Make PEACE a #ge2015 election issue! - opinion by Ron Mackay

Since 6th.Aug. 1945 I've opposed nuclear weapons. I've protested at Aldermaston, Dunoon and Faslane many times. I'm very worried at international developments. Russia has nuclear weapons – they're all in Russia. China has nuclear weapons they're all in China. The U.S. Has nuclear weapons but they're in Germany, Poland , and bases arround Russia and in Turkey and elsewhere

NATO is an aggressive, nuclear armed military alliance under U.S. Control.

I read Professor Tyler Cowan an economist at a U.S. University said a big war is needed to settle the economy. Amazon recently displayed a book -”Winter Kill – war with China has already begun “ There have already been 2 Wws essentially caused by economic problems. Are we to have a 3rd.

The winners in the first 2 WW s were the U.S. Bankers and arms manufactures. We are 20 mls. From a nuclear arms dump. 

The position is serious.

I'm a long standing member of CND (google Ron Mackay and his peace activism and you'll find me on U tube). I've been against nuclear weapons since the first one was dropped on the 6th.of August 1945. The planet is in its most dangerous situation ever. The present generation has the power to change life on the planet or to destroy all life on the planet. Many eminent individuals are warning that the situation is extremely serious. Naom Chomsky, John Pilger, Michel Chossudovsky and many others have voiced their concern.

We've had 2 world wars caused essentially by economic problems. The big capitalist powers have serious economic problems. Has there to be a third world war ? The signs are ominous.

The Westminster warmongers are spending £ billions, not just on trident and other nuclear weapons but on huge military projects. The US policy of perpetual war which our defence “experts” slavishly follow throws a heavy burden on the welfare state. Warfare and welfare are incompatible. The media plays a significant part in promoting war propaganda . It is a powerful opponent of the peace forces. We badly need a strong active socialist peace movement which can accommodate the socialists in the LP, in the SNP, in the Greens, in the SSP , in the CP and all the other socialists some of whom are in no political party. We have much in common not just peace but anti-trident, anti-austerity, green issues etc. This need is urgent and vital. This matter should be raised at every meeting held as we approach the elections.

Opinion: Angus Clark

Jo lies down with Coalition Tory Bedfellows- Yet again!

(Published in this weeks Bearsden /Milngavie Herald)

Only weeks ago in their autumn party conference in Glasgow the Lib Dems condemned the’ bedroom tax’ for discriminating against the most vulnerable in our society. I was therefore disappointed but not surprised to discover that local MP and Cabinet Member Jo Swinson gave her backing to the bedroom tax at a recent crucial Parliamentary vote. It confirmed my view that when it comes to the crunch, Jo will lay down to her Tory coalition masters – yet again! She has consistently supported Cameron and Clegg and voted for repressive measures that the Coalition has put in place. However this must rank as her greatest betrayal yet as this was a genuine chance to finish off this dreadful measure once and for all. Her path as a career politician is now secure in that she seems to place more loyalty to this neo- conservative led government than she does to the views of her constituents, many of whom are already affected by this attempt to make the most vulnerable make more sacrifice for the bankers’ crisis. Recent modifications to exclude certain categories of recipients do not address the fundamental regressive nature of the measures and Discretionary Housing Benefit will only assist a few for a very limited period of time.  

The imposition of the bedroom tax is just the latest regressive measure to be given her support in her meteoric rise up the greasy political pole to Cabinet level, and she will no doubt be well rewarded. She also supported hiking University tuition fees up to £9000, a part privatised NHS, the dreadful Welfare Bill, War with Syria the lowering of taxes for billionaires and millionaires and Nuclear Weapons. Does she consider that this record fairly reflects the views of her constituents or the general populace-I think not. Some of her Lib Dem colleagues did indeed keep true to their principles and voted to scrap the bedroom tax and their action should be welcomed. Other MPs including Labour, decided that they had better things to do than turn up for this important vote which is very disappointing as this was a vote which could have been won, although I do not doubt that it would have been close.

Let’s be under no illusion, the bedroom tax is not a ‘single issue’ although it may appear so if directly affected. Governments don’t think that way! It is just one part of a concerted ideological plan to radically scale back the Welfare State [which has no democratic mandate].  Unlike the Poll Tax of the late 80’s which was aimed at the whole populace, the bedroom tax is targeted solely at social tenants drawing benefits both unemployed and in work, and by implication, already on or near the ‘breadline’ who are deemed to have an ‘extra room’. It therefore hits the unemployed and those in poverty wages ‘disproportionately’ leaving them hardly anything left over to live on. So much for the ‘Mansion Tax’ which Jo Swinson and the Lib Dems used to push for! Now it’s OK to penalise those at the foot of society, and join in with the Tories and the ‘Cabinet of Millionaires’ in giving the most vulnerable a ‘good kicking’. Who will be next in line?

                                                             

 We all know there is a better and more equitable way to tackle the nation’s housing shortage and overcrowding problems. The bedroom tax will never be a solution but it will and is leading to misery for thousands of adults and children, including ill health and suicide.

At the next Westminster election I am sure that the constituents of East Dunbartonshire are no mugs and will not be taken in by the Governments ‘fostered illusions’ over this and other matters. They should also cast an eye over Jo Swinson’s voting record before casting their vote.

No to war in #Syria

Open letter from Campsie Socialists to Jo Swinson:

Dear Jo Swinson

We understand that Parliament is to be reconvened this Thursday in order for the Prime Minister to put forward a case for intervention in the dreadful Syrian Civil War.  This comes on the back of the US and UK governments already supplying help to the opposition forces – forces that include groups that are linked with terrorism across the world. 

This is a war that has on both sides, what MP Paul Flynn has described as “evil fanatics.”  He has warned that this civil war with large economic powers at loggerheads supporting different outcomes, could very quickly escalate into a regional war and, dreadful to think, a world war.

The use of chemical weapons, and the TV images of this dreadful incident, is abhorrent. But this act of mass murder should not be used as a reason for military intervention that will only make living in that region much more dangerous.  Military intervention will only displace millions more people and lead to many more people losing their lives.

The interventions in the Middle East, and especially in strategic and resource rich countries, is reminiscent of the build up to the situations that led to the two world wars in the early twentieth century.  After both world wars, the middle-east was carved up in the interests of the imperial powers – not of the people in the region.  What happens in Syria in the coming weeks will have huge implications in countries, including ours, across the world as the world powers line up to carve out what the unrest in the Middle East allows them to. 

Western intervention never works, is always self-serving and always increases human suffering.  This should be the lesson of history you take with you to the chamber on Thursday.

Please act with the evidence of history, please act with principle and please act with compassion.  We should not be backing war in this region.

Campsie Branch (East Dunbartonshire) SSP

From Coalition of Resistance:

Vote tomorrow

Reject coalition austerity policies (for East Dunbartonshire Socialist Candidates, see post below)

Bullingdon Boys: They are all in it together 

People will go to the polls across Britain today. It is vital that these elections show the strongest possible rejection of the coalition government's brutal and unfair austerity policies.

The savage cuts that are being inflicted on us are neither necessary nor effective to meet the economic crisis facing Britain, Europe and much of the world.

They are cuts inflicted in the interests of the ruling class - the tiny minority whose interests are represented by the government. Their policies mean the rich get richer and the rest of us get poorer: jobs are lost, people lose their homes and livelihoods.

Use your vote today to show your rejection of these criminal policies - and the racist and far-right attitudes that they breed - whether in local or mayoral elections. Let's have the biggest swing possible against candidates representing government policies.

SSP Election Leaflet - Bearsden North

The Easter Activist

by SSP Campsie member Neil Scott

Christ of Abu Ghraib by Trill Zapatero

The men sat on the hill, looking out over the darkened city.

 “Look. Only you can know this. Tell no-one else. When it is done, you must flee.” He didn’t look at his friend, his face was drawn. His friend was not used to seeing him as he had been in the past few days. Serious, stressed even. Gone were the smiles and the serenity of the campaign. From the day they had arrived in the city, all had changed. The campaign had taken a new turn. Was this the end-game?

 He stood up and faced his friend. If this was the end-game, then it should be on their terms. “The only way we can rid our lands of this dreadful, exploitative system is to make allies and together we can rise up!” 

 His friend shook his head and looked at him. He signalled for him to sit, to calm. “Believe me, what I have planned will mean the power of money will be diminished forever. We have shown through our actions and our activism that the only way for mankind to survive is for us to work together. To be as one. To share.” He clasped his hands and pointed them towards the other man. “ To make sure the weakest and most vulnerable have opportunity and the essentials in life. The Imperialist Occupier's system only brings poverty, greed, envy and betrayal.”

His friend was not for calming. His voice rose to almost a shout, “No! We must take up arms!

read on HERE

The Rich are not being fair

Letter:

Jo Swinson started off to the left of Labour but since going to Westminster has moved steadily to
the right. Charles Gray, a long time Labour supporter, doesn't seem to recognise Labour too has
been corrupted by the same Westminster virus and has ,likewise, moved to the right so now it would
be appropriate to describe New Labour as pink Tories.

At the end of WW2 old Labour, which no longer exists, brought in the welfare state, a glowing
example of social development. Unfortunately most of the millionaires,the rich people and their
party, the Tories, have always been antagonistic to the welfare state and have steadily moved to
undermine and destroy it. Welfare – health, education and the many public services we all need
have to be paid for and this is done by taxat ion It is generally agreed that progressive income tax
is the fairest way to do this.

For many it is now clear that tax dodging is out of control. In the UK alone we have a £120
billion tax gap-- comprising tax avoided through obscure accounting and the use of tax havens,
illegal tax evasion and even uncollected tax. The 3 main parties Tory, Lib Dem and Labour all bear
responsibility for failure to tackle this as the people of Bradford seem to have realised. The rich
don't pay a fair share of tax.

Ron Mackay,
Milton of Campsie.

Local teacher, Neil Scott to stand in Bearsden North in May's council election

Statement:

“East Dunbartonshire has, in recent years, had the misfortune of having had a Liberal Democrat Council followed by a coalition of Labour and Tories. The mishandling of the council by these three versions of the same thing has seen an attempt to close schools in the past two years; terrible deals with corporations that have meant millions of pounds of our Council Tax money being given over to massive PPP/PFI “Guaranteed returns on investment” for minimum outlay; a decimation of our local services from Libraries through to schools, and more. If any of these parties gain the council in May, there will be more of the same, and in fact the deferred closure of East Dunbartonshire Schools will go ahead.

 As a father and a teacher I have a different vision for East Dunbartonshire services. Our area is a well off council area, one in which money could be invested in our services rather than further job-losses and cuts. I see a clear need to renegotiate PPP/PFI deals. Some of these venture capitalists are making millions of pounds of our tax money with investments of a few hundred pounds. I see East Dunbartonshire being a place of opportunity for all; a place where our money is invested in real jobs and services which will help stimulate the Scottish economy. The real drivers of any economy are people. The profits creamed off by corporations from our Council tax should be reclaimed and invested in real jobs and in our people.”

A letter to the Milibands

To the Milibands (and other leaders who believe they speak for the working class)- from a disillusioned ex-Labour voter...

“I recently heard David Miliband say that he, believes in a market economy, but does not want a market society. I do not think it is possible to separate them. As a citizen of this country I would like to set out to you, a person with more influence than me and potentially soon to have increased influence as leader of the Labour Party, my argument for why I think market economies are failing to achieve prosperity, equity and sustainability. I also believe that there is a sizeable and growing but unfortunately unheard proportion of both UK and global citizens who would equally now agree that markets do not work.

I fundamentally believe that the earth is not a commodity to be bought owned or sold but rather by birthright, a jointly shared resource. Market economies, which prioritise profit before life, cannot respect this belief.

There are three fundamental lies of capitalism. Firstly that continued growth in consumption is sustainable. Secondly that it enables a meritocracy and thirdly that the pursuit and generation of monetary wealth benefits all by trickling down.

For me it is clear that continued economic growth is not sustainable as it relies on continued consumption of finite resources, which are now running out.

It is also clear that capitalism can no longer be presented as the system which rewards hard work, in some respects this is the cruellest of all lies. Social mobility has decreased in this country as restraints on markets have loosened. I offer my own history as an example of how disadvantage accumulates over a life course and to show how difficult it is to escape poverty even with the luck of academic ability and hard work.

I come from a very poor family and grew up in an area of priority treatment on the west coast of Scotland during the time when Thatcher was in power and everyone I knew believed in the decency of the Labour Party. I was the first person in my large extended family to go to university in 1992. As a result of the low self-esteem that commonly accompanies poverty I became a single mother at the age of 22 although did manage to graduate. I trained in film editing following my degree. However it was clear to me that unless you had a family that could financially support you through the inevitable lean times of an early arts career it was very difficult to become established. I therefore decided to study medicine at the age of 27. Now aware of the statistics, I know it is remarkable that, as someone who grew up in a home without books and juggling being mum to a young child, I managed to graduate in the top 10% of my class. I have worked very hard but life is still difficult. Disadvantage is cumulative, poverty, low self-esteem, motherhood, student loans, no choice massive mortgage (42% of my income) mean that despite unceasing hard work I still struggle to make ends meet and I am relatively fortunate I know – how difficult it must be for others.

It is also equally clear that there has been no trickling down of wealth for the vast majority of people who continue to be denied their fair share of our joint resources and live in conditions of resource poverty. This can be seen on local, national and global scales where at each level capitalism has created islands of wealth surrounded by seas of poverty. In this country income inequality has continued to widen, under a market economy, and with that inequality in educational attainment, life expectancy and quality of life. On a global scale a tiny proportion of the people control the majority of the resources while the majority of people do not have basic human needs met or basic human rights respected. I think it is indisputably immoral that millions of children are starving and that millions of people die of preventable disease with our level of technological advance. To take the latter issue this is a direct result of pharmaceutical markets, which prioritise profit before human life.

In May 1997 I was 22 and wept with hope for a landside victory I had been scared to hope for. I thought things would be so different. I know that at times in the last 13 years the intentions were good but overall I feel very let down. I understand and sympathise with the work of Neil Kinnock, John Smith and Gordon Brown, compromising to achieve some good but the compromise has gone too far.

In a recent academic course a professor of public health stated that we are living through a “change of age” as has happened in the past due to necessity from hunter-gatherer to agrarian, from agrarian to industrial and from industrial to post-industrial. We now stand on the precipice of another monumental shift born of necessity once again. A necessity arising from population growth and ageing, peak oil and climate change. The Miliband brothers are right to say that the most important question now is what our values are because this will determine our response. I think there is much evidence that people are appalled by the injustice and inequity that market economies have wrought but also unfortunately easily manipulated by a right-wing media which sells the lie that increased consumption will give us the happiness which continues to elude us and persuades us there is an element of deserving in misfortune.

I am not interested in “next Labour” but rather ask of you the courage to accept markets have failed, vision in articulating prioritisation of people and our planet, beyond individual gain and profit and energy, resilience and determination in provoking an inclusive debate on alternative ways to share our resources and organise our global social system."

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.

Who is fooling us?

A common thread ran through Twitter after the last leaders debate. “Were the pollsters watching the same debate as us?”

This was the case not only in the “Twitter-sphere,” but the right wing Andrew Neil pop-politics show panel named the debate as being Browns.

Channel 4’s live poll, like quite a few of these live polls, named Cameron as a poor third or at least, neck and neck with Brown or Clegg as second place.

Even Murdoch's Sky, in a poll it has no members on the board – ie. a radio listeners poll, put Brown in first place.

So what is going on?

The biggest and most quoted pollsters in the media at the moment are You Gov. YouGov, like all polsters, tell us they are “neutral.”

Let's see. The CEO of YouGov PLC, Stephan Shakespeare, is a business associate, close personal friend and former campaign manager of Jeffrey Archer, the disgraced Tory Lord. He owns the ConservativeHome website, was Jeffrey Archer's spokesman during his London mayoral bid and was the Conservative candidate for Colchester during the 1997 election. Archer, by the way, was on telly last night for the first time in years - STRAIGHT AFTER THE DEBATE ON NEIL'S BBC PROGRAMME "THIS WEEK", calling his man the winner because of the "polls." Ahem.

An “ex” YouGov CEO Nadhim Zahawi is standing as a Conservative MP for Stratford Upon Avon in the 2010 General Election. Nadhim Zahawi also worked on Lord Archer's mayoral bid. Nadhim has stated he is not CEO anymore however he is still an active board member
see

HERE

HERE

and HERE

After Craig Murray published evidence that YouGov’s polls were rigged, they (or more specifically, Sheakspeare) denied it -But where did they publish their denial? ConservativeHome!

I am at present trying to get info on ComRes, the polsters that seem to be the second most quoted.

The Daily Mail were caught out rigging their polls and had to change the result after 1o,000 people read the analysis of how they were doing it

As has been pointed out on the Campsie website before, Murdoch and the Daily Mail have made a deal to back each others editorial in order to get the Tories in AT ALL COSTS. So, not only do the Tories at the moment own the press, they own the “independent pollsters.”

Don’t get me wrong – I cannot defend Labour in this – they quite happily took support from the Murdochracy from 1997 until this election – and their spin has been overtaken by the Tories ability to pay to buy search terms on google (enter “Leaders debate" into your google search engine and notice the advert from the tories at the top of the page).

The New Labour project has failed - and the public's Clegg/Lib Dem love in has shown that (even though the Lib Dem message is full of HUGE holes and spin) the truth starved public want to hear alternatives to the non-answers the politicos throw at us.

But what has become clear in this election – the media needs to be separated from the political parties in the way the BBC are supposed to be (though Nick Robinson, the Tory political editor at the BBC needs a slap) – and this would be a priority of a Scottish Socialist Party politician.

Follow the debate on the pollsters

HERE

Campsie articles relating to this

HERE

HERE

and HERE

Polly Toynbee on Murdoch's scandalous influence on our political system HERE

Just a thought...

Indict Blair...

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.

Glasgow East By-Election

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR MORE IMAGES FROM THE SSP GLASGOW EAST CAMPAIGN

Ritchie Venton on the outcome:

"Thousands of Labour voters simply stayed at home in disgust with their record on food and fuel prices; failure to tackle poverty and inequality; assaults on the sick and disabled, and their wholesale neglect of the working class. Others did a straight swap to the SNP, as punishment for New Labour in an area they have treated with decades of contempt, stepping on people’s heads en route to grossly overpaid political careers."

MORE HERE