Now might be a good time to have the SSP around

An interesting exchange in the Scottish edition of The Metro over the past few days.  What do you think?

(Although we are not in the Parliament, we are fighting at council level and on the streets and in local and national campaigns like the bedroom tax, No to Nato, Scrap Trident, save our services and no to cuts!  We never went away!)

SSP Party Political Broadcast

No to 55% - the Scottish situation

Previous posts on this HERE and HERE

Information on the 66% rule in Scotland:

• The 66% dissolution rule is standard across many parliaments. For many it is considered a high amount and is designed to provide stability. It is considered 'constitutionally safer' to have a two thirds requirement.
• The decision to create the two-thirds rule was taken at Westminster during the formation of the Scotland act, 1998. It was enacted by the then Labour Government and would not have been debated in the Scottish parliament as it was not yet reconvened.

Further information can be found in some of the debates during the passage of the Scotland Bill, in the House of Commons, but primarily, in a grouping of amendments on the issue of elections to the Scottish Parliament, in the House of Lords:

Commons Committee Stage 28 January 1998 Col 460 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980128/debtext/80128-25.htm

Lords Committee Stage 8 July 1998 Col 1342 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo980708/text/80708-03.htm#80708-03_head2

Lords Committee Stage 8 July 1998 Col 1351 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo980708/text/80708-12.htm#80708-12_head0

Lords Committee Stage 8 July 1998 Col 1354 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo980708/text/80708-27.htm, particularly the exchange between Lord Mackay of Drumadoon and Lord Steel of Aikwood

Lords Reporting Stage 22 October 1998 Col 1640 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo981022/text/81022-21.htm, Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish on amendment 32

1997 White Paper that preceded the Scotland Bill: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/devolution/scpa-00.asp - although the only mention there is this: 9.4 The Scottish Parliament may be dissolved before the 4 years is up with the agreement of at least two thirds of MSPs, or if the Parliament fails to agree on the appointment of a First Minister.

Save Our Schools Moves to Holyrood...

GLASGOW SAVE OUR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN CALLS ON 129 MSPs TO SIGN DECLARATION IN DEFENCE OF EDUCATION IN COMMUNITIES

Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign has taken nearly 100 parents to the Scottish Parliament today, met with a group of MSPs, and started the process of getting a parliamentary majority of MSPs to sign up to a Declaration calling on the Glasgow city council to suspend its hasty attempts to close schools and nurseries by June, and asking for an urgent parliamentary investigation into the impact of these closures.

Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign organiser, Richie Venton, today said:

"We met with a group of MSPs from the Lib Dems, SNP and Labour. Two-thirds of them agreed to sign our MSPs' Declaration on the spot, and to pursue other MSPs to do likewise.
"Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign will now write to and speak to every MSP to seek their backing, to further isolate the cost-cutting councillors in their George Square bunker. "Our aim is to pound the council into retreat with the help of the Scottish parliament.
"The issues involved are of grave concern for the whole nation, as well as traumatising 2,000 young children in its biggest city.
"The Labour council's closures will mean bigger classes and less teachers -
both of which completely contradict the declared aims of the Scottish
government and the advice of educational experts.
"The so-called consultation procedure, where over 96 per cent opposition to
the closures was ignored by Steven Purcell and his puppet councillors,
undermines the whole idea of democracy and the Scottish parliament's own
guidelines for public consultation.
"We appeal to the Scottish parliament to not remain silent on such key
issues, but to shout its opposition to these regressive, cost-cutting
closures from the rooftops.
"Our MSPs' Declaration calls on the Scottish parliament to hold a thorough public investigation into the impact of the threatened closures on education, children's health and safety, social inclusion, jobs, and the implications for the democartic process of consultation with communities.
There is no reason why any MSP of any party would not sign up to this Declaration."



For more info contact Richie Venton on 07828 278 093 or at
richieventon@hotmail.com

Miami 5 demonstration

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