Baiting our poorest on Black Friday

Seventeen Christmases ago, when my now teenager was only one, my wife and I were on benefits. We lived in one of the poorest housing schemes in Ayrshire, in poverty, surrounded by poverty. We struggled weekly with food bills, nappies and the daily grind of transport, heating and feeding the meter. We, like all of the proud working class parents living around us, all hit by Thatcher’s decimation of industry and mining in the area, wanted the best for our wee boys and girls. Santa brought far less to him than to the families we now live amongst in Bearsden and Milngavie, but we turned the heating off for days, and ate bargain baked beans to save for a purple singing dinosaur. 

 

If you want to know what inequality is like, live on benefits at Christmas.

The media on Friday and Saturday gleefully participated in the biggest poor baiting marketing ploy in this country for a while. Black Friday, the day that, supposedly, the country goes mad for bargains, was thrust upon us. Black Friday is an American invention in which large retailers select “target” stores, advertise huge price reductions on limited items, place them in their narrow doorways and open the doors when the cameras have been safely set up behind the pile of price slashed gift ideas.

The publicity generated not only helps remind ‘consumers’ to hurry up and come spend, but also helps advertise NEXT year’s PR drive to have shoppers spend their paltry food bank enhanced pay. The people of Dundee and Pollok, two far from affluent areas, were shown on our TV’s and in our newspapers, fighting and scrambling for TV’s, X-boxes, Tablets and the like. Fights broke out, while miserably paid (and perhaps Workfare enslaved) young workers got in the way of fists and angry words. I saw desperation in the faces of those videoed cynically for the good of the Tesco and Wal-Mart/ASDA Board of directors. Black Friday was a PR success, and next year’s event is guaranteed to be even bigger, more successful, violent and desperate for the poor trying to heat their homes, feed their families and give them a dignified, ‘happy,’ less indebted Christmas.

Have no doubt – those fights were started by the marketing departments of those retailers. The police called to ensure it didn’t get too out of hand were part of the publicity. Perhaps Police Scotland can investigate why people were herded, in view of the media, into bottlenecks with small stacks of radically price reduced gift ideas in their paths and why this didn’t seem to be the case in Bearsden or Morningside (both places I was on Friday)? Perhaps the Police can ensure that those who instigated the riot are pulled in and questioned and perhaps arrested? I seem to remember a huge operation that jailed people who, on Facebook, had “incited” the English riots” in 2011 from the comfort of their armchairs? Perhaps those who incited these riots from the comfort of their boardrooms should be arrested also?

Seventeen years ago, if a large, singing Barney electronic dinosaur had been reduced by 75%, which would have meant we didn’t have to do without heating for days on end, was placed in front of me, in front of cameras and surrounded by police and fearful low paid shop assistants, I too may have made a grab for it. I too may have been part of the poor-baiting media storm. I too may have fell victim to another poor father punching his way to a dignified, ‘happy,’ less indebted Christmas. I too would have been a victim of the Thatcherite, Tory/Libdem coalition profit grabbing, greedy, violent success of the vicious, nasty PR exercise that was Black Friday.

Neil Scott

East Dunbartonshire Scottish Socialist Party Organiser.

This letter was published in today's "The National" newspaper, from Campsie Branch Organiser, Neil Scott. 

SSP Campsie Yessing!

Our branch has been extremely active over the past few weeks on the Yes campaign across East Dunbartonshire.  We have had RIC stalls, leafleting, partying and direct action.

The photos show only some of our activities, some may not be admitted for a few months after the referendum!

The pics show one of our biggest stalls, organised by us, and joined by Yes Bearsden/Milngavie and RIC Kirkintilloch.  We asked Citizen Smart and other musicians along last Friday as well as the awe-inspiring symbol of Independence, the Green goddess, Spirit of Independence, which is no longer green!

I'll add photos of Saturday's stalls, which were all over the constituency when I have them.
Thanks to David Thomas and Thomas Swann for these pics!

And of course, our first of a series of huge banners throughout the constituency and beyond - our banners will be seen soon on the Ochils and the Kirkpatrick Hills as well as again, on the Campsies.  The Hills have Ayes - keep watching!

Citizen smart and Gavin singing for Yes and RIC in Kirkintilloch

Yessing in Milngavie with Chris Law and Spirit of Independence!

Opinion: Neil Scott on No Campaign negativity

The norys are trying to make any real dialogue on the ground difficult in order to ensure the billionaire, London based press is the only outlet for "fair discussion." Demonising loud, enthusiastic voices is designed to demonise the very word, "Yes."  A problem with this is, the press and other media outlets pretend to be neutral when they quite patently are not, so they gleefully print ugly words about our street and social media discourse. Those of us who, from the outset of this campaign have been assaulted, insulted and bullied on the streets by Labour hacks and right wing thugs, know the truth of who have tried to bring this campaign down to their sewer level. Project Fear, their name for their campaign, is also Project Intimidation, Threat and Violence. 




Peaceful protest against the proto-fascist Farage and the Tory Leader Cameron is being made to look as if, 1, these people have something important to say to a country that has through democratic means rejected their politics of hate and division and 2, we are stifling debate.




Peaceful, and sometimes noisy, protest has been a feature of Scottish civil politics since Dundee Jute workers became the source of the term "to heckle," many, many years ago.
That said, we must ensure people hear our positive Yes message through the negative, nasty No camp noise. Yes  gives a myriad of colourful, bright, healthy, wonderful, prosperous paths. No forces us on our knees, down the path towards the torture of continued and increasing austerity and poverty and robbery by the corporations and billionaires.




Any protest, if needed at all on the lead up to the historic day, against those who wish to impoverish our people with neo-liberal thievery and lies, must be turned into a joyous occasion with our alternatives to their austerity displayed imaginatively, positively, colourfully and in a way that ignores them, because they really have nothing to say to the majority of people in Scotland.




Let them lie to the media. Scottish people arny daft. Our truths should be displayed with pride.

Please help our Yes campaign!

Last night, Yes activists, some from the SSP, some ex-Labour Party, some not from any political party at all, and some from other political parties, delivered 1000 Scottish Socialist Voices, specially produced for East Dunbartonshire. The local branch have had 6000 of this edition produced – to add to the 6000 previous issue already delivered and the 10,000 other leaflets already delivered advertising SSP Yes meetings and events. SSP members have helped distribute Yes produced materials in the area over the past two years – the SSP is an integral part of Yes Scotland.

East Dunbartonshire YES Scottish Socialist Voice

The Scottish Socialists Voice produced for East Dunbartonshire have cost £600 so far. Add to this the cost of thousands of leaflets, hall hire, petrol and activists time, the total spend by one branch of the SSP is nearing £2000 over the past year.

The SSP, or the Campsie branch of the SSP, is not funded by Euro-millions winners. All of those Voices, each giving positive reasons to vote Yes, like getting rid of murderous nuclear weapons, or getting rid of Governments we don't vote for and highlighting the Tories, Lib Dems and New Labour's complicity in the dreadful bedroom tax and throwing local families to the mercy of food parcels and food banks, were paid for by unemployed members, disabled members, retired members and mums, dads, grandads, students and low paid workers.

They don't ask for this money back- it was gladly given in order to spread the hope of Yes; to spread the hope of socialism.

But we do ask you to help us to print more leaflets; produce more pamphlets; hire more halls for people to go listen to Jim Sillars, Sandra Webster, Campbell Martin, Colin Fox, Katie Bonnar, Richie Venton and the other great speakers who have been touring Scotland spreading "The Socialist Case for Independence..."

The price of a bus ticket will help us leaflet 50 houses in our YesSSP campaign across Scotland. One small community could receive hope from your fiver and our shoe leather… please give what little you can. Every pound offers answers and hope to those suffering the yoke of Tory/ Libdem and New Labour economic oppression.

Please click HERE to donate

Thanks.

Campsie Socialists

East Dunbartonshire and North Glasgow Mass Canvass and Public meeting @the_ssp_

Please pass this on to others who may be interested!

Please attend some of these events:

Tomorrow (Sunday) 11 am, Meeting outside Auchinairn Primary school, the East Dunbartonshire/North Glasgow Radical Independence Mass Canvass.  We need Canvassers (new canvassers will be trained) AND leafletters.  PLEASE spare some time for this very important media event.  We will also be leafletting for "The Socialist Case for Independence" Public Meeting in Wallacewell Primary School.  On Thursday 26th at 7.30 with Jim Sillars and Richie Venton.

We also need leafletters for the public meeting during the week.  Contact local organizer, Willie Telfer 07963538234 (and contact Willie about local SSP meetings!) or West of Scotland Organiser, Richie Venton 07828278093 to let them know when you can help.

NO MATTER HOW SMALL YOUR CONTRIBUTION, THE WORLD CHANGES ONLY WHEN THERE IS ACTION - GET INVOLVED!

Scottish Socialist Party ‘The Socialist Case for Independence’

Public Meeting, Kirkintilloch Miners Welfare, Kirkintilloch, Wed 30th April

‘Audience React Positively to Case for Independence’

Over 80 members of the public packed into the Miners Welfare on 30th April to take part in the SSP Public Meeting in Kirkintilloch on ‘The Socialist case for Independence’. It was one of the best attended public meetings on Independence in East Dunbartonshire. The Speakers, veteran former MSP/MP Jim Sillars, who has had a major impact on Labour and SNP politics for over 30 years, and SSP Co Convener and former MSP Colin Fox, were given a good reception as they outlined their vision for an Independent Socialist Scotland within a modern democratic republic. They advanced their view that this was a historic chance to elect a government of the left which would pursue policies which would benefit working people such as a living wage, abolition of the bedroom tax, investment in public services, repeal of anti-trade union laws and the removal of Trident. Colin fox made the point that the SSP regards this as only the start, a means to an end, with a Yes vote eventually opening the door to a Socialist government with the powers and political will to tackle poverty and inequality with far reaching redistribution of wealth and power.

Colin Fox outlined the SSP’s support for Scotland’s right to self-determination and that all the evidence shows that the working class majority will be economically, socially and politically better off in an independent Scotland. Referring to the ability of Scotland to run its own affairs, and the negative campaigning of the No Camp on this issue, Colin Fox pointed out;

‘’As a socialist my view is that our most precious asset, worth more than the oil revenue and all the whiskey, is the people of Scotland who are capable of running this country and making a success of it’’

He said it was now the chance to grasp the greatest opportunity in our lifetime, to change the direction of the economy and social policy and in so doing improve the living standards of the Scottish people. It was in his view the greatest debate in 300 years;

‘’The stakes are enormous and the consequences are enormous. This isn’t just a vote for independence but it is a vote to reject neo- liberalism and war mongering. These things have held Scotland back and should not be part of a future Scotland. It’s about creating a new Scotland based on fairness, social justice and social democracy. The British establishment don’t want Scotland to be independent because they gain financially from Scotland.’’

He continued that a Yes vote and the eventual election of a left government would lead to improved working conditions and employee rights, which have been constantly under attack over the last three decades by both Labour and the Conservatives;

‘’We are going through the worst recession in 80 years. A million people are now on zero hours contracts without any security or trade union rights or hope of permanent employment. The working class people in Scotland are held back on employment rights, held back on pensions and held back by another 10 years of austerity. We are rejecting that by voting for Independence.’’

Jim Sillars outlined his view of a socialist case for independence in a deeply thought provoking manner given his involvement over so many years as a socialist and independence campaigner. He emphasised that in his view there is definitely a sense of renewed optimism within working people, with the realisation that they have the capability to run their own affairs and to radically change society for the better, but that it will only come with the powers which independence brings. Jim Sillars reflected the mood within the audience when he made the following observation;

‘’What we can take from this public meeting is that there is now a sense of self confidence within ordinary Scottish working people and that we no longer need to feel inadequate about what we can achieve. One of the great tragedies of the Scottish working class is that we’ve believed what they told us, we’ve believed that were inadequate. We have been caught in a great prison of the myth of our own inadequacies. We need to convince the Scottish working class of their talent and their ability. This referendum is fundamentally about the liberation of the Scottish working class.’’

The audience reacted in wholehearted agreement to this statement!

There were a broad range of questions asked by the audience on a number of issues. A number of people signed up for more information on the SSP and wanted to be kept informed of further meetings, campaigns and activities organised by the SSP Campsie Branch. The meeting could undoubtable be termed a success both in terms of numbers attending and the energy within the audience which was reflected in the quality of the questions to the speakers. What can definitely be taken from the meeting is that there is now a growing sense of self confidence and political consciousness within ordinary working people. As Jim Sillars commented, we no longer need to feel inadequate or lacking in self confidence about what we can achieve.

It was clear from speaking to audience members after the event, that most of the people attending had never been to a political meeting before, and these augers well for the chances of a Yes vote come September. The good attendance at this SSP meeting, as well as recent others in Ayrshire, Govan and Pennilee reflect the fact that people are becoming more engaged with the Campaign as it progresses.

The success of the SSP public meeting was also down to the determined hard work of the local SSP and other activists in the weeks leading up to the meeting. A series of activities including door to door leafleting, postering, newsletters and press releases in local newspapers all collectively helped to advertise the meeting. We can take renewed satisfaction that the work of the Campsie Branch of the SSP is making a difference on the ground by engaging with people on the issues that matter to them. We can have confidence that there is definitely public interest out there on what the SSP has to say and we will continue with renewed energy organising further public meetings, campaigns, stalls and newsletters and these will be discussed at future SSP Campsie Branch Meetings.



ANGUS CLARK



SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY

CAMPSIE BRANCH



CampsieSocialists.com

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST VOICE FORUM ON THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENTS INDEPENDENCE WHITE PAPER

Book for this exclusive event HERE

WHEN:

December 7, 2013 at 10:00 am – 1:00 pm 

WHERE:
The Jury's Inn Hotel,
Jeffrey Street,
Edinburgh,
Midlothian

Speakers - CHAIR: John Finnie, MSP.

Jim Sillars, Isobel Lindsay, Paul Holleran, John McAllion, Maggie Chapman, Prof. Mike Danson and Colin Fox

Download the latest Scottish Socialist Voices FREE here

SsV on Facebook HERE

New Organiser for Campsie Branch SSP

Photo: Some of the branch on the way to see Rob Roy FC  after today's meeting at which we elected Willie Telfer (back row, left) as Campsie Branch Strathkelvin Organiser. Willie is a founding member of the SSP and an organiser in the PCS union.

Members also expressed solidarity with the Yes campaign and we will be producing local SSP material giving our view on what an independent Scotland can achieve in the coming weeks.

We will be having our annual branch Christmas Curry on 21st December and SSP members old and new are welcome- please contact Organiser Neil Scott or our email address at eastdunbartonshiressp@hotmail.co.uk.

Next meeting Jan 11th, Kirkie Puffer at 11am.

Photo: back row l-r Willie Telfer, Pamela Page, Angus Clark.
Front row l-r Mark Callaghan, Ron Mackay, Sonya Scott.

Yes Scotland: a 16 year old writes...

Saying Yes to Scottish Independence: An opportunity for social justice.

16 year old Michael Scott, who will vote in next year's Independence referendum, writes about why he will vote YES.

Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation - Alasdair Gray[1]

Do you want the chance to create a better Scotland? In the 2014 referendum on independence you’ll get that opportunity. Given the choice, I for one will be saying yes. Too many important matters are still controlled, and I would argue controlled badly, by Westminster. The democratic deficit and the ever-growing chasm between the values of the MPs in London and the people of Scotland are now impossible to ignore. Independence offers the possibility of a different political road; the case for change is strong.

First and foremost there is a lack of democracy for Scottish voters within the current political union. Over the last 30 years we have been governed, more often than not, by a political party which the majority of people didn’t vote for. In the most recent general election, only 11% of those eligible to vote in Scotland voted for the Conservative Party and only 23% voted for the Conservatives and Liberals combined[2]. The House of Commons’ report, on the 2010 general election results, notes the “complete detachment”2(p14) of Scotland from political trends in England and Wales. This political detachment is both determined by and reflected in the different socioeconomic values displayed by Westminster and Holyrood.

A number of important matters of government are already devolved including education and health and where we have had the power to make our own decisions we have chosen radically different policies. A good example of this is the difference between the management of the NHS in Scotland compared with what is happening to the NHS in England following the introduction of the new Health and Social Care Act. While the former Scottish Secretary of State for Health has categorically stated her opposition to private sector involvement in healthcare[3], the new English health act has sown the seeds of privatisation within the NHS in England[4]. Similarly in education there is a distinct difference in attitudes towards undergraduate tuition fees between the two governments. On the one hand, First Minister Alex Salmond has been unequivocal in his opposition to fees stating “The rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scottish students”[5] while on the other hand the Coalition government has allowed universities in the rest of the UK to charge fees of up to £9000 a year.[6]

Unfortunately however, under devolution a number of significant matters are still controlled by Westminster including the economy, welfare, and defence. Although Scotland has a traditional commitment to centre left political parties2, lack of control over these important areas means that substantial parts of our society can be determined by policies that the majority of the population are unlikely to agree with. For example, it is hard to imagine the combination of swingeing cuts to the welfare budget affecting the most vulnerable in our society[7] and reduction of the top rate of tax for high earners[8] being popular with the majority of Scottish voters. Similarly it has been estimated that 73% of Scots are opposed to government plans to renew Trident. And yet, these decisions and other important matters are imposed on us by a government which less than a quarter of the eligible Scottish electorate has voted for.


Finally, I would like to allay some of the main fears surrounding independence. The three main arguments against Scottish Independence seem to consist of us being too small, too stupid and too poor to stand on our own two feet.[9] Let me tackle each of these in turn. First, as to being too small, we don’t have to look too far afield to see many small countries prospering. A prime example of this would be Norway, which, like Scotland, has a population of about 5 million and off shore oil. However, unlike Scotland, Norway has complete control of the revenue of its oil resource and as a result has been able to use the accumulated surplus (approx £368bn) as a pension fund.[10] Another example of a small economy thriving is that of Iceland, which, with a population of just over 300,000, is bucking the European trend in terms of economic recovery from the financial crisis.[11]

 Secondly with respect to being too inexperienced to run our own affairs I’d argue that we already run many important national matters from Holyrood successfully including health, education and justice.

 Thirdly, as to us being too poor, a recent New Statesman article stated “not only does Scotland more than pay its way in the Union, but its overall fiscal position would actually be stronger as a fully sovereign nation”[12] The author of this article goes on to point out that although Scots represent just 8.4% of the UK’s total population they contribute 9.4% to its tax revenues which is equivalent to an extra £1000 for every person in Scotland relative to the contribution of others in the UK.

 An argument against Scottish Independence with which I do have sympathy is that it will ultimately decrease the chance of achieving a more socially democratic society on a UK wide basis. In the short-term I appreciate that the loss of Scottish voters may result in an increased proportion of right wing political representatives in the UK parliament. However, in the longer term I hope that having a neighbouring, flourishing, social democratic society may more powerfully change political attitudes across the rest of the UK than we have been able to do in recent years.

In conclusion, I would argue that fear of change is the only thing holding us back. Some change however, is good; and if we work as if we are in the early days of a better nation then this change will be for the good and the opportunity to create a more socially just society will be realised.




REFERENCES

[1] Gray A. Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation. Herald Scotland. May 5 2007. http://www.heraldscotland.com/work-as-if-you-live-in-the-early-days-of-a-better-nation-1.827519 (accessed 15 September 2012).


[2] Electoral Reform Society. The UK General Election 2010: In depth. House of Commons. 2010.


[3] Torrance D. Scottish Health Secretary: England will end NHS as we know it. The Guardian. March 22 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/healthcare-network/2011/mar/22/scottish-health-secretary-england-ending-nhs (accessed 15 September 2012)


[4] Campbell D. BMA's new leader: 'There's no evidence that a part-privatised NHS runs better'. The Guardian. August 31 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/aug/31/bma-leader-nhs-privatisation (accessed 15 September 2012)


[5] BBC News. SNP Conference: Salmond in free education pledge. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12711509 (accessed 15 September 2012)


[6] BBC News. Students face tuition fees rising to £9000. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11677862 (accessed 15 September 2012)


[7] UN urged to monitor welfare cuts. The HeraldScotland. September 21 2012. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/un-urged-to-monitor-welfare-cuts.18934095 (accessed 21 September 2012)


[8] Stewart H. Budget 2012: 50p tax rate scrapped and allowance raised. The Guardian. March 21 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/21/budget-2012-50p-tax-rate-scrapped-allowances (accessed 15 September 2012)


[9]Scottish Independence: It’ll Cost You. The Economist. http://www.economist.com/node/21552564 (accessed 21 September 2012)


[10]Wikipedia. The Government Pension Fund of Norway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Government_Pension_Fund_of_Norway (accessed 21 September 2012)


[11] Lyall S. A Bruised Iceland Heals Amid Europe’s Malaise. New York Times. July 12 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/world/europe/icelands-economy-is-mending-amid-europes-malaise.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 (accessed 21 September 2012).


[12] Maxwell J. Enough of The Scottish subsidy myth. The New Statesman. November 06 2011. http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/11/scotland-12288-union-public (accessed 21 September 2012).

Yesterday's Independence Rally...

Photographer, Neil Scott, writes about the Independence Rally on his blog - "A Crowd of Hearts."