A delegation from Solidarity, Scotland's Socialist Movement will attend next week's Cairo Conference and Social Forum.  Several Solidarity members will attend through involvement with the many groups that make up our broad movement but, for the first time, an official party representation will also attend.  NSC member John Wight of Lothians Solidarity is part of the delegation.  He said:

"This will be a great opportunity to build strong international links for Solidarity as our party continues to grow.  In a year when Hezbollah have shown that resistance can overcome the might of the Israeli army, and the US and Israel have hinted at attacks on Iran, the conference is more important than ever."

For more than five years, the Cairo Conference has been a key meeting place for those opposing war and occupation from Iraq, Palestine, Egypt and the international anti-war movement.

The event brings together delegates from the global social movements, the international anti war movement, the trade unions, the left and radical parties and the national liberation movements. It
will build links of solidarity between those involved in the struggle against imperialism and neo-liberalism across the globe.

At last year’s conference over 2,000 people
crammed into the Egyptian journalist union’s building to hear speakers from Egypt, Palestine, Europe and Iran. A wide spectrum of the Egyptian opposition, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Nasserist groups, socialists, trade unions and peasant organisations were represented.

The Third Cairo Social Forum will take place alongside the conference. The Forum is an open space, accessible to all who agree on the principles of the conference.

In previous years writers and artists; independent workers’ groups and trade unionists; the Egyptian medical syndicate; the Egyptian Bar Association; the Egyptian Journalists Union; independent women’s organizations and activists; independent farmers’ groups; human rights activists, cinema, theatre and cultural groups have organised events at the Forum.

Tommy Sheridan MSP, Co-Convenor of Scotland's fastest growing political party, Solidarity, has called on Scotland to collectively apologise for our role in the slave trade.  His call came in response to a question at the opening debate in the VotePod series, which took place today at Edinburgh University.

The Solidarity MSP also used the debate to call on voting rights to be extended to 16 y-olds as a matter of principle and the scrapping of Trident.

Parts of the debates are available for listening and viewing at www.scottishvotepods.com  

Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan has attacked the legal loopholes that allow Britain's richest billionaires and their companies to avoid taxes of £97-150 billion.  Speaking on his weekly radio show on Talk107, the Glasgow MSP revealed that the poorest 10% of scots pay 38% of their income in direct and indirect taxes while Britain's 54 billionaires pay on average only 0.14%:

"We see adverts and posters everywhere asking us to shop in a benefit cheat, yet the richest people can legally cheat the public purse through organised tax avoidance schemes.  Meanwhile banks who make billions in profits illegally charge customers extremely high charges for very basic services."

The Co-Convenor of Scotland's fastest growing political party criticised the SNP's vision of a low tax, business friendly Scotland.  In speeches at the SNP conference yesterday the nationalists announced "efficiency savings" in local authorities of 1.5% per year as well as a cut in business taxes.

Sunday Morning with Citizen Tommy is broadcast at www.talk107.co.uk every Sunday from 10.00am-1.00pm.

A public meeting will take place regarding the future of Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh following the completion of a three thousand strong petition against the Council's plans to demolish the venue to make way for hundreds of luxury homes.  The meeting is at the stadium at 3pm tomorrow (Saturday).

This week Save Meadowbank completed their online petition to be presented to Tony Blair, over 3,000 signatures were collected including Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan.  Unite the Clubs recently marched through the city in protest at the plans and have attracted support from celebrities such as The Proclaimers and Edith Bowman.

Lothians Solidarity candidate Pat Smith said:

"Solidarity members like Vanessa Fuertes and Kevin Connor have been at the forefront of this campaign.  The people of Edinburgh clearly oppose the councils plans.  The Council should listen to them or face the music in the elections in May."

Save Meadowbank Spokesperson and Lothians Solidarity member Kevin Connor said:

"The response has been exceptional. People really want to save Meadowbank.  I urge people to attend the public meeting on Saturday.  It will probably be your only chance to question those who made the decision to demolish this Edinburgh landmark."

Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan has called on the Scottish public to make Labour pay for introducing a replacement to Trident.  He called on all scots who oppose the renewal of the missile system to vote only for parties who will vow to scrap them:

"On May 3rd the people of Scotland can show Labour, and their friends the tories, that we do not want £76 billion spent on weapons of mass destruction."

The Co-Convenor of Scotland's fastest growing political party added that Scots want to see the vulnerable, the young and the old looked after before spending money on weapons to kill others.

"This money could be spent on providing decent pensions, student grants, affordable housing for rent or a fair minimum wage of £8.50 per hour.  It is morally and politically wrong to waste £76 billion on this."

Two leading activists from Women of Zimbabwe Arise! (WOZA) arrived in Glasgow yesterday on invitation from Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement. They address two meetings in Glasgow last night before taking part in discussions at the Scottish Parliament today.  

 Jenni Williams and Magondonga Mahlangu are leaders of WOZA who have led a mass campaign of non-violwent protest and civil disobedience in Zimbabwe. Despite intimidation and police violence they have maintained their movement giving Zimbabwean women a voice. Jenni Williams was awarded an International Woman of Peace Award this year.