It is hard to see what the local Labour Party were thinking when the approached local right-winger David Shaw to be candidate in the Ballochmyle by-election.  Apart from him being known to be a ferrari-driving millionaire, the last thing Labour need to portray in a deprived area, he famously welcomed farmers going out of business last year, during talks over milk prices.  The Scotsman reported " Shaw, in a phrase that he might now regret, said it would help his business if more farmers quit: "It would be music to my ears if more dairy farmers went out of business and I don't care who that annoys."

The view we are getting through canvassing on the street in the villages of the ward is that the anger over his selection comes from Labour members rather than supporters.

To Solidarity, it gives us a clear choice to put to voters, do you stand with a man who celebrated pit closures and toasted Maggie Thatcher with every job lost in the pits?  Or do you stand with Danny Masterton, a former miner who took part in the miners strikes of 1973, 1974 and 1984/85?

But Labour are obviously not alone in their connections to business.  They have become the tories in most peoples eyes and the public will not be surprised to hear of Peter Mandelson and George Osborne being togetheer on a billionaire's yacht, both brown-nosing the same oligarch for funds and influence.

But this week we see the Lib Dems biggest donor found guilty of stealing 30 million from clients, over two million of which made it's way to funding the Lib Dems.  The SNP's 'transport policy for sale' signs drooped this week too when the man they appointed head of the Transport Scotland Qango was forced to resign after it emerged that he owned shares in the company the was awarded the rail franchise by the very body.  We, the taxpaye,r were paying this guy ninety grand a year, John Swinney appointed him.

Solidarity is the only party in this by-election whose principles and policies are not for sale, the only party who are talking about people and not profit.  Ballochmyle does not need another councillor with 'business contacts' or 'backed by business', we dont need more councillors for parties who put the interests of business before the interests of pensioners and families.

Only a vote for Solidarity and for Danny Masterton will give ordinary people a voice in the council.  Vote Danny Masterton on December 11th to start the fight back against our councils and government deciding policy on the basis of the highest bider.

Solidarity's candidate in the Ballochmyle By-election, Danny Masterton, has vowed to fight for better and cheaper public transport links if elected to the Council.  He said:
 
"People who cannot afford to run a car have their life limited by the lack of affordable transport.  Children and families in outlying villages are excluded from a lot of activities and opportunities by the cost and poor service provided by public transport.  The last train from Glasgow is too early to let people enjoy a show, concert or football match, when it arrives in this area many people then need to pay for expensive taxis to get them home.  It costs over four pounds to get a bus from Muirkirk to Cumnock and back.  This has to end."
 
Solidarity, if elected, will campaign for a train station at Mauchline, for a later train service from Glasgow, for lower bus fares, and for a connecting bus service meeting the trains, providing low cost links to and from Mauchline, Muirkirk, Catrine and Sorn.

Solidarity Co-Convenor Rosemary Byrne joined candidate Danny Masterton and Solidarity members on the streets of Muirkirk this weekend.  Rosemary, the former Regional MSP for South Scotland, returned to the area where she built strong links during her time in parliament, especially with workers in the open cast coal industry. She said:

"It was uplifting to see the positive attitude the people of Muirkirk have towards Danny as a candidate and Solidarity as a party.  I had forgotten how cold it could be up here but I was warmed by the response we had and the friendliness of the local people."

Tommy Sheridan and Jim Walls will join the campaign in Muirkirk this week at a public meeting in support of Danny at the Muirkirk IFE win on Thu 27 Nov, 7.30pm.  

The nominations are closed for the East Ayrshire Council by-election with five candidates declared.  In the coming week Coalfields Solidarity will be canvassing in Muirkirk and Mauchline, comrades from other branches who want to join us contact Jim Monaghan on 07944 217938

Public Meeting, Thursday 27 November, Muirkirk PS IFE Wing, 7.30pm.  Speakers Tommy Sheridan, Jim Walls, Danny Masterton.

Full list of candidates: Iain Fraser (Lib Dems) Janette MacAlpine (Conservatives) Danny Masterton (Solidarity) Roseanne Savage (SNP) David Shaw (Labour)

We have seen some historic events in elections in the last year or two, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness sharing power, a smile and a handshake, The SNP coming to Government in Scotland, A black president in the USA.  But we are hoping to add to that tally with what people may think is unlikely, a Solidarity councillor in East Ayrshire.  And, if there is a place to create history then the Ballochmyle ward of East Ayrshire council is the place to do it, there is history in every village, around every corner.  So please indulge me in my pride of my local area and my family with a tour of the ward and it's social history.  It is easy to forget that before we were 'deprived ex-mining communities' we were so much more.
 

MUIRKIRK, THURSDAY 27 NOV

More than 50 local people braved a freezing cold night in the Ayrshire hills to join Solidarity at a meeting to support our council candidate Danny Masterton.

Solidarity Co-Convenor Tommy Sheridan and Coalfields Solidarity Organiser Jim Monaghan (standing in Jim Walls of TGWU/Unite who was ill) joined Danny on the platform.

Danny spoke from the heart about the strength he gained from fighting back in miner's strikes in 1973,' 74 and '84.  Last year his son was one of the British Marines captured by Iran just as his wife was being admitted to hospital with a brain tumour.  Danny described how fighting these things makes him stronger and his desire to fight for the people of the Ballochmyle Ward.

Jim Monaghan spoke of the possibilities for change that can happen if people stand together in solidarity, citing the nationalisation of the pits and the origins of the Labour Movement in the Murikirk area. 

Tommy Sheridan highlighted the difference two years make.  He contrasted the rush to bail out bankers in 2008, with the collapse of Farepak two years earlier.  There was no compensation or bail-out for the families who lost out because of the actions of HBOS, despite all of the major banks posting billions in profits that year.  He called for nationalisation of all banks, resources and utilities saying:

"For too long we have been fighting for crumbs.  But we no longer want the crumbs and we dont even want the cake - we want control of the bakery!"

New members and supporters joined Solidarity and are getting involved in a by-election campaign which has already been a success for Solidarity, whatever the final result of the poll on December 11th.

Keep up to date with the campaign in the by-election in our election blog section www.solidarityscotland.org/content/blogsection/5/34/

A report released yesterday (14 Nov) by watchdog Consumer Focus revealed that energy companies are making over half a billion pounds extra profit from charges on pre-payment meters to their poorer customers. 

Solidarity, Scotland's Socialist Movement have announced their candidate for the forthcoming by-election for the Ballochmyle ward of East Ayrshire Council.  Danny Masterton from Muirkirk was selected by local activists to carry the Solidarity banner in the ballot.  Danny, 54, a former professional footballer, is a well-known local trade unionist who has worked as a miner, fitter and then 10 years in open casts.  He is now a full-time carer.  

Danny is a member of Coalfields Solidarity, formed by workers in Scotland's coal industry. 

The latest by-election campaign for Solidarity is in the Ballochmyle ward of East Ayrshire Council.  The election takes place on December 11 and the Solidarity candidate is Danny Masterton of Coalfields Solidarity.

Ballochmyle is large ward geographically stretching from just outside Galston in the Irvine Valley to Glenbuck on the border with South Lanarkshire, taking in the villages of mauchline, Catrine, Auchinleck, Sorn, Lugar, Logan, Cronberry and Muirkirk.  The local council is a Conservative/SNP coalition and the local MP is Des Browne.

Solidarity has two branches in the area, Ayrshire Solidarity, which takes in the comrades who are based in the Kilmarnock end of East Ayrshire and Coalfields Solidarity taking in the former mining villages in the Cumnock area.

Regular reports and updates from the campaign will appear here on the Solidarity website.

Comrades who wish to come to East Ayrshire to help the campaign should contact Danny's election agent Jim Monaghan of Coalfields Solidarity on 07944 217938.