So far I have seen a mixed reaction from people in the SSP.

I would propose a different way of looking at things. Charging someone 20% of their income for council tax is absolutely ridiculous. As people already pay tax to the government on what they earn, it would be really unfair to take a further 20% off their income because they make money. I don’t earn much by any standards, but would hate to think that if I worked hard and became successful, that someone would want a further 20% off my income.

I understand of paying towards council tax but this is just too much.

Why not do the following:

Keep realistic council tax rates for people earning less than £15,000 a year. Offer 25% off if it is a single person.

For people earning over £16,000 why not just introduce set rates instead of percentages? As I pointed out, if you earned £100,000 per year, had to pay the tax man, mortgage and other things and then still have to pay 16% or higher towards council tax, then what purpose does the person have in obtaining a job that pays well?

I know if I earned £100,000 per year, lose 40% to tax and then a further 16% or 20% then it won’t be worth it… well I won’t see why I would have to pay that much to the government. There is that 80/20 rule. I wholeheartedly believe if you start taking too much money off people who are financially rich, then the rest of the population suffers. 20% of a country’s population is responsible for creating more job opportunities and are in a position to offer more change in a country’s structure. That 20% is also deemed the rich and famous.

Just because someone makes a good income, they should not be punished for this and a lot of people will see it that way. It’s only people that have a narrow-minded vision that will want the rich and famous to pay a lot out.

In some countries, the only people paying land tax are the owners of the property. If they decided to rent their property to someone, then that person does not pay the land tax. I believe this is fair in every way since if someone does not own the property, then they should not be liable to pay tax to something that cannot claim back. However, everyone should still be liable for income tax.

I havent got an OCR engine – it would be great if someone could convert these to text. I will be trying to find a way to add the files as PDFs tho.

Cheers

Neil

Thanks for this, have contact Mike Arnott who co-ordinates Spanish Civil War stuff in Dundee.

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TsNXbMJ

Gordon Brown is a Warmonger

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TsNXbMJ

Gordon Brown is a Warmonger

Just a few of the good reasons not to vote for any Labour party candidate.

If there was a tactical decision to not stand to allow a Labour candidate a “free run” it would probably backfire. Previously the SSP did this in Dundee East to allow John McAllion (at the time an excellent MSP on the left of Labour) a free run. It backfired with the SSP vote going to the SNP helping him to lose his seat. John subsequently joined the SSP.

I did a quick search online and could find no statement from Katrina on the issues of Trident or Balmossie, never mind the issues which her colleague in the west Jim McGovern has an appalling record on: ID cards, detention without trial, spending more on a computer desk than many of his constituents earn in a month etc etc.

Secondly one of these issues Trident has been brought up in the House of Commons. Stewart Hosie has an excellent record of voting against replacing Trident, so if any SSP decision to stand down was based on this issue alone (and not anything we did not agree with him on) then having a good record on the issue is far better than claiming to have a position on an issue.

If you wish to point out any positions Katrina Murray has to the left of Labour preferably backed up with quotations or deeds then feel free.

For example attending a demonstration against cuts in public services (there was one on Saturday, was she there?). Publicly condemning the brutal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (did she attend any demonstrations against these, write letters to papers which were published?). Opposing the creep of the authoritarian state – against ID cards, detention without trial, the curbing of Jury trials, opposition to drugs prohibition, supporting gay marriage, etc etc. You get the gist.

http://www.l-r-c.org.uk/ge2010candidates

Thank you for your email dated 16th February.

Dundee SSP has stated on many occasions its belief in the folly of socialist candidates standing against each other. SSP members have attended unity meetings in Dundee in good faith and have stated clearly that under the current circumstances the best we can hope for is a negotiated non-aggression pact.

We did not agree with the policies of No2EU or its lack of internal democracy. We have similar concerns regarding TUSC. However, now is not the time to enter into a polemic over these points.

You have been misinformed regarding our position in standing in the Westminster elections. At the time of the SSP National Council no decision had been made by the Dundee branches whether or not to stand.

We were not aware until your e-mail that TUSC had selected Jim McFarlane as a candidate. We accept that Jim McFarlane has stood in this area in the past – however not as an individual but as a Scottish Socialist Party candidate.

Subsequently, the Dundee SSP branches have decided to stand in only one seat in Dundee. However, we would be happy to reconsider should circumstance change or if an acceptable socialist unity candidate emerged. We would hope that TUSC would take the same position.

Last night we selected our candidate and decided to stand in the Dundee East seat.

Yours for socialist unity

Dundee Scottish Socialist Party

As you will be aware we are facing a general election in a few weeks time. Ideally, we would be mounting a united socialist left challenge to the parties of big business, all of whom are preparing to carry out savage cuts, whatever the outcome of the election.

Unfortunately, this is clearly not going to be the case. The SSP took the decision not to take part in the No2EU – Yes to Democracy coalition that was put together to fight the June 2009 European election. No2EU was an inititiatve led by the RMT union and also involved the Communist Party of Britain, Solidarity, the Socialist Party in England and Wales, the Indian Workers’ Association among others. Members of most of the core organisations who formed No2EU have, since last July, been involved in discussions about building a coalition for the Westminster elections. This culminated in the formation of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) which is standing candidates for the forthcoming Westminster elections. (See http://www.tusc.org.uk for more information, policies and sponsors etc). TUSC is backed by leaders of the RMT, PCS, POA and other trade unions as well as socialist left organisations.

The SSP was invited to take part in the founding meeting of the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition which was held on Saturday 30th January. This invitation took the form of a written letter from Clive Heemskerk of TUSC that was sent to the SSP offices in Glasgow on the 18th January and an email send to an address for your national secretary on the 13th January. Dave Nellist of TUSC also held a phone conversation with Colin Fox (Tuesday 26th January) asking if the SSP would attend the founding meeting of the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in Glasgow and in this conversation Colin Fox confirmed that the SSP had indeed received the invitation. The 30th January was also the date of an SSP National Committee at which, we were informed by Colin Fox, the SSP were going to draw up plans to stand in a number of seats. He also indicated on Tuesday 26th January that the SSP would not be taking part in TUSC. It is not clear whether your NC discussed the invitation to take part in the TUSC or not ? We are making this point because it seems that some SSP members have been told that there was no invitation for the SSP to take part in TUSC. This is not the case. (I have attached the correspondence which was sent to the SSP to this email)

Nevertheless, it seems that the SSP will be standing in these elections under its own banner. The approach of TUSC has been to try and seek information about where other left organisations are discussing standing, and in the event of those organisations not wishing to participate in the TUSC coalition, to seek agreement, through negotiation, to avoid standing in the same seats. In the event of possible clashes these negotiations should ideally take place on the basis of which candidate is best placed to maximise the socialist vote in any given constituency, their record, their role in the socialist and working class movement etc.

According to your national co-spokesperson, you are planning to stand in Dundee West and that your candidate would be Angela Gorrie. If that is the case we would ask you to reconsider and, ideally, be prepared to enter into negotiations with TUSC in Dundee. The reason for this request is that, as you will be aware, a leading member of TUSC, Jim McFarlane, has a long record of standing as a socialist left candidate in Dundee West and it is our intention to stand Jim for the Westminster elections, and we wish to avoid a clash of candidates on the left.

Jim McFarlane is a leading trade unionist in the city. He is a local government worker, a long standing trade union activist and is currently chair of Dundee Unison, the biggest union branch in the city. Jim has also been the sole socialist candidate in Dundee West in the 1999 and 2003 Scottish parliament elections and in the 2001 and 2005 Westminster elections as well. Jim has lived in Dundee West all his life having been brought up, and still living, in the Ardler area of the city.

Against the backdrop of savage public sector cuts, having a leading public sector trade unionist standing in this election would also be a significant advantage. There is no doubt in our mind that Jim McFarlane is by far the best placed to maximise the socialist vote in Dundee West.

We would therefore ask the SSP in Dundee to reconsider your position and discuss this request for a left unity agreement that could see the SSP contest the Dundee East seat. We note that a leading member of the SSP is John McAllion, who was the MP and MSP for Dundee East. Although John may not be planning to stand himself – an SSP candidate in the East endorsed by John would no doubt help in your campaign.

Can you discuss this at your earliest opportunity? You can email me or get in touch via mobile to either arrange a meeting with the SSP and TUSC in Dundee, or correspond by phone or email.

Yours Comradely

Philip Stott
(for the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)

So i decided that i should join this understanding. Been a long time since i have been a member of any political party.They fly the same color as you!s so it can!t be that bad eh!.They ask ,why are you a Socialist,what do you want to change,what can you offer.

There are some telephone box meetings in this Socialist party,and yet they say we are superior or paranoied.Any how east glasgow do well.

S.S.P. now its time to get of yer chuffs and start knockin on doors.

Wish I could remember what I got a few years go!

The Facebook group is reporting….
Also from group an interview with Matthew, one of the workers

You mean like that? The interview was inside the board in the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=71987176437&topic=8340

I have passed your e-mail address on to the organisation and posted contact details here http://dundeessp.org/blog/?p=231 . I had forgotten to post these previously and they have no web presence yet.

gerry

There is a membership form as a PDF at the SSP site http://scottishsocialistparty.org/new_pdfs/forms/membership_form_jan_08.pdf

Alternatively if you live locally you can contact the Dundee Secretary on any of the methods listed on the contact page http://dundeessp.wordpress.com/contact/

Alan

Did someone organise this with me when I was severely mashed by any chance? Did anyone mention it to me at all?

Someone contact me so I know whether to bring CDs or not. Ta!

The SSY are organising it and some news on it can be seen here
http://www.ssy.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=6264

They can be contacted at
Scottish Socialist Youth

Suite 308/310 (4th floor)
Central Chambers
93 Hope Street
Glasgow
G2 6LD

jack@ssy.org.uk

Perhaps you might acknowledge this claim, in all fairness, in order that each and every ‘bus/coach traveller can be fully ensured of the integrity of this national company.

E.L.R-B.

Your sincerely,

Edmund Raphael-Beldowski

Express coach service Stagecoach has strongly denied any homophobia within the group and defended its commitment to equal opportunities and diversity, following accusations of a lack of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) staff and passengers.

The Queer Youth Network, run by and for LGBT people, accused Stagecoach of homophobia, pointing to two recent incidents involving a coach driver and a young gay couple in Aberdeen, while in Manchester, a young gay Stagecoach driver has allegedly spoken up about a ‘canteen culture’ of bigotry and ignorance.

Steven Stewart, director of corporate communications at Stagecoach Group, dismissed both incidents, following a police investigation into the first. The police were found to be satisfied with the driver’s account, and reported no evidence of discrimination.

Stewart added that Stagecoach was not aware of any such case in Manchester. “We have an excellent relationship with our local trade union, who would be the first to complain if they felt there was a discriminatory culture within the company’s workforce,” he said.

“We have a diverse and committed workforce and our policy is very clear: all employees and customers are treated equally and with dignity and respect,” he added. “Some 2.5 million passengers a day trust in us for their bus and rail travel, and know what a respected and high-quality transport operator we are.”

Comrades I have just been sent this about the massacre of dolphins in Japan. Anyone who has seen the pictures on news at ten or on this site should be able to support this petition> Please pass it on to your friends with a warning of very graphic and horrendous scenes.

Supported by: Donald Gorrie, Rosie Kane, Carolyn Leckie, Frances Curran, Tommy Sheridan

Lodged on 19 February 2007; current

It was 632-582, thus proving that the person who corrected it on Wikipedia was 1000% correct even although she didn’t make it home until 7am that morning

He starts tomorrow – at the all important University Court meeting where the cuts will be discussed (but hopefully not decided). If anyone can make it there’s a rally from the TOWER AT 12.30PM 19TH FEBRUARY.

Helen