Archive for May, 2009

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY
Media Release
Contact; Ken Ferguson 07925 613145

FRENCH SOCIALIST LEADER JOINS SSP EURO ELECTION CAMPAIGN:

The Scottish Socialist Party’s European election campaign steps up a gear this week when they will joined by a leading French socialist at a series of rallies in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.

Joaquim Reymond is a member of the recently formed New Anticapitalist Party which is expected to make gains in the forthcoming European elections.

The party leader, postman Olivier Besancenot, was listed among the 50 people who will “frame the debate” on the future of capitalism by the Financial Times earlier this year.

The SSP is fighting the European elections a part of an alliance with the NAP and other parties across the EU.

SSP European candidate Colin Fox said
“We welcome Joaquim  joining  our campaign to Make Greed History which is part of an EU wide campaign to make the rich gamblers who created this crisis pay the bill.”

“It is unity of working people across Europe defending their jobs and services which is the way ahead not Union Jack  waving  Little Britain politics which will only divide us.”

“People disgusted with the expense account antics of MPs and the greed of the bankers need to vote to make the rich ,who caused the crisis, pay the bill.”

“When they vote SSP they know they have the guarantee that if elected we will live on the average wage of a skilled worker not the premier league lifestyle which has so disgusted voters.”

“Our proposed 10% tax on Europe’s rich could create 80,000 jobs in Scotland and allow a major programme of council house building and environmental measures without cutting services as promised by all the so called major parties.”

The Rallies take place:

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.

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY
Media Release: 20th May 2009

Scottish Socialist European candidate Angela Gorrie will take the party’s message to shoppers in Aberdeen on Thursday 21st May when she will be campaigning on Union Street.

Angela repeated the party’s policy that anybody elected under their banner would refuse the “lottery winners” lifestyle enjoyed by other politicians.

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

Angela is the youngest person on the SSP candidates list for the European elections on June 4th.

She said: “The Scottish Socialist Party is entitled to remind voters 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.”

“Understandably promises in politics today are seen to be worthless but it is important to remind voters that the SSP MSP’ s honoured that promise for the entire time they were at Holyrood between 1999 and 2007.”

“ Each one of them lived on the average wage in line with party policy.”

“In the 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. The resignation of the Speaker will not change that.It’s a funny way to ’serve the public’ stealing from the public purse and the SSP will have none of it.”

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY

Media Release: 18th May 2009

Scottish Socialist leader Colin Fox today warned the Government that pressing ahead with the privatisation of Royal Mail would be a political “Kamikaze mission.”

Fox, who is top of the SSP list for the European elections, was speaking ahead of  Wednesday’s House of Lords third reading of Industry Secretary, Peter Mandelson’s Bill to part privatise the Royal Mail.

“Despite pretending that the EU is forcing postal privatisation on him the truth is that Gordon Brown himself and his cabinet are driving the demands for Royal Mail to be handed over to profit hungry private postal companies like TNT.”

“Post Office privatisation is overwhelmingly unpopular with postal workers and the public alike, yet it is being pushed ahead by Industry Minister Peter Mandelson.”

“You would think by now that even he would grasp how out of touch he is on this issue. With 150 Labour MP’s threatening to rebel the Bill can only now be passed in the Commons with the help of TORY MP’s.”

“The SSP demands Royal Mail is kept in public hands. Like the public we wish to see it remain a public service owned and controlled by the public, where the profits it makes – £323m last year – go into the public purse to build hospitals and schools and not handed over to private shareholders in private postal companies like TNT.”

“The expenses scandal has already undermined the Brown government and railroading this unpopular privatisation through thanks to Tory votes could well prove a fatal blow for this embattled government.”

“I urge the public to contact their MPs and demand they vote to keep the profiteers paws off our Post Office.”

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY
Media Release: 15th May 2009

Scottish Socialists election guarantee: we won’t play the expenses lottery.

Scottish Socialist leader Colin Fox has repeated the party’s policy that anybody elected under their banner would refuse the “lottery winners” lifestyle enjoyed by other politicians.

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.”
[ends]

Make Greed History was publicly launched on Wednesday 13th May at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh.
Top of the SSP list for the European elections, former MSP for the Lothians Colin Fox was joined by the SSP’s youngest candidate Angela Gorrie and Secretary of Scotland No.2 Branch CWU (Postal), Willie Marshall.

Photographs from the launch are here…

BBC News coverage here…

The magnificent Make Greed History banner had it’s first outing on Edinburgh’s May Day demo on Saturday 2nd May and then again on Sunday 3rd.

Hundreds of leaflets were also distributed and dozens of copies of Scottish Socialist Voice with the campaign splashed on the front page were sold.

May Day demonstrators showed their support for the campaign with a massive thumbs up for a Eauropean wide wealth tax to make the rich pay for their crisis.

The Make Greed History campaign will make it’s first public outing on Scotland’s May Day marches in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the weekend of  2nd and 3rd of May.