Are the Tories making you poorer? Unite and demand a decent living income

THE Ayrshire SSP is holding its latest in a series of public meetings, on the theme of uniting to fight for a decent living income.

SSP regional organiser Richie Venton said: "It only took a week after constantly telling us we are all 'better together' for the Tories to unleash a war on the incomes of working class people. 

"Benefits, jobs, pay and public services are being slaughtered so that the richest company director in the UK can earn £31million last year! 

"That means he can earn the equivalent of a whole year's wages for a worker on the so-called Living Wage in the space of a mere 49 minutes! Inequality is at its worst ever.

"With benefit cuts set to drive an extra 100,000 Scottish children into poverty, and a new a report from KPMG confirming that 43% of all part-time workers are earning less than the Living Wage, we need to organise, fight back, and demand our share of the alleged economic recovery.

"This meeting will hear from the front line of campaigning for a decent living income for all - from an Irvine school student on the stark future she faces unless we defeat these attacks; from NHS worker and Unite trade union officer Jim McGinn; and from myself as a retail workers' union convener and the SSP regional organiser.

"Whether it's fuel poverty, food poverty or poverty pay, we need to unite in action to demand the fabulous wealth of Scotland goes to the millions who create it, not the parasites and millionaires.

"We appeal to local people to come and air their opinions about their own situation, and hear the case for measures like a decent, £10-an-hour Scottish minimum wage."

Ayrshire SSP public meeting:
Thursday 27th November @ 7.30pm
Vineburgh Community Centre, Quarry Rd, IRVINE

Speakers:
Richie Venton, SSP regional organiser;
Jim McGinn, local NHS Unite union chair;
An Irvine socialist school student.


For more info, comment, contact:
Richie Venton
07828278093 richieventon@hotmail.com
END

SCOTTISH SOCIALISTS TO MOUNT WESTMINSTER ELECTION CHALLENGE

 

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY

MEDIA RELEASE

CONTACT: Ken Ferguson 07925 613145

SCOTTISH SOCIALISTS TO MOUNT WESTMINSTER ELECTION CHALLENGE

THE Scottish Socialist Party executive has agreed to continue to make the case for Yes alliance candidates in next year’s Westminster election whilst starting the process of mounting an SSP challenge showcasing their distinctive policies against poverty pay, austerity and Trident.

Party spokesman Colin Fox said: “ The SSP has played a key role in the Yes campaign with its distinctive policies on workers’ rights, equality peace and anti austerity and we are now starting the process of selection, planning and fund raising to put these ideas to voters next May.

“Building on these gains we have proposed a strategy of standing Yes alliance candidates in May and remain open to discussions on how that can be achieved. The SNP’s decisions to move in that direction is very welcome and needs serious consideration.

“The key issue in May will be to build on the Yes vote in Labour’s heartlands last September and expose the sham idea that voting Labour is a vote for change when in reality it is a vote for more cuts, austerity and weapons of mass destruction.

“The SSP has a clear set of proposals such as a £10 per hour minimum wage and replacing the council tax with an income based Scottish Service Tax to protect jobs and services which we will put to voters.

“The SSP has emerged from the referendum campaign with a bigger membership and a revitalised party with new branches and renewed confidence in our ideas which we look forward to putting to Scotland’s voters.”

END

GLASGOW SOUTH SSP TO CAMPAIGN ON 'YES ALLIANCE' FOR GENERAL ELECTION 2015

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY: GLASGOW SOUTH
MEDIA RELEASE

CONTACT: Alan Ferguson 07930668771 and Richie Venton 07828278093

GLASGOW SOUTH SSP TO CAMPAIGN ON 'YES ALLIANCE' FOR GENERAL ELECTION 2015 

SOCIALIST party campaigners in the southside will be campaigning for a pro-independence alliance in for the General Election.

Having been agreed at the national conference, the Glasgow South branch of the Scottish Socialist Party are now planning on spreading the word to voters in the south of the city.

A branch spokesman said: "The Glasgow South branch voted to pursue the idea of a 'Yes Alliance', or what ever name it may take.

"Given the display of unity we saw in the southside with all the different cohorts of the Yes Campaign, we think it's a winning formula for the Westminster Elections.

"We'll be out encouraging all people of the southside of Glasgow that a union of pro-independence parties is the way forward to get the Red Tories, or Labour Party, out of this great city."

On the wider activities of the SSP in Glasgow, West of Scotland organiser Richie Venton told how the party is mobilising to fight for powers to transform the lives of workers below the river.

He said: "The SSP is conducting a systematic campaign - in the streets, communities, workplaces and through local public meetings - for powers for the Scottish parliament to transform our lives.

"These include the ability to set a £10 Scottish minimum wage for all at 16, establish a benefits system that supports people instead of demonising them, to ban fracking and take the Big Six energy giants and the green energy sector into democratic public ownership, to banish profiteering and fuel poverty, to repeal all the Thatcherite anti-trade union laws; and to implement progressive taxation of the very rich and big business to fund decent public services."

"We have these distinctive policies, often radically different from those of the SNP. For that reason alone, we are not prepared to give a blank cheque to the SNP in the 2015 elections. 

"We will not be calling on people in the southside of Glasgow to just vote SNP and forget their differences with them on key matters of policy."

The next SSP branch meeting is on Sunday November 23 at 2pm - there has been trouble with the venue so please check their Facebook 'Glasgow South SSP' for updates.

ENDS

ATTACHED:
Richie Venton after the referendum at the STUC organised rally in Glasgow last month.
Glasgow South branch members on September 25, 2014.
Glasgow South officers address a meeting in Govan on October 21. Speaking is Alessio Gentile, a branch organiser for Govan.

SSP calls for pro-independence, anti-cuts 'Yes Alliance' for 2015 Westminster elections

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY
MEDIA RELEASE
CONTACT: Richie Venton 07828278093

SSP calls for pro-independence, anti-cuts 'Yes Alliance' for 2015 Westminster elections 

THE Scottish Socialist Party is campaigning for a Yes Alliance to contest the Westminster elections next May. This was agreed at the recent SSP national conference.

SSP west of Scotland regional organiser Richie Venton said:"The savage cuts to benefits, pay, jobs and people's basic democratic rights announced in the wake of the Referendum has driven increased numbers of Scots to favour independence. And even those still unconvinced of full-scale self-government are strongly in favour of vastly increased powers for Scotland over benefits, taxation and measures to protect Scotland from the Twin Tory Coalition onslaught.

"Many of the same people want to punish Labour for their collaboration with the Tories in blocking independence, leaving us at the tender mercies of Cameron's dictatorship of and for the obscenely rich.

"The SSP is conducting a systematic campaign - in the streets, communities, workplaces and through local public meetings - for powers for the Scottish parliament to transform our lives, including the ability to set a £10 Scottish minimum wage for all at 16; establish a benefits system that supports people instead of demonising them; to ban fracking and take the Big Six energy giants and the green energy sector into democratic public ownership, to banish profiteering and fuel poverty; to repeal all the Thatcherite anti-trade union laws; and to implement progressive taxation of the very rich and big business to fund decent public services.

"We have these distinctive policies, often radically different from those of the SNP. For that reason alone, we are not prepared to give a blank cheque to the SNP in the 2015 elections. We will not be calling on people to just vote SNP and forget their differences with them on key matters of policy.

"However, we are stepping up our appeal to the SNP, Greens and people of no political party who made up the very successful Yes campaign to sustain that united front in the Westminster elections. That's what our recent SSP national conference agreed unanimously.

"We want a pro-independence, anti-cuts alliance that agrees one candidate in each constituency, to challenge the Tories and Labour, appealing to not only the 45% who voted Yes, but to the No voters who want a radically fairer distribution of wealth and power.

"We believe the beauty of such an alliance is that it would appeal to outraged, disenfranchised Labour voters in a way that the SNP on its own never will, with socialists, greens, SNPers and independents standing as candidates in an agreed allocation of seats.

"And my message to the forthcoming SNP Conference is that they need to recognize the growing support for this idea at grassroots level. For instance, I have spoken at several local Yes groups that support such a multiparty alliance, including many people who have joined the SNP recently.

"The SSP will never drop its commitment to an independent socialist Scotland, but we are eager to reach agreement with others in the interests of resisting Tory attacks on the working class, and of keeping the flames of social justice and independence alight, through a pro-independence, anti-cuts alliance for May 2015."

For any further info or comment contact:
Richie Venton, SSP west of Scotland regional organiser

07828278093
richieventon@hotmail.com

Glasgow South SSP membership each more than 200

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY

MEDIA RELEASE

CONTACT: Alan Ferguson 07930668771

MEMBERSHIP OF GLASGOW SOUTH SSP SOARS TO 200

GLASGOW South SSP announced their post-referendum membership surge saw them bolster their ranks to more than 200 members.

Around 2,600 applied to join nationally and with many of the applications processed Glasgow South SSP are planning on organising their newstarts for campaigning on local issues.

The grand total for Glasgow South SSP is now above 200 — with 150 of them joining after the referendum.

With more signing up almost daily the branch is drawing up plans to subdivide into areas of the south side such as Greater Govan, Shawlands, Gorbals and Pollok.

A spokesman said: "We pride ourselves in being the voice of the working people of Glasgow - and this has been shown by the increase in good working class people joining the Scottish Socialist Party in our branch here.

"Like all other former industrial heartlands in Scotland, the city of Glasgow voted for independence. The fact that people are joining us in their droves below the river displays how they're convicted to continuing the fight to build a better society here.

"Our new members in the south side don't want 'business as usual' anymore, as the dominating political dinosaurs in the city would have them. 

"We're organising to help make Glasgow a more progressive and socially just city for everyone - be they gay, straight, black or white."

The next branch meeting is on November 6 at 7pm in Langside Hall, Shawlands (opposite the Corona pub). Those interested in joining the Scottish Socialist Party are urged to attend, branches are open to all.

Planned branch meetings:

Thursday 6th November 7pm 'Socialist Critique of SNP' Sunday 23rd November 2pm 'Socialist Independence' 
Thursday 4th December 7pm 'The Threat of UKIP' 

Updates can be found on facebook.com/glasgowsouthssp

ENDS

New SSP branch formed in Perth

NEW SCOTTISH SOCIALIST BRANCH FORMED IN PERTH

The Scottish Socialist Party have announced that a new branch of the party has been formed in Perth. This follows a post referendum surge in membership for the party across Scotland which has seen some 3,000 joining. 

SSP national spokesman, former  Lothians MSP Colin Fox said: “I am delighted that we now have an SSP branch in Perth and warmly welcome our new members there to the party.”

“I look forward  to working with them on key issues from winning maximum powers for Holyrood to fighting poverty pay a fuel poverty.”

The branch are planning regular street stalls and will host a public meeting with Colin Fox in late November.

END 

Labour for Independence leader Allan Grogan joins Scotland's socialist party

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY
MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Ken Ferguson 07925 613145
 

LABOUR FOR INDEPENDENCE LEADER JOINS SCOTLAND’S SOCIALIST PARTY

THE founder of ‘Labour  For Independence’ , Allan Grogan , has joined the Scottish Socialist Party.

He will be a guest speaker at the party’s annual conference in Edinburgh this Saturday (25th October).

Allan Grogan said: “As LFI predicted Scottish Labour’s decision to join the Tories, big business and the Lib Dems in the anti independence camp has backfired spectacularly and it now threatens the party’s very existence.”

“Voters who backed independence in Labour areas in September remain committed to social democratic and socialist change and values which put people before profit. 

"Those values are no longer held by Labour. They are held above all by the SSP in this country and I was really impressed by the party’s conduct and distinctive role in the ‘Yes Scotland’ campaign these past two years. 
"
I am a socialist and the place for socialists is in Scotland’s socialist party. That is why I have decided to join.”

Welcoming Allan to the party SSP national spokesperson Colin Fox said: “I warmly welcome Allan into the SSP and look forward to the positive contribution he will undoubtedly make to the party. 

"I have enjoyed working alongside him in the ‘Yes Scotland’ coalition for many months.

"To him and the thousands of other people who have joined Scotland’s socialist party in recent weeks I say welcome. And I can assure them all the SSP is all the stronger for their membership. 

"We continue to be at the forefront of the campaign for policies which put the interests of working class people before those of merchant bankers and fat cats pampered by both Labour and the Tories.

“These are really exciting times in Scottish politics and the need for the SSP in offering people a political alternative to all the pro business parties has never been more vital.”

ENDS

Note: The SSP annual conference takes place in Augustine’s United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh on Saturday 25th October 10am-5pm. You are invited to be represented, please contact Ken Ferguson for details.