Honduras on July 2, after meeting president Obama and the UN in New York. In an unprecedented move, the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Rafael Correa, have agreed to accompany him to Tegucigalpa (the country’s capital). In response Micheletti has announced that Zelaya will be arrested on arrival.

Very much unlike the attempted coup against Chavez in 2,002, the international chorus of disapproval has been practically unanimous. It is too early to assess the full significance of Obama’s and Hilary Clinton’s apparent condemnation of the coup. But it is undeniable that the increasing collective strength and independence of Latin American acquired partly through integration in organisation such as ALBA and UNASUR (the Union of South American countries), whose effort was instrumental in thwarting the recent attempted coup in Bolivia, has played a strong part. These organisations are not ostensibly Socialist, but their general aims – independence from the US and integration between equals – and the ideological banner under which these aims are addressed – ambitious social programs and furthering of democracy – are undeniably progressive and as such worthy of our support.

It may well be the case that Zelaya’s conversion was nothing but a strategic gambit upon the assumption of a shifting of power relations. But even this most cynical interpretation of his ultimate intentions pays tribute to the newly found confidence among left-wing democracies in Latin America.

By an Iranian exile in Scotland – 22nd June 2009

Iran is experiencing the most significant popular uprising since the1979 revolution.

The angry people came to streets after the 10th presidential election result was announced on 13th June. Two weeks of colourful street festivals, where young people were exceptionally allowed to let off steam dance and chant Ahmadinejad bye bye ended up in bloodshed.

Fraudulent elections are not new in Iran, but the recent colossal “polls engineering” has astonished even the most pessimist observers. While millions of change supporting youth prepared themselves to celebrate a landslide victory over Ahmadinejad, Iran’s ministry of interior declared him as the winner, having two times more votes over his main rival, Moussavi.

Three candidates could get the official approval to compete with Ahmadinejad. Amongst them Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi were considered as reformists and the third one was a former commander of the revolutionary guard.

Moussavi, an architect and the ex-prime minister in the 80′s , entered into the contest after twenty years of political silence. He was strongly supported by many reformists, such as ex-president Khatami and Rafsanjani, the powerful head of the “Council of Expediency”. Moussavi, known for his clean economic record and his efficient management of the wartime economy, could specially gain a massive support among all the strata of the society, and turn out to be the first chance of winning the election.

He openly criticized Ahmadinejad’s term as wasting of oil revenues, unjustified social repressions and confrontational foreign policy.

Both reformist candidates pledged to relieve social repressions and limit censorship, curb 24 percent inflation, and rebuild foreign relation with the West.

On the other hand, Ahmadinejad, who is strongly backed by the revolutionary guard (RG) defended his achievement on earth and the sky and claimed that he had revived the dignity of the Islamic regime by taking the aggressive stance towards the West.

The televised debates between candidates, a new phenomenon in Iran’s narrow political scene, broke many taboos and exposed a long-lasting power struggle at the top between the Supreme Leader, and his so-called barrack party on one hand and the moderate Rafsanjani on the other.

Rasanjani’s wealthy men have financed Moussavi’s massive campaign. Ahmadinejad condemned all his precedent governments, including Rafsanjani’s, for cowardice and corruption. The others openly called Ahmadinejad an extravagant liar.

While reformists did not pose major critiques of Iran’s nuclear program, one noticeable shift from previous elections was that social movement’s demands found more vocal voice within the reformist agenda.

Both reformists published their charters of Human Right, pledging to sign the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and to relax state censorship and suppression, and to give more rights to ethnic and religious minorities.

Karrubi, a former head of the Parliament, backed by an important student organisation and more radical figures of reformist intellectuals, even went so far to ask for revising the regime’s Constitution. This was an ostensible breach from the official discourse, since the constitution was regarded as the most sacred asset of the revolution.

These debates raised hope among young people desperate for change.

The growing consensus to participate in the election eventually marginalised the opposition political parties, notably leftist in exile, who pointed to so-called reformist government of Khatami’s presidency as a proof of impossibility of reform from inside the regime.

The leftists called for their traditional policy of boycotting the so-called elections.
The turn out to the polls however was estimated to be over 85% which is a record since Khatami’s election in 1997. The reformists observers of the polls claimed that they got 30 million votes out of the 42 million polls. Based on these, Moussavi declared his victory at the night of vote counting, while complaining about widespread manipulations and bias.

However, at the night of 12th June the ministry of interior turned the tables and declared Ahmadinejad as the new president, obtaining an improbable 24 million votes, two times more than Moussavi.

The two reformist candidates called the result as dangerous charade and imaginary and absurd. People soon called the move a political coup by the Supreme Leader in order to keep the “barrack party” (i.e the Revolutionary Guard and its militia Basij) in power.

Thousands of people who invested their hopes for change in Moussavi and Karrubi, immediately came streets shouting Down with dictator and Moussavi, take back my vote for me. On the same night, the regime’s Basij, well equipped with all the light weaponry but in plain cloths, attacked university dormitories in major cities, beating and injuring hundreds of students, while there are unconfirmed reports of 5 being killed in the attack to Tehran University dormitory.

In a national-wide demonstration on Tuesday, which was banned by the ministry of interior, hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out. Moussavi and Karrubi came to the crowd and stressed that they will not surrender.

The riot police and notorious Basij dispersed protesters using electric batons, pepper sprays, tear gas and, in some instances, shooting at the people. At least 8 people where killed and dozens injured in Tehran. They suppressed people more brutally outside the capital. The supreme leader who was the first to congratulate Ahmadinejad took one step back and vaguely ordered to review the results. However, people are highly suspicious that this was just a trick to calm down the people.

On 19th June, when some were still hopeful that these widespread protests would soften the ruling hardliners, the supreme leader declared threateningly at the Friday Prayer that the loser should respect the law otherwise they are responsible for the human suffering in the street clashes.

This final word of the ultimate authority was regarded as showing the green light to security forces to escalate hostilities. Angry people who were not frightened by the threats came to streets on the day after, which turned out to be the most hideous day since the disputed election.

In Tehran, alone at least 19 people were shot dead by Basij agents and hundreds injured, among them the tragic death scene of young girl called Neda who has now become iconic. She had came with his father to participate in peaceful protest but get shot in the heart, her last seconds were filmed by a pedestrian, spread virally on Internet and shocked the world.

In response to these brutalities, a national strike is been called as we go to press. The call for national strike first announced by an officially banned leftist group called Sacrifice of the People. Local workers strikes in objection to the rigged election have already been held at some instances, notably in the country’s main car manufacturing complex, Iran Khodro.

At present, all the reformist websites are blocked, mobile communications are restricted and almost all of the foreign correspondents, even the BBC reporters which was traditionally among the most gentle ones, have been asked to quit the country.

To circumvent censorship people have extensively used creative ways, for example they widely use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to organise themselves and to let the external world to know what is happening in the country. On the other hand, a series of distributed Internet attacks by Iranian diaspora brought down some of the regime’s official websites.

Almost all of the reformist leaders, critics, prominent journalists, student activists, and ordinary protesters are being jailed.

Even aged reformist figures in their 80′s where not immune to the mass-arrests. Dr. Yazdi, for example, an 80 year old ex-foreign minister , has been taken to jail straight form the hospital bed, where he was being treated for cancer. Moussavi and Karrubi are still free and continue reclaiming for re-election. Perhaps because the ruling class fears that their arrest will put more oil into people’s fire.

Outside the country, Iranians are mostly surprised by the election results, and shocked by the regime’s brutalities, are protesting at Iranian embassies and urging Iranian leaders to respect their votes – Moussavi’s average vote outside the country, where it were closely observed and thus difficult to forge, was over 80%.

So not surprisingly almost all expatriates are urging their respective governments to not legitimise Ahmadinjad as Iran’s president and many are asking to cut all ties with the mullahs’ regime.

Given the lack of any established resistance organisation and regarding the iron-fist policy of the government the future of the movement remains to be seen.

Something that seems clear is that the political cost of the election for the regime was huge and particularly the legitimacy lost by of the supreme leader was irreversible. It is rather soon to say that history is repeating but I think it would be fair to say that Iran have definitely entered into a new political era.

The unsettling fact is that the ruling class have shown that they are not worried about the death tolls, as far as their power is at the stake.

We would like to thank all those in Dundee and beyond who voted for a campaigning Socialist Party.

We saw a modest rise in our percentage both in Dundee and nationally. Clearly it was not as high as we would have hoped but it has been steadily rising in the city for the past 2 years and it is a start of the rebuilding process after the low of the 2007 results.

Unlike most other parties you didn’t only see us on the streets in the run up to the election and we won’t disappear immediately after it. Although at this election the other parties were seen even more rarely than usual. They wouldn’t have something to be embarrassed about would they?

We have managed to dish out thousands of leaflets to passers by to let them know two things that not only are we standing in the European elections but that we are active in the area.

Today was glorious sunshine in Montrose surrounded by the excellent background music of the festival going on behind us. We look forward to our semi regular stalls in Arbroath and Montrose – the SSP, not just on the streets at an election.

Extract:

For many socialists in Europe we have been inspired by those recent struggles in France – what is happening at the moment?

Sarkosy came to power partly because opposition to him was so poor. With all the parties pretty much offering the same policies Sarkosy may have appeared decisive and in control and someone who could sort problems out. Particularly with the economic crisis people now just see his government as arrogant and only interested in representing the rich. Worse than that this government is aggressive particularly against young people and is reacting to the increased conflict and tension brought about by increased class conflict by unleashing the police and stepping up surveillance, something I know is happening in Britain too.

From January to March this year there was massive protests across the country and a general strike was a possibility. Partly because of the role of trade union leaders this did not happen and this has meant that perhaps things are bit quieter just now. However I do not believe this will last and more struggle will take place only this time even stronger than before.

The actor is of course Tam Dean Burn

Glasgow: Tuesday 26th May, 7.30pm, Piper In The Square, George Square

Dundee: Wednesday 27th May, 7.30pm, Queens Hotel, 160 Nethergate

Edinburgh: Thursday 28th May, 7.30pm, The Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street

Speakers in Dundee will be Angela Gorrie (SSP candidate), John McAllion and the visitor from the NPA.

We will also be showing our latest broadcast and various other bits and bobs.

Come along.

Instead he repeated the SSP policy that anybody elected for the party will live on a skilled worker’s wage.

Former MSP Fox is top of the SSP candidate’s list for the European elections on June 4th.

He said:

The Scottish Socialist Party is entitled to have voters reminded that each and every one of their candidates is pledged to refuse the highly inflated salary of an MP/MSP/MEP and live instead on the average wage of the people whose interests they seek to represent.

And since promises in politics today are seen to be usually worthless it is important to remind voters that the SSP MSPs honoured that promise for the entire time they were at Holyrood between 1999 and 2007.

Each one of us lived on the average wage in line with party policy.

In the forthcoming European elections in June we will once again pledge to live in a skilled worker’s wage and shun the millionaire lifestyle beloved of MPs which has rightly outraged the public.

The entire sleazy episode nullifies any credibility ‘career politicians’ have about their motives for going into politics. It’s a funny way to ’serve the public’ stealing from the public purse and the SSP will have none of it.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/16/scottish-socialists-election-guarantee-we-won%e2%80%99t-play-the-expenses-lottery/feed/ 2 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/14/ssp-meetings-speaker-from-npa/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/14/ssp-meetings-speaker-from-npa/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 19:02:52 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=772 A wee reminder about meetings.

This Saturday we have an open meeting with Raphie de Santos leading us off on the crisis of capitalism, the recession, the credit crunch and economics.

In two weeks time we will be having a meeting as part of the election campaign. Speakers to be confirmed but we will have a candidate over from Frances new NPA – the New Anti-Capitalist Party. It will be at the DVA, 10 Constitution Road Queens Hotel on Wednesday 27th May at 7:30.

More details will be posted once confirmed..

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/14/ssp-meetings-speaker-from-npa/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/14/interview-with-colin-fox/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/14/interview-with-colin-fox/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 18:57:57 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=769 The Daily (Maybe) has posted an interview with Colin Fox.

They discuss the SSP campaign for the European Elections on June 4th.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/14/interview-with-colin-fox/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/13/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-3-johanna-dind/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/13/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-3-johanna-dind/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 20:37:52 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=739 Johanna Dind is our third candidate for the SSP list for the European elections on June 4th 2009.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/13/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-3-johanna-dind/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/13/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-4-nick-mckerrell/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/13/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-4-nick-mckerrell/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 17:27:07 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=741 Nick McKerrell is number 4 on the SSP list for the European elections on June 4th 2009.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/13/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-4-nick-mckerrell/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/12/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-2-angela-gorrie/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/12/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-2-angela-gorrie/#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 17:22:49 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=737 Angela Gorrie from Dundee SSP is number 2 on the SSP list for the European elections on June 4th 2009.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/12/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-2-angela-gorrie/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/11/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-5-raphie-de-santos/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/11/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-5-raphie-de-santos/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 17:30:57 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=744 Raphie de Santos is number 5 on the SSP list for the European elections on June 4th 2009.

Raphie is leading a discussion in Dundee on the economy on Saturday – come along!

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/11/interviews-with-ssp-candidates-5-raphie-de-santos/feed/ 1 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/06/more-from-the-delusional-labour-party/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/06/more-from-the-delusional-labour-party/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 18:35:55 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=722 Having signed a petition regarding Israels nuclear arsenal the governments reply is mind boggling.

The UK would like to see a world free from nuclear weapons.

By renewing Trident…

We are aware of the widespread assumption that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, but note that the Israeli Government has refused to confirm it.

Are the government seriously suggesting that Israel does not have nuclear weapons?

Perhaps it explains their inaction over the imprisonment of Mordechai Vanunu.

Lets use Occam’s Razor for a second.
Mordechai Vanunu has been imprisoned for being a traitor and a spy. His crime was to tell the world about Israel’s nukes. If he was lying, why would he be imprisoned for being a traitor and a spy?

If someone were to claim that the UK had a unit of sharks with frikkin lasers, would that make them a whistle-blower given that there is no such unit? Only if the UK did have one would they be a whistle-blower, the same with Mordechai Vanunu.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/05/06/more-from-the-delusional-labour-party/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/27/european-anti-capitalist-left/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/27/european-anti-capitalist-left/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:14:06 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=701 The Scottish Socialist Party have signed up to a joint European wide declaration for the European elections on the 4th of June.

Read the statement here. Parties signed up so far are from Belgium, France, Germany : England, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spanish State, Sweden and Switzerland.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/27/european-anti-capitalist-left/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/25/ssp-to-stand-in-european-elections/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/25/ssp-to-stand-in-european-elections/#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:36:33 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=696 Originally from SSP website

The Scottish Socialist Party is to take the message that the answer to the gathering crisis is to work for an alternative socialist society into the European elections in June.

The party took its decision at its annual conference in Arran at the end of March.

Amidst growing concern at the gathering economic crisis, rising unemployment economic insecurity and concerns over climate change delegates gave a firm yes to the need to put socialist solutions to voters.

As in Scotland with New Labour, former mass socialist parties in the EU are now involved with saving the existing order with, for example German social democrats in coalition with right wing Chancellor Angela Merkel and most others adopting a pro capitalist line.

In opposition to this a range of new formations such as Das Link in Germany and the New Anti Capitalist Party in France are staking out the ground for socialist ideas and policies which also draw on the growing concerns on environmental questions.

The SSP also rejected a call for a withdrawal from the EU at its conference and will aim to campaign for radical change on a socialist programme and will co-operate with comrades across the EU sharing that view.

Delegates clearly believed that an approach of fighting with other left forces for demands across Europe such as a European minimum wage was the way ahead.

The fact that a large number of the voices calling for EU withdrawal come from right wing forces such as UKIP, the BNP and far right Tories clearly further made the demand unattractive to delegates.

The party now faces a major battle to raise the resources including a deposit of £5,000 which are needed to fight an all Scotland election and are a major barrier to smaller parties putting their case.

Massive demonstrations in France, riots in Greece and unrest and questioning across the EU grows daily as factories close, dole queues grow and threats of wage and benefit cuts loom.

For the first time in many years the elections to what many see as a toothless European parliament will have a sharp relevance for voters who see the illusion of market capitalist prosperity evaporate like the mirage it was.

In such a situation there is a vital need to put the alternative of a socialist society based on need and not profit to voters.

Alongside comrades and allies in Europe the Scottish Socialist Party will ensure hat case is put to Scottish voters.

SSP co-spokesperson Colin Fox said;

The Scottish Socialist Party will contest the European elections on our unique anti-capitalist programme, as we have done in all elections in the 10 years of our existence.

The SSP looks forward to our part in a European wide protest by the left, socialist and anti capitalist parties at the terrible consequences for working class people of the financial catastrophe that the banks and big business have brought upon us.

In the forthcoming European elections the SSP will be once again ask voters to mark their cross beside the SSP, for socialism, independence and internationalism.

Victories for left candidates and parties would indeed be a spectre to haunt the cosy coterie of capitalist politicians facing the crisis.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/25/ssp-to-stand-in-european-elections/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/25/letter-from-olivier-besancenot-npa/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/25/letter-from-olivier-besancenot-npa/#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:30:03 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=693 From Colin Fox’s blog

Dear comrades,

What is happening in Scotland confirms the fact that in all countries in Europe workers are suffering under the same blows from the bourgeoisie. The attacks against public services as a whole in a view to their privatization are just an example among many. The project to privatise the Royal Mail,which is taking place at the same time as that of privatising La Poste in France, proves it. We are, therefore, in complete solidarity with the struggle you are carrying out to prevent it.

In France, resistance to this privatisation plan has been organised around a large front of trade union, political and social organisations. Such a gathering of forces, which is absolutely exceptional, has resulted in the creation of local or regional committees around the country.

The purpose of these committees is to carry out an information campaign to mobilise the whole of the population, not just the workers of La Poste. We will not hide from you the difficulties we have encountered. As the government is for ever setting back the date to concretes this project, many people are under the impression that the privatisation of La Poste is something to happen sometime in the far future.

However, we all know how important it is to start the mobilisation from now, and not to wait.

At the same time, the series of wild strikes that have been taking place at La Poste show that the mood might change very quickly. I have myself taken part in a strike which lasted several weeks in my section. We demanded better pay and better working conditions. This is but one concrete way of fighting against privatisation!

So, comrades, we all wish you good luck in your struggle: when faced with a world economic crisis without precedent, it is urgent for all workers to unite and resist together.Long life to a Europe in which workers fight back together!Brotherly anti-capitalist greetings,

Olivier Besancenot

Postier Porte parole du NPA

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/25/letter-from-olivier-besancenot-npa/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/23/paris-commune-photos/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/23/paris-commune-photos/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:08:55 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=690 Pete the Radical Poet has found some photos of the Paris Commune

These fascinating photos are all the more remarkable given they were taken in 1871.

For a brief overview of this landmark in working class history see the Wikipedia article on the Paris Commune.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/23/paris-commune-photos/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/22/the-passing-of-jack-jones/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/22/the-passing-of-jack-jones/#comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:03:51 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=685 Jack Jones died today. Dundonians may most recently remember him from his attendance at the International Brigade Memorial Trust events in the city late last year.

A short piece detailing his politics is on Socialist Unity.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/22/the-passing-of-jack-jones/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/14/public-lecture/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/14/public-lecture/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:46:55 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=662 Public lecture

How can we stop Israeli human right violations

By: Manawel Abdelal
Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions

Wednesday 22 April 2009 @ 7:00pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Tower Building
Dundee University

Event Organised by: Dundee Trades Council, Dundee University Islamic Society and Tayside for Justice in Palestine

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/14/public-lecture/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/03/forthcoming-meetings/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/03/forthcoming-meetings/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:32:28 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=643 Next meetings:

• Wednesday 15 April 2009 – guest speaker Ken Ferguson, editor of the Scottish Socialist Voice
• Wednesday 29 April 2009 – no main topic decided yet
• Wednesday 13 May 2009, guest speaker Gerry from the SSP Cuba Delegation

If you would like to come along, please contact us

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/03/forthcoming-meetings/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/02/visteon-car-workers-in-belfast-occupy-against-cuts/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/02/visteon-car-workers-in-belfast-occupy-against-cuts/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:56:30 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=629 We need to rush now to get messages of support / offers of help to John Maguire, Belfast Unite Convenor – 07816590380, dmcmurray@unitetheunion.com

by Simon Basketter

Some 200 workers have occupied the Visteon car parts plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland, against job cuts.

The workers went into occupation on Tuesday after the bosses summarily announced the closure of the plant with the loss of all jobs.

Davy MacMurray, from the Unite union, said the way the job cuts were announced was brutal. He said, The administrator came in, held a meeting and told the workforce their employment was terminated. These people were going to be put out on the street tonight.

Visteon took over the plant from Ford in 2000. All the parts the plant makes were for Ford.
One occupying worker told Socialist Worker, Ford have a commitment and agreement with the unions that there would never be compulsory redundancies. At the very least we should get the same redundancy package as Ford workers.

In the early evening the 200-strong workforce was holding protests both inside and outside the plant. Supporters were bringing supplies and sleeping bags. The furious workers are fighting to be treated with decency by the company and the administrators. They are planning protests tomorrow at Ford dealerships across the city.

Jon Macquire the Unite union convenor at the plant, spoke to Socialist Worker from the occupation. Ford and Visteon have manipulated this situation together, he said.

We have been treated disgracefully. We are occupying the factory to save our jobs. There was no consultation whatsoever – they simply announced the closure.

They have put the pension scheme into administration. To make it clear – we are in for the long haul and are committed to get proper redundancy packages and pensions.

We are determined to continue our occupation and we appeal on workers throughout Ireland, Britain and internationally to support our fight to defend jobs.

Visteon has also announced the closure of is plants in Basildon and Enfield – threatening another 400 jobs.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/04/02/visteon-car-workers-in-belfast-occupy-against-cuts/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/14/the-islands-of-palestine/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/14/the-islands-of-palestine/#comments Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:58:30 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=473 One of the most fascinating sites on the internet is Strange Maps. From old countries that no longer exist to re-imaginings of the world as it is, it always makes you think and remember that the world is forever changing. Countries and borders even more so – being the creation of the political will and power of man and not nature.

Their latest update is a superb view of Palestine. It perfectly illustrates the reality for Palestinians. When people speak about Israel and Palestine they are not two landmasses who neighbour each other. Israel is a landmass which contains broken and separate chunks of Palestine. Thanks to roadblocks and checkpoints the Palestinians would probably find it easier to move around a series of islands on boats than Palestine on foot.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/14/the-islands-of-palestine/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/04/viva-la-revolution-st-andrews/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/04/viva-la-revolution-st-andrews/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:39:46 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=419 Below is a short article written by Colin Fox about the occupation of St Andrews Uni. Come along to our open branch meeting tomorrow night to hear Colin Fox speaking about the Council Tax and Angela Gorrie speak about the Maryfield by election. (see meetings page for details)

Viva La Revolution St Andrews

Students at St Andrews University were in the headlines last week for occupying their College Halls in support of the Gaza Palestinians and in particular against the University’s links with Israeli defence contractors. Last Wednesday as their week long occupation drew to a successful conclusion they asked me to come up and address them. Many of the 200 or so protesters had organised my election campaign to become Rector of the University last October.

These are my remarks to them

I am very proud indeed to be back here at St Andrews tonight. I am especially proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with you at the end of this remarkable occupation. I am proud to see so many of the students who led the campaign ‘Fox for Rector’ in October involved in furthering the cause of the Palestinian people.

I am sure Kevin Dunnion [the successful Rector candidate] is delighted to see you take this action and demonstrate the strength of feeling on campus. – Kevin Dunion was, unbeknown to me, sitting in the meeting as I spoke!

I wish to congratulate you all on behalf of the people of Scotland and indeed the vast majority of the peoples of the world who like you share the view that a terrible injustice has befallen the people of Gaza in recent weeks. You have done both them and yourselves immense credit by the principled and dignified way you have conducted your protest.

You are a credit indeed to us all, to the people who have gone before you at this University and the spirit of learning which this place exists to promote. You have learned that it is right to stand up to tyranny and abuse. It is right to resist injustice and to rebel against exploitation. Read Shelley, read Oscar Wilde, read Malcolm X.

In my experience over 30 years now as an active participant in the international class struggle your actions do matter, they do affect change, you will give huge encouragement to the Palestinian people by this action this past week. News of your protest will have given great encouragement to hundreds of millions of people throughout the world who support the Palestinian cause.

Furthermore your action will have severely irked those who wish you hadn’t done it; the UK Government, the US Government and of course the warmongering Israeli propaganda machine.

They would have rather you hadn’t had this occupation. They would rather you had stayed in the bar drinking and mind your own business or stayed in your halls with a joint getting stoned. In fact they would have far rather you were protesting on their side in favour of BAe’s links to the Israeli military.

I see the Palestinians in 2009 as the black South Africans of the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s – facing down the barrel of a gun and overwhelming military intimidation for their basic democratic and human rights.

The struggle for justice for the Palestinians today is every bit as important as the anti Apartheid campaign. The treatment of Palestinians is no less brutal that that meted out to the black majority in South Africa. The injustice is rife, the military odds stacked against them virtually insurmountable. Yet the international support is as it was for Nelson Mandela and the ANC.

And lets not forget they won and so will the Palestinains.

Your occupation this week has played its small part in bringing the day the Palestinians achieve the rights the rest of us already take for granted that bit closer. I salute you , you should be proud of yourselves and each other. Thank you.’

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/04/viva-la-revolution-st-andrews/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/04/labour-support-torture/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/04/labour-support-torture/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:36:32 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=415 The revelations about Labour supporting the torture of people came so long ago that they are as easily forgotten as they were ignored by the press.

Craig Murray has posted an excellent piece detailing how Harriet Harman is lying for claiming the British Government never knew it gained intelligence from torture and explains how Jack Straw and others justified it at the time.

An exert

---

• In October/November 2002 and January/Februray 2003 I sent two Top Secret telegrams to London specifically on the subject of our receipt of intelligence gained under torture. I argued this was illegal, immoral and impractical. The telegrams were specifically marked for the Secretary of State.
• I was formally summoned back to the FCO for a meeting held on 7 or 8 March 2003 specifically and solely on the subject of intelligence gained under torture. Present were Linda Duffield, Director Wider Europe, FCO, Sir Michael Wood, Chief Legal Adviser, FCO, and Matthew Kydd, Head of Permanent Under-Secretary’s Department, FCO.
• This meeting was minuted. I have seen the record, which is classified Top Secret and was sent to Jack Straw. On the top copy are extensive hand-written marginalia giving Jack Straw’s views.
• I was told at this meeting that it is not illegal for us to obtain intelligence gained by torture, provided that we did not do the torture ourselves. I was told that it had been decided that as a matter of War on Terror policy we should now obtain intelligence from torture, following discussion between Jack Straw and Richard Dearlove. I was told that we could not exclude receipt of specific material from the CIA without driving a coach and horses through the universality principle of the UK/US intelligence sharing agreement, which would be detrimental to UK interests.

---

Looks like they are trying to win the hearts and minds one dissected and boiled set of genitalia at a time.

Help Craig Murray be heard by the committee by e-mailing them following the details on a later post.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/03/04/labour-support-torture/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/24/dundee-maryfield-by-election/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/24/dundee-maryfield-by-election/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:16:33 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=379 Short article by Dundee SSP candidate in the Maryfield by election, Angela Gorrie also on the SSP site

Dundee SSP announced our candidate in the Maryfield by election Angela Gorrie.

The by-election in the Maryfield ward of Dundee City Council, scheduled for Thursday March 12th, will be the first local authority contest since the SNP’s u-turn on Council Tax. In an area where Council Tax rates are among the highest in Scotland, this will not go unnoticed.

Although a win in the poll, triggered by the resignation of Labour’s Joe Morrow, will not be enough to give the SNP a majority, it will leave them just one seat away. The 29 member council is currently finely balanced with 13 SNP members, 10 Labour; 3 Conservatives; 2 Liberals and an Independent.

The ward, one of the largest within Dundee, ranges from the docks of the Tay, through the City Centre to the north edge of the City.

Unusually, it also straddles the boundaries of the Dundee East/West Scottish and Westminster parliamentary seats. Unfortunately for activists however, much of the area lies on a steep slope!
The SSP have consistently held stalls in this area over the past few years, something which many passers by certainly seem to appreciate.

Along with weekly City Centre stalls we try to hold earlier activities in the outlying areas of the city. Stobswell Junction, which sits at the top end of the ward, has always been a popular location.

While the early days of the campaign have so far focused on the SSP’s commitment to replace the hated Council Tax with our Scottish Service Tax, based on income and ability to pay, our other policies have also been well received.

The area has a large student population, so our message of abolish all fees and loans; bring back grants has been well received. Due to the location there are also a high number of council workers in the area. Dundee SSP members were highly active around the last Local Authority workers’ strikes last year, spending many mornings, before and after, leafleting workplaces and showing solidarity with workers.

This has not been forgotten, and we have received many positive comments on the streets about our support.

While the ward boasts enviable public transport links – Dundee Bus Station is within the area, and the Railway Station is just to the West – the costs continue to rise. When I first moved to Dundee four years ago, the standard fare was £1.10. This has now spiralled to £1.45. The cheapest fare increased to 80p earlier this year.

At a time when many local facilities are closing, this has put additional financial pressure on many who live in the area. The SSP’s Free Public Transport policy is recognised as a way to combat this, while going some way to save the environment at the same time.

Dundee, as a city twinned with Nablus, has always taken the fight of the Palestinian people to its heart. This was clear at the recent demonstration, one of the largest the City has witnessed in recent years. Dundee SSP is proud to be a part of this movement.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/24/dundee-maryfield-by-election/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/22/petition-for-same-sex-marriage/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/22/petition-for-same-sex-marriage/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:46:28 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=372 A petition has been launched for the right for Same Sex Marriages.

[blockquote]Petition by Nick Henderson, on behalf of LGBT Network, calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 to allow two persons of the same sex to register a civil marriage and a religious marriage if the relevant religious body consents.[/blockquote]

More information can be found here

European and Scottish political leaders, international marriage equality groups and church leaders all back same sex marriage petition.

West Midlands Labour MEP Michael Cashman today signed the petition in the Scottish Parliament calling for same sex couples to have the right to register a civil marriage, or a religious marriage should the relevant religious institution consents.

His support comes as the petition gathers momentum, attracting support from Scottish Labour MEP Catherine Stihler, London Green MEP Jean Lambert, Scottish Labour MSP George Foulkes, and the leader of the Labour Group in the European Parliament, Glenis Willmott MEP.

Support from across the world has been pouring in, as groups such as Australian Marriage Equality, Marriage Equality Ireland, and the US movement Blue4Equality all back and publicise the campaign.

Equal Marriage Rights, the group set up by Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger, litigants in the High Court same sex marriage case Wilkinson v. Kitzinger, and Peter Tatchell’s OutRage! have also publicised and supported the petition.

The Reverend John Penman, from Christ Church Falkirk, and the Reverend Ruth Innes from St Marks Portobello have added their names to the petition.

The Very Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth, provost of St Marys Episcopal Church in Glasgow said:

This is something which directly affects my ministry. The existence of Civil Partnerships has been a big step forward. They have given a whole new set of images to society of what gay people are like and that has been great.

However, Civil Partnership is not Marriage and that inequality is discrimination. This is important – I’ve had people approach me asking me whether I can do a legal ceremony for them and I’ve had to say that though I’d like to, the law doesn’t allow me to do so. Indeed, the current law specifically forbids people from registering Civil Partnerships in church or using any religious expression in their legal ceremony. What that does, is imply that gay people can never be as holy as straight people. And the ugly consequences of that kind of prejudice are visible in all kinds of places, not least in the suicide statistics of young men.

The LGBT Network will be visiting the LGBT group of St Marys church on Monday and speaking to the LGBT Society of St Andrews University to promote grassroots support of the petition.

To find out the latest on the campaign, keep checking out our website; lgbtnetwork.eu or follow our updates on Twitter; twitter.com/LGBTNetwork

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/22/petition-for-same-sex-marriage/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/16/try-the-war-criminals/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/16/try-the-war-criminals/#comments Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:11:58 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=316 A new campaign has been launched to indict Tony Blair in the Hague as a war criminal.

The petition text is below, follow the link to sign it.

To: President of the United Nations General Assembly and the UK Attorney General

BWCF – THE BLAIR WAR CRIMES FOUNDATION

To The President of The United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, and The Attorney General of the United Kingdom, and their successors in office.

RE ANTHONY CHARLES LYNTON BLAIR

We, the citizens of the United Kingdom and other countries listed, wish to uphold The United Nations Charter, The 1998 Rome Statute of The International Criminal Court, The Hague and Geneva Conventions and the Rule of International Law, especially in respect of:-

1. 1949 Geneva Convention IV: Article 146
   The High Contracting Parties undertake to enact any legislation necessary to provide effective penal sanctions for persons committing, or ordering to be committed, any of the grave breaches of the present Convention.
2. 1907 Hague Convention IV: Article 3
   A belligerent party which violates the provisions of the said regulations shall, if the case demands, be liable to pay compensation. It shall be responsible for all the acts committed by persons forming part of its armed forces.

We therefore call on you to indict Anthony Charles Lynton Blair in his capacity as recent Prime Minister of the UK, so long as he is able to answer for his actions and however long it takes, in respect of our sample complaints relating to the 2003 Iraq War waged by the UK as ally to the United States of America.

We are concerned that without justice and respect for the rule of law, the future for us and our progeny in a lawless world is bleak, as revealed by recent US declarations about the use of torture and the events of December 2008 in Gaza show.

The following are our sample complaints relating to the Iraq War 2003-2009:

1. Deceit and conspiracy for war, and providing false news to incite passions for war, causing in the order of one million deaths, 4 million refugees, countless maimings and traumas.
2. Employing radioactive ammunition causing long-term destruction of the planetary habitat.
3. Causing the breakdown of civil administration, with consequent lawlessness, especially looting, kidnapping, and violence, and consequent breakdown of womens’ rights, of religious freedom, and child and adult education.
4. Failing to maintain the medical needs of the populace.
5. Despoliation of the cultural heritage of the country.
6. Supporting an ally that employs ‘waterboarding’ and other tortures.
7. Seizing the assets of Iraq.
8. Using inhumane restraints on prisoners, including dogs, hoods, and cable ties.
9. Using Aggressive Patrolling indiscriminately, traumatising women and children and wrecking homes and property.
10. Marking bodies of prisoners with numbers, writing, faeces and other degrading treatment.
11. The use of cluster bombs and other indiscriminate weapons including white phosphorous on shake and bake missions.
12. Supporting indiscriminate rocket attacks from F16 fighter planes on women and children in Fallujah in Nov 2004
13. Supporting the shooting up of ambulances and medical personnel in Fallujah in Nov 2004
14. Supporting the expulsion of the entire population of Fallujah save for young men of military age, for a reprisal attack on that city in Nov 2004.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/16/try-the-war-criminals/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/04/256/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/04/256/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:50:59 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=256 Students are currently occupying a building at Strathclyde uni over the war on Gaza. They have issued a list of demands and are holding a rally tomorrow. Their message follows after the address of their blog

Strathclyde University Occupation

50 Students are currently occupying srathclyde uni mccance building. a delegation is meeting the principal andrew hamnett to present the following demands :

1. cancel SU‘s contract with eden springs
2. refuse investment from arms manufactyrer BAe systems and find alternative funding for the engineering dept.
3. fund and facilitate 50 scholarships for Palestinian students
4. solidarity with Gaza’s Islamic university – send a letter of support, twin SU with the Islamic uni and aid the rebuilding
5. condem the BBC‘s refusal to show the DEC appeal, show the appeal in lecture theatre’s and hold a fundraising day on campus
6. stop Israeli academics promoting military research at SU the students of the occupation are appealing for solidarity , come down and support us! we will be here until our uni commits to supporting the Palestinians.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/02/04/256/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/28/mark-steel-on-the-bbc-gaza-decision/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/28/mark-steel-on-the-bbc-gaza-decision/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:07:02 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=238 Mark Steel on the BBC Gaza appeal

The BBC are right. If they broadcast that appeal for food and medicine to be sent to Gaza it would be taking sides. The Israeli Defence force could legitimately say “We’ve gone to enormous lengths here to kill people, then you go and help to keep them alive. How do you square that with your remit to be neutral?”

So the BBC needs to look at other areas in which its ‘impartiality’ could be called into question. To start with they’ll have to scrap Crimewatch, which clearly takes the side of the murdered against the interests of murderers. Maybe they could get round this by having a new balanced Crimewatch, in which the police plea for witnesses to a crime, but then the presenter says “Next tonight – have you seen this man? Because Big Teddy and his gang are desperate to track him down and do him in for ringing us up earlier. So if you have any information please call us, where Nobby the Knife is ready to talk to you in complete confidence.”

Please donate something to the Disaster Emergency Appeal and while you are at it complain to the BBC about their deplorable decision to not screen the appeal.

The appeal in question

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/28/mark-steel-on-the-bbc-gaza-decision/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/23/tayside-for-justice-in-palestine/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/23/tayside-for-justice-in-palestine/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:20:49 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=231 A number of people have found our blog looking for information on Tayside for Justice in Palestine.

If you wish to contact Tayside for Justice in Palestine, the details are:

Email: taysideforjusticeinpalestine@gmail.com
Phone or Text: 07803 052239

Alternatively you can post here and we can pass on to the organisation.

The text from their latest leaflet is below. Several members of Dundee Scottish Socialist Party are involved in the organisation.

The Killing has stopped but the fight goes on

As predicted, the slaughter has stopped in time for the inauguration of President Obama. Now, when the children of Gaza ask their parents when they are going to die, they can be given a little reassurance. But this is only a ceasefire. Over 1,000 have died including 400 children, thousands of lives have been destroyed, Gaza lies in ruins, and the Israeli army could strike again at any time. Moreover, beyond the immediate horror, the political oppression, of which this war was a particularly bloody part, still continues. Israel has strangled the Gaza economy and sealed its borders so that it cannot even receive essential medical supplies; they show no signs of lifting their embargo. Meanwhile, on the Palestinian West Bank, Israel continues to take the best Palestinian land for Israeli settlements and to seal the Palestinians behind a concrete apartheid wall. Our campaign must go on to end the illegal occupation of Palestine and force Israel to withdraw to its 1967 borders, as ordered by UN resolutions. We cannot forget the Palestinians just because Gaza no longer dominates our TV screens.

What can we do?

Boycott Israeli Goods

Stop buying produce from Israel or from the West Bank (which means the illegal Israeli settlements). Check the label, especially when buying citrus fruits and fresh herbs. This boycott is an international movement and it is growing. Wear one of our stickers to show what you are doing. See Big Campaign

Write to your MP and MSP and MEP asking them to put pressure on Israel to open Gaza’s border and withdraw from the occupied territories. Government action should include ending the export of arms to Israel; ensuring an immediate end to the favourable status awarded to Israel in the EU; and firm diplomatic pressure on the United States, which effectively underwrites the Israeli state.

Sign our petition

Contribute money for medical aid to Gaza. See Medical Aid For Palestine

Find out more about what is going on and play a part in counteracting Israeli propaganda

Some useful websites

Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Scottish Jews for a Just Peace

Jews for Justice for Palestine

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

How Israel brought Gaza to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe

Leave a contact email so we can alert you to further actions

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/23/tayside-for-justice-in-palestine/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/20/bbc-coverage-of-dundee-solidarity-action-with-gaza/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/20/bbc-coverage-of-dundee-solidarity-action-with-gaza/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:15:54 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=222 The BBC had a short article about the demo in Dundee. There was apparantly good coverage in the Sunday Post too. See Previous article Dundee shows solidarity with Gaza

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/20/bbc-coverage-of-dundee-solidarity-action-with-gaza/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/19/dundee-ssp-branch-meeting-on-palestine/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/19/dundee-ssp-branch-meeting-on-palestine/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:01:42 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=213 Our branch meetings are generally open for friends and supporters and people who want to find out more. This week’s branch we are having a political discussion on the situation in Palestine led off by John McAllion. The meeting is at the DVA on Constitution Road from 7:30, but please contact us if you wish to attend, space is limited due to room size.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/19/dundee-ssp-branch-meeting-on-palestine/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/18/ssp-leftbanker/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/18/ssp-leftbanker/#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:14:09 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=210 Quietly bubbling away for a couple of months has been the SSP LeftBanker site. An analysis of the credit crunch and the various effects on the economic system is gradually being added to it as time goes on. According to the Left Banker, we are now entering the second wave of the crisis.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/18/ssp-leftbanker/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/17/dundee-demonstration-about-gaza/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/17/dundee-demonstration-about-gaza/#comments Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:28:11 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=201 Around 800 people turned out today for a demonstration in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The demo was probably the largest local one since the Labour warmongers came to town for their annual conference. To keep updated about local events keep checking this site and sign up for the Tayside For Justice In Palestine list.

Moving towards Overgate

Dundee SSP Banner

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/17/dundee-demonstration-about-gaza/feed/ 6 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/15/more-info-on-demo-in-dundee/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/15/more-info-on-demo-in-dundee/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:46:41 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=196 The March is this Saturday (17th) gathering outside the new university building (the big white one) at the corner of Hunter Street and Old Hawkhill at 11.30 and marching to a rally in the city square.

Press Release from Tayside for Justice in Palestine

This Saturday, 17th January, the people of Dundee will be marching to show their support for the one and a half million people of Gaza, and their condemnation of Israel’s brutal war and policy of oppression. Even before the military attacks, the Israeli blockade had turned Gaza into an open prison. Now it is at the mercy of one of the world’s most well equipped armies, and its people have nowhere to hide. Over 1,000 Palestinians have died, thousands more are seriously wounded and the psychological damage is immeasurable. At the same time, while any death is too many, the total of 13 Israeli dead has been fewer than those killed on Israeli roads, and cannot even begin to justify what is happening.

This is an opportunity for Dundee to demonstrate the importance of its well-established links with Palestine, and the march follows on from two weeks of vigils and meetings in response to the current crisis.

The march will assemble at the New University Building at the corner of Hunter Street and Old Hawkhill at 11.30 a.m. and terminate in a rally at the City Square.
Speakers to be confirmed.

Poster for Dundee demo

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/15/more-info-on-demo-in-dundee/feed/ 1 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/14/dundee-demonstration-on-saturday/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/14/dundee-demonstration-on-saturday/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:32:46 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=193 Demonstration in Dundee against the massacre in Gaza.

Assemble 11.30am Saturday 17th January,

New Teaching Block, Old Hawkhill, (Dundee University)

March to City Square

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/14/dundee-demonstration-on-saturday/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/stop-the-war-meeting-in-dundee/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/stop-the-war-meeting-in-dundee/#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:20:57 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=180 Stop the War Coalition have organised a rally/public meeting in Dundee for next week. We got full details yesterday, so please try to attend if free.

Tuesday 13th January, 7:30PM, Queens Hotel, Dundee

Chair: Mike Arnott (Dundee Trades Council)
Speakers:

• Keir McKenchnie (Chair, Stop the War Scotland)
• Nadia El-Nakla (Tayside Justice for Palestine)
• Louise Whiteside (Student Activist)

This meeting is to organise support for the Palestinians and get people active in the movement against it.

The following week Dundee SSP will be having an open branch meeting on the situation to discuss the politics behind the situation. Supporters and friends of the SSP are welcome to attend, more details will follow once confirmed.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/stop-the-war-meeting-in-dundee/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/how-israel-brought-gaza-to-the-brink-of-humanitarian-catastrophe/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/how-israel-brought-gaza-to-the-brink-of-humanitarian-catastrophe/#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:11:42 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=175 Oxford professor of international relations Avi Shlaim describes the situation in Gaza and the political conclusions it made him draw.

The only way to make sense of Israel’s senseless war in Gaza is through understanding the historical context. Establishing the state of Israel in May 1948 involved a monumental injustice to the Palestinians. British officials bitterly resented American partisanship on behalf of the infant state. On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by “an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders”. I used to think that this judgment was too harsh but Israel’s vicious assault on the people of Gaza, and the Bush administration’s complicity in this assault, have reopened the question.

I write as someone who served loyally in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and who has never questioned the legitimacy of the state of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. What I utterly reject is the Zionist colonial project beyond the Green Line. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the June 1967 war had very little to do with security and everything to do with territorial expansionism. The aim was to establish Greater Israel through permanent political, economic and military control over the Palestinian territories. And the result has been one of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations of modern times.

This article has been circulating around left e-mail lists and discussion boards but really should be read more widely.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/how-israel-brought-gaza-to-the-brink-of-humanitarian-catastrophe/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/i-accuse/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/i-accuse/#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:06:59 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=171 There is an excellent article on the situation in Gaza at the http://ssprenfrewshire.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/i-accuse/ defunctSSP Renfrewshire blog

The full story of Israel and Palestine has very little to do with Qassam Rockets fired from Gaza into Sderot as the Cartoon Papers would have us believe. The current crisis, does not have its roots in the election of Hamas in the Municipal Elections of 2005 as some of the so-called Quality Press would have us believe, certainly not in the conflict between Hamas and Fatah. This current crisis is the latest stage in an old conflict, a conflict that reaches way back, passed the Second Intifada and the First Intifada in the eighties, passed the Yom Kippur War in the 70’s, passed the six-day war in 1967 and the infamous United Nations Resolution 242. It reaches passed the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, passed the incompetent and disastrous Post WW1 British Mandate, destructive as it was. The roots of this conflict, this death and this destruction, including the bombing today of a UN run school only today, stretch way back before any of us were even born, right back to an idea that festered in the latter half of a 19th Century Europe plagued by an unspeakable anti-semitism.

Follow the link to read the entire article.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/11/i-accuse/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/we-are-all-gazans/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/we-are-all-gazans/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:19:03 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=166 A message from The Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions

Sisters and Brothers:

The PGFTU has been working at all levels in Palestine and in its international relations to mobilize international support for peace in the region. This is the ultimate goal for our working families in Palestine, who labored in every way possible to bring about an end to the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian territories. This occupation is the longest and worst in the modern history.

Over the years and even at this moment, these efforts have been met only with terrorism against our people by the Israeli army of occupation which has indiscriminately destroyed homes and worksites, slaughtered our people, confiscated our land, established and expanded illegal settlements, and limited the movement of workers who are only trying to feed their families. These measures have affected every member of Palestinian society.

The recent construction of the Apartheid Wall stands as a symbol of the extent of Israel’s brutal aggression against the Palestinian people and denial of their legitimate rights, dignity and human needs.

We call upon all peace-loving people in the world:

You are now witness to the criminal aggression by the Israeli army in its offensive in the Gaza Strip, bringing a new wave of killings and massacres against the Palestinian people by Israel as the occupying state. These are war crimes according to international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

As our families in Gaza (the poorest in the Middle East) are being slaughtered nonstop for a week now, many of us are reliving what occurred in the summer of 2006 during the Israeli aggression against the people of Lebanon.

We witnessed then as we experience now waves of support and solidarity and similar anger and energy against this brutal injustice. We cannot afford to let this surge of support pass us by without utilizing the moment to build our movement to face future challenges. The most important thing is to be aware and equipped.

We urgently ask you and your sister labor organizations to help us spread the message that

WE ARE ALL GAZA – that this war is against all poor workers and families of the world. These are not just crimes against the people of Palestine. They are crimes against humanity.

• Help us create a strong voice for the working families of Gaza by building coalitions with unions, faith groups, antiwar movements and all social justice organizations.
• We join you in the hope that in the election of Barack Obama, he will fulfill his reputation as a pro-union antiwar candidate, and that he understands that the CHANGE he spoke about during the campaign must include a fundamental change in U.S foreign policy so that FREE GAZA. …FREE PALESTINE becomes more than just a slogan.
• We support and encourage your Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) efforts against Israel around the world, but especially in Europe and most particularly in the United States as a response to the harsh economic conditions, violations of labor and human rights, and other forms of oppression imposed by the illegal and immoral Israeli Apartheid occupation.
• We ask you to stop US aid to Israel. This becomes not only necessary but also a duty of international solidarity among labor unions around the world. It is US government aid that provides Israel with the weapons of oppression and US government support that enables them to use those weapons against our people.
• We ask you to be an active player in raising funds to meet the bare necessities of food, medicine and medical supplies for the people of Gaza.

[See below for information on how to send financial contributions to the PGFTU for Gaza Aid]

With your solidarity with our struggle for human rights and justice, we can transform this moment of crisis into a turning point for an end to the brutal occupation and a step toward the liberation of the people of Palestine.

With the will and determination of all the people, we can say FREE PALESTINE … YES WE CAN.

Manawell Abdel Al, Executive Committee Member
Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)

Al- Rahbat Street
PO Box 1216
Nablus- Palestine

Website: www.pgftu.org, website in English
E-mail: mailto:pgftu@pgftu.org

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/we-are-all-gazans/feed/ 1 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/perth-meeting-on-palestine/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/perth-meeting-on-palestine/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:12:31 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=163 Gaza Emergency Mobilisation in Perth
 
Thursday, 15th Jan, 7.15 to 9.15 

Chapterhouse, St Ninian’s Cathedral, Perth (entry via courtyard to the North, reached through small lane off Atholl St, near Dunkeld Rd traffic lights)
 
Chair: Bishop Michael Hare Duke
 
Speaker: from Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
 
Aim of Meeting: to create a context for concerned people in Perth to consider ways we can work together to ’raise our game’ in response to this ratcheting tragedy.

Among responses we will be discussing together are:

• self- and other-education
• writing to public officials and organisations
• soliciting humanitarian donations
• encouraging solidarity actions such as consumer boycotts (NB helped change the other Apartheid).

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/perth-meeting-on-palestine/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/bravery/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/bravery/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:33:41 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=160 This amazing video shows a Palestinian woman using non violent direct action techniques to prevent an Israeli soldier shooting at kids. A small reminder that he isn’t shooting at targets but human beings.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/08/bravery/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/05/demo-in-edinburgh-saturday-19th-january/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/05/demo-in-edinburgh-saturday-19th-january/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:43:32 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=150 A Scotland wide demo on Gaza has been called for Saturday 10th in Edinburgh.
We need to have as many comrades on it as possible.

Stop Israel’s crime against humanity

Scotland-wide Demonstration

Edinburgh

Saturday 10 January 2009

Assemble 12:30pm East Market Street (behind Edinburgh Waverley Train Station)

March through the city centre and to the US Consulate.

Bring in-date medicine for Gaza, and spare shoes.

Supported by Stop the War Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh, Pauline McNeil MSP, Sandra White MSP, Muslim Association of Britain, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Glasgow Palestine Human Rights Campaign, Lebanese Community Scotland, Scottish Afghan Society, Scottish Islamic Foundation, Scottish Friends of Palestine, and others to be confirmed.

Coaches departing Glasgow, George Square, Saturday 10 January 10:30am. To reserve seats call: 0791 2348 366 or email: glasgowstopwar@gmail.com

For details on transport to Edinburgh from other parts of Scotland, please contact 07840101589.

—-

In Dundee:

At a meeting today at Brown Street Mosque, a few important decisions were taken:
Activists’ meeting, Wed, 7th Jan, 6.30 p.m. at YY centre (across from the Mosque, Brown St.)
Saturday, 10th Jan, March to Dundee City Square, 12 noon. More info re starting point etc. to follow.
This has been postponed and a vigil is being held in Dundee City Centre on Friday 2:30pm-6pm instead.

Also decided at meeting, to name campaigning organisation: Tayside for Justice in Palestine. Also, 26 people from Tayside travelled on hired bus to demo in Edinburgh on Sat. (Many more made their own way). Excellent response. We’ll keep up the pressure.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/05/demo-in-edinburgh-saturday-19th-january/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/01/ssp-delegation-to-cuba/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/01/ssp-delegation-to-cuba/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:42:16 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=144 A few months back the SSP were invited to send a delegation to visit Cuba and have decided to do so in February.

A number of people opted to go and they have set up a blog detailing the arrangement of the trip, and I imagine afterwards details of what they did.

They are planning on taking across a number of items as gift packs for people/groups they meet about the SSP and Scotland. One item that was sought after was some Burns poems in Spanish. Eventually Gerry managed to track down To a Mouse and A red red rose.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2009/01/01/ssp-delegation-to-cuba/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/12/31/courier-report-on-dundee-demo/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/12/31/courier-report-on-dundee-demo/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:11:20 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=141 The Courier carries a report today on the vigil in the city square.

Edith Constable

We demand an immediate ceasefire, the lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, an increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, the re-opening of negotiations, an end to the expansion of Israeli settlements, the withdrawal by Israel to 1967 borders and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Nadia El-Nakla

The vigil is not intended to debate politics. The aim is to highlight the recent inhumane abuse of power, violence and excessive force along with the humanitarian crisis that faces 1.4 million people in the Gaza Strip.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/12/31/courier-report-on-dundee-demo/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/12/31/bus-to-demo-on-saturday/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/12/31/bus-to-demo-on-saturday/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:06:38 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=139 Show solidarity with people of Gaza.

Bus leaves Discovery Point (opposite Rail station) 10.30 a.m. Saturday. Leaves Edinburgh 3 p.m. arrive back in Dundee 4.30 p.m. £10 waged, £6 concession.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/12/31/bus-to-demo-on-saturday/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/12/dundee-spanish-civil-war-march/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/12/dundee-spanish-civil-war-march/#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:10:26 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=108 A parade through Dundee to Albert Square to mark the rededication of the City’s Memorial to those who died in the Spanish Civil War, and the unveiling of a new plaque.

The parade was attended by about 200. Banners included the local FBU and PCS banners as well as SSP, Solidarity and CPB. Jack Jones, the 95 year old former leader of the TGWU, who fought in Spain, unveiled the new plaque.

This ceremony was followed by a public meeting where former Fire Brigades Union leader Ken Cameron spoke along with the Spanish Consul and a librarian from the National Library of Scotland who maintains the Spanish Civil War collection.

An exhibition entitled Dundee and the Spanish Civil War will be running in Dundee’s Wellgate Library from October 7th – 25th.

The two plaques

March moving up Reform Street

Jack Jones during rededication ceremony

Some of Dundee SSP waiting on the march to start

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/12/dundee-spanish-civil-war-march/feed/ 1 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/11/internatioanl-brigade-events-sunday/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/11/internatioanl-brigade-events-sunday/#comments Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:45:29 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=102 I just found out today about the events for tomorrow, so sorry for the delay.

Sunday 12 October:
10.00; Showing of BBC documentary, The Guernica Children, Cinema 1, Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre (DCA), 152 Nethergate,

13.00; Unveiling of Basque Children’s Colony plaque, 17 Mall Park Road, Montrose (a bus to Montrose leaves from the rear of DCA at 11.20)

14:30 Bus back to Dundee.

The events today were terrific, a good turn out of over 200 for the march and rededication and 100+ for the public meeting in the Steps Theatre.

There is an exhibition at Dundee Library on Dundees contribution to the International Brigade which will run for a wee while.

There was a range of merchandise available including the excellent t-shirts and the Trades Council publication on Dundees International Brigadiers. T-shirts were £6 and the publication was £3. If you would like any of these let us know and we will pass on Mike Arnotts contact details for you.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/11/internatioanl-brigade-events-sunday/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/08/picket-of-us-consulate-in-edinburgh/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/08/picket-of-us-consulate-in-edinburgh/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:47:49 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=140 Reproduced letter below.

There is a picket of the Edinburgh U.S. Consulate (Regents Terrace) for Thursday October 9th from 4pm to 6pm. This has been called by the Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign.

This is timed to follow the visit of Olga Salanueva and Adriana Perez (wives of two of the Cuban Five) to Holyrood. They will attend the picket and speak. Both have been denied visa’s to visit their husbands in jail.

On the tenth anniversary of their arrest progress has been made in the UK in breaking the silence on the Five. See the links following for reports on their visits to the TUC and Labour Party Conference:

Miami Five and Cuba50 get union and TUC backing

TUC delegates pack Cuba fringe meeting

Miami Five wives at Labour Conference

Unions fight for justice for Miami Five on 10th anniversary of imprisonment

This picket is an opportunity to broaden the numbers in action who defend the five, which ultimately will be the key to securing their freedom.

Please forward this to all others you can : union/political/campaign/ organisation lists, newspapers, etc and urge a large attendance. Please also take any steps you can to get labour movement banners to this too.

regards
Peter Clifford

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/08/picket-of-us-consulate-in-edinburgh/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/08/support-sacc-against-bullying-mercenaries/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/08/support-sacc-against-bullying-mercenaries/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:38:59 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=137 SACC have been threatened with legal action by the organisation who have the contract on the next Scottish Census.

SACC initiated a Petition against this and issued a statement which CACI International Inc, have taken offence to.

CACI are the organisation who ran Abu Ghraib, the prison in Iraq where torture images were proven to originate from.

According to SACC they have bullied the media in the United States into silence over their involvement and they are now doing the same here after two articles were published in the Sunday Herald

Scottish Government hires firm accused of torture in Iraq and SNP face backlash for hiring firm accused of Iraq torture.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/10/08/support-sacc-against-bullying-mercenaries/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/30/spanish-civil-war-memorial-re-dedication/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/30/spanish-civil-war-memorial-re-dedication/#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:32:15 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=125 Message from Mike Arnott, Secretary of Dundee Trades Council and

I’m writing to request a big turn-out from Trade Unionists, especially with banners, for the parade up Reform Street from City Square to Albert Square at 11am on Saturday 11th October (assemble 10.45am). The event is to mark the rededication of the City’s Memorial to those who died in the Spanish Civil War, and the unveiling of a new plaque.

It is hoped that Jack Jones, the 95 year old former leader of the TGWU, and who fought in Spain, will be present.

The ceremony will be followed by a public meeting in the Wellgate Steps Theatre where former FBU leader Ken Cameron will be speaking, along with the Spanish Consul.

Tickets for the evening social, in the Apex Hotel City Quay suite are also available at £5 each, as are commemorative t-shirts at £6.

An exhibition entitled Dundee and the Spanish Civil War will be running in the Wellgate Library from Oct 7th – 25th.

Banners are important seeing as Dundee Trades Council banner was seized by Police whilst on an anti-G8 march.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/30/spanish-civil-war-memorial-re-dedication/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/global-economic-crisis/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/global-economic-crisis/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:58:21 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=116

Raphie De Santos

Raphie De Santos of the Scottish Socialist Party has written a series of articles about the current economic crisis. He has also written a pamphlet which is now going for it’s second printing. If you would like a copy, then contact us, the last run were £2.50 each so it should be around that amount. We will have copies on our stalls very soon.

Raphie was head of Equity Derivatives Research and Strategy at Goldman Sachs International. He was an advisor on derivatives and financial markets to the Bank of England, London Stock Exchange, London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange and the Italian Ministry of Finance.

Raphie has been a guest lecturer on derivatives and financial markets at Harvard and New York universities and the London School of Economics and has spoken at the annual Nobel Foundation conference in Stockholm.

Articles on the Economic Crisis

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/global-economic-crisis/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/aldermaston-big-blockade/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/aldermaston-big-blockade/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:36:32 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=112 From Scottish CND

Aldermaston Big Blockade – Monday, October 27 2008

Help disrupt illegal work on WMD at Britain’s nuclear bomb factory

In 2006/7, Faslane 365 saw well over 1000 arrests during a year-long blockade of the Trident submarine base in Scotland. Last Easter, AWE Aldermaston saw its biggest demonstration in two decades as 5000 people surrounded the base to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Aldermaston march. Trident Ploughshares now invite you to a major blockade of the Berkshire nuke factory, where billions of pounds are currently being spent developing new warhead facilities that will scupper nuclear disarmament for another 50 years. Help us uphold international law by blockading this factory of death in what promises to be a colourful celebration of life and people power. There is a role for everyone. This event is supported by CND.

For further details, see: Block AWE and Trident Ploughshares.org

Trident Ploughshares is a campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapons system in a non-violent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner. There will be a mini-bus(at least) going from Glasgow. If you want to join them e-mail Jane or phone 0845 4588 367

Scottish CND

This message has been sent to you by Scottish CND on behalf of Trident Ploughshares

If you with to change the types of messages you receive from Scottish CND, please visit Their site

Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
15 Barrland St,
Glasgow,
G41 1QH,

0141 423 1222

Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/aldermaston-big-blockade/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/107/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/107/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:29:00 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=107 T shirts for the IBMT AGM in Dundee on October 11th (design attached) are now available. Orders being taken, £6 each, for s,m,l,xl,xxl. Only 199 available. Contact Mike Arnott for details.

IBMT T-shirt design

IBMT website

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/107/feed/ 2 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/the-power-of-community-how-cuba-became-a-low-energy-society/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/the-power-of-community-how-cuba-became-a-low-energy-society/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:22:39 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=104 Roberto Perez
The Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, University of Dundee

Saturday 27th September – 6pm

Drinks reception to follow

When Cuba lost access to Soviet oil, fertilizers, and export trade market in the early 1990s, the country faced virtual overnight economic collapse and an immediate crisis – feeding the population.

The story of how Cuba successfully developed permaculture in response to this crisis will be outlined in a thought-provoking lecture by renowned Cuban permaculturalist Roberto Perez in a major lecture at the University of Dundee.

Cuba has in the past 18 years transformed its food production using organic agriculture and Havana produces over 60% of its food requirements from within the city limits. The Cuban people’s hardship, ingenuity, and triumph over sudden adversity, through cooperation, conservation, and community, to create a low energy society is a truly inspirational story as evidenced in the documentary, The Power of Community in which Roberto features.

This lecture is being held in celebration of the University of Dundee being awarded Fair Trade Status earlier this summer.

The lecture is free and tickets can be obtained from the Tower Building Reception, or from the online store at: or by emailing: events@dundee.ac.uk events@dundee.ac.uk

Socialist Unity have an article about his tour which also links to some articles he has written.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/09/19/the-power-of-community-how-cuba-became-a-low-energy-society/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/07/27/snp-government-giving-contracts-to-torturers/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/07/27/snp-government-giving-contracts-to-torturers/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:21:17 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=83 According to a report in the Sunday Herald, the Scottish government has given the contract to conduct the census to a subsidiary of a company involved in torturing people in Abu Ghraib in Iraq.

This is absolutely abhorrent.

Contact your MSPs to object to this, particularly SNP MSPs

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/07/27/snp-government-giving-contracts-to-torturers/feed/ 1 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/07/11/hiroshima-day-activities/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/07/11/hiroshima-day-activities/#comments Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:59:29 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=66 Walk up The Law:  assemble bottom of Law (top of Hill Street) at 8 p.m on Wed 6th August. March off 8.30.  Speakers to be confirmed.  Any queries contact Mike Arnott or Dundee SSP.

Also NAGASAKI  DAY,

Thurs, 7th August, 11.01 a.m. join Rev Erik Cramb for Silent Commemoration.

All welcome.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/07/11/hiroshima-day-activities/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/06/29/oaxaca-mexico-meeting-dundee/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/06/29/oaxaca-mexico-meeting-dundee/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:50:26 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=61 We have just managed to arrange a meeting with a representative of the indigenous Oaxaca communities in Mexico.

DVA 10 Constitution Road
Dundee

Tuesday 1st July, 2008. 7pm.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/06/29/oaxaca-mexico-meeting-dundee/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/06/26/annual-walk-up-the-law-hill-to-commemorate-hiroshima/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/06/26/annual-walk-up-the-law-hill-to-commemorate-hiroshima/#comments Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:33:18 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=60 Make a note in your diaries: the annual walk up the Law is being organised for Sunday 6th August. More information on times etc will be posted once we get full details.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/06/26/annual-walk-up-the-law-hill-to-commemorate-hiroshima/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/02/11/algerian-strike/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/02/11/algerian-strike/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:53:22 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/?p=42 We have sent the following message through translators to the Algerian Strikers.

Dundee, the 8th of February 2008,
We, members of the Dundee SSP branch, fight for freedom, in particular union freedom, justice, dignity, decent housing and work conditions and for the equitable sharing of the product of this work.

As we have been fighting and keep on fighting with the women and men of Dundee in their fight for their rights, we assure our fellows from the Intersyndicale Autonome de la Fonction Publique algérienne of our solidarity and full support in their legitimate action and in particular in their actions during this month of February.

We join their movement, their demands and denounce with them the injustices suffered by the Algerian people. We commit ourselves to spread the information regarding their fight and to support it by actions in Scotland.

Fraternally
The SSP Dundee branch

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/02/11/algerian-strike/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/01/22/world-against-war/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/01/22/world-against-war/#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:43:41 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/world-against-war/ Five Years Of Occupation In Iraq
National Demo
Saturday March 15TH
Glasgow
Called by Stop the War Coalition (Scotland)
More details to follow.

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2008/01/22/world-against-war/feed/ 0 http://dundeessp.org/blog/2007/10/23/international-brigade-memorial-trust-agm-coming-to-dundee/ http://dundeessp.org/blog/2007/10/23/international-brigade-memorial-trust-agm-coming-to-dundee/#comments Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:45:34 +0000 alangdundee http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/2007/10/23/international-brigade-memorial-trust-agm-coming-to-dundee/ From Mike Arnott, Secretary of Dundee Trades Union Council

Following the AGM of the International Brigade Memorial Trust held in Belfast this weekend, I can confirm that Dundee has been unanimously agreed as hosts of next year’s AGM on 11th October 2008. I will be in touch in due course to ask for your help in squeezing every possible ounce of assistance out of the Dundee labour and democratic movement (and beyond), to develop a full programme of events and activities for the evening of Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th.

Mike

If you can assist, please contact Mike at: dundeetuc at hotmail.com

]]> http://dundeessp.org/blog/2007/10/23/international-brigade-memorial-trust-agm-coming-to-dundee/feed/ 0