East Dunbartonshire Candidates

In East Dunbartonshire, we donot have an SSP candidate. Some of us have to make a choice between parties we would not normally vote for. The SSP do not have a “line” on who to ask you to vote, but would say that you should consider your vote very carefully. With this in mind, I asked all of the candidates the same question, “Why should Scottish Socialist Party members give their vote to you?”

Three parties responded. These responses are below.

One SSP Campsie member has written an article saying how he will vote. This can be found on his blog HERE.

2005 results HERE

Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are fighting for fairness. Wealth inequality has risen under Labour. Lib Dems would raise the income tax threshold to £10,000, helping those on low and ordinary incomes with £700 a year. This would be paid for by a mansion tax on properties above £2million, taxing capital gains in the same way as income, and clamping down on tax avoidance. We would invest an additional £2.5billion in early years education, targeted at the poorest children. We will clean up our rotten political system, and introduce fair votes. We will break up the banks to separate the high-risk casino banking from tightly-regulated high-street banking, with a cap on bankers’ bonuses of £2500. Locally, I have been an approachable and active MP. If you think I have done a good job, and you like the Lib Dems’ message of fairness, please vote for me on Thursday.

Mary Galbraith, Labour
Thanks for giving me the chance to respond in this way to your members, some of whom I met in Kirkintilloch on Saturday.

Your web-site highlights three aspects of your credo: “Socialism”, “Independence” and “Internationalism”, displayed prominently on the home page. I believe that the Labour party is more – much more – interested these issues than any of the other parties standing in East Dunbartonshire. Let me give you a couple of examples for each:

Socialism
• We have an excellent record in taking families, particularly those with children, out of poverty.
• Our manifesto commitment is to protect assistance for families, such as Working Families Tax Credits, and help our elder citizens by re-establishing the link between earnings and pensions.
• Following the introduction of the mimimum wage some years ago - resisted by all the other parties standing in the seat - we seek to strenghten its operation, and increase its value.
• We plan to cut less, and tax more, than other parties.

Independence
• After many years and failed attempts to deliver devolution, the Labour Party put in place the Scottish Parliament.
• The next Labour Government would give the Scottish Parliament increased tax raising powers.

Internationalism
• The Labour Party has displayed leadership on the international stage in fighting climate change and world poverty
• We will spend 0.7% of national income on aid by 2014

I cannot speak for any of the other parties, but I do not think that any of them can come close to matching the Labour Party’s achievements and ambitions on your three priorities. I would therefore encourage members of the Scottish Socialist Party to vote for the Labour Party in this constituency, and in those other seats where the SSP does not have a candidate of its own.

Iain R White, SNP
The reasons why your members, and indeed anyone, should vote for the SNP, is that we are the only party to stand up for Scotland. If you read the literature of the other parties, none even mention Scotland as they are all written in London and the candidates name added locally.

The SNP (myself included) believe in supporting those less well off in society. We believe in supporting business, particularly small businesses, which generate the money to pay for these benefits. I believe that pensions are far too low and welcome the SNP commitment to indexing to earnings.

I will be happy to discuss any other issues in as much detail as you want (or I can manage), but hope that his will suffice for now.

Willie O'Neil for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

Help put socialist policies on the agenda...

The Scottish Socialist Party will be standing in 10 seats across Scotland at the general election on Thursday 6th May.
Aberdeen North - Ewan Robertson
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East - Willie O'Neil
Dundee East - Angela Gorrie
Edinburgh South West - Colin Fox
Glasgow Central - James Nesbitt
Glasgow East - Frances Curran
Glasgow North East - Kevin McVey
Livingston - Ally Hendry
Paisley and Renfrewshire North - Chris Rollo
Paisley and Renfrewshire South - Jimmy Kerr.


The SSP general election campaign will offer a real alternative to the policies of the party’s of big business at the election, and put socialist policies firmly on the agenda in Scotland at the General Election.

The Scottish Socialist Party is standing in the General Election on a programme of resistance and defiance of Westminster cuts, emergency action against youth unemployment;
an end the war in Afghanistan, & an independent Socialist Scotland.



All SSP candidates are committed to taking only a workers wage, and are opposed to the obscene expenses and salaries of Westminster MPs.



The SSP stands firmly on the principal of Workers MP on a Workers wage.



The general election campaign places a massive financial pressure on the shoulders of the SSP both at local & national level to raise the funds needed to finance our general election campaign.



I am appealing to all members/friends & supporters of the Scottish Socialist Party directly to make a pledge or donation to the General Election Campaign Fund, to help the party raise the necessary funds to fight our General Election campaign.



You can make a pledge /donation to the general election campaign fund, in the following ways.

1. At your local SSP Branch meeting or directly to your branch organiser or branch treasurer.



2. Send a cheque made out to the Scottish Socialist Party Election Fund to the party's national office @ 93 Hope Street Glasgow.



3. Text me on 07811265388 & let me know the details of your pledge /donation and I will make arrangements to get it collected.



4. E-mail me @ jimmcvicar.scottishsocialistparty@hotmail.com & let me know the details of your pledge /donation and I will make arrangements to get it collected.



I appreciate it is a difficult time financially for comrades ,but every penny & pound is vital for the party's election campaign to be successful and every pledge /donation is appreciated and will go directly to finance the General Election Campaign.



If you have already made a pledge or donation to the SSP Election l fund, thanks your contribution is much appreciated by the party.



Thanks for your support.
Jim McVicar.

SSP National Treasurer.




The Scottish Socialist Party can only accept donations to the general election campaign fund from UK registered voters.

Leaders Debates - Scots not represented

Tonight on telly, three unionist capitalist parties will fight over who will be the party to shaft the poor and workers of this country in order to pay off rich bankers gambling debts.

They will discuss how they will make your children's education suffer and how many more billions they will use to kill poor Afghanis and economic conscripts to the British Army.

They will discuss who can sell off the NHS the quickest and how they will sell off Scottish Water to a private company and they will discuss how many workers they will lay off.

None of them will discuss making the rich pay their share in the "austerity" drive and none of them will discuss saving the country billions of pounds by stopping the bombing of poor countries nor will they discuss ridding the country of unnecessary spending of billions of YOUR money on replacements of Cold War technology with cold War technology.

None of them will consider making non-dom tax dodging illegal... or making it illegal to dodge tax in this country by spuriously charging everything up to companies etc.

None of them will promise to fight for a Scottish Socialist Republic.

If you twitter, please join in the online demonstration by tweeting your disgust at not being represented- add the hashtags #scotlandspeaks #leadersdebate and if you agree with the SSP - add #ssp or #scottishsocialistparty