Solidarity, Scotland's Socialist Movement, contested the General Election as part of the (Scottish) Trade Unionist and Socialist Coaltion (STUSC). Please click the links for the following updates;
For more of Duncan Brown’s photos of the demo click here
“RACISM” CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST ISRAEL PROTESTORS
Aamer Anwar reads a statement outside court
(From the SPSC website)
Five Palestine campaigners who contested the relevancy of a “racially aggravated conduct” charge in relation to their protest against Israel’s blockade of Gaza had all charges against them dropped today.
The campaigners, all members of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), had interrupted the August 2008 Edinburgh Festival concert by the Jerusalem Quartet. Tours by the classical musicians are regularly sponsored by the Israeli Government, which the campaign group claims makes them a legitimate target for protest.
The campaigners had been accused of making “comments about Jews, Israelis, and the State of Israel”, but during a three-day legal debate at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, a BBC audio recording of the event revealed that there had been no reference made to “Jews”. Comments included “They are Israeli Army musicians”, “End the Siege of Gaza”, “Genocide in Gaza”, and “Boycott Israel”.
Sheriff James Scott ruled that “the comments were clearly directed at the State of Israel, the Israeli Army, and Israeli Army musicians”, and not targeted at “citizens of Israel” per se. “The procurator fiscal’s attempts to squeeze malice and ill will out of the agreed facts were rather strained”, he said.
Read the SPSC website here or click on the link on the Solidarity homepage.
For Solidarity website reports on previous court appearances click here and here
For a report of speeches by 2 of the SPSC5 at Solidarity Conference click here
Click “read more” below to see Solidarity conference motion in support of the SPSC and the SPSC5
Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement offers our sincere condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of the two Southampton based firefighters James Shears and Alan Bannon who were tragically killed whilst undertaking their duties.
The deaths of James and Alan are yet another reminder of the dangers faced by fire service personnel day and daily.
In the last 6 years, 16 firefighters have died attending fires. The FBU have published a report called, “In the Line of Duty” arguing that the lessons of previous tragedies must be learned, if they are not to be repeated.
Visit the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition website at www.tusc.org.uk
BA conning Passengers say UNITE
British Airways is attempting a contrick Paul Daniels would be proud of, say Unite the union.
With cabin crew on their latest stoppage in their fight against BA's attacks on services and jobs, Unite says that the company is going to extraordinary and expensive lengths to pretend it is business as usual at the airline.
The union says the reality is, however, that BA will lose millions each day as it hands its passengers and revenue - and customers' possible future loyalty - to its competitors. Analysts have estimated that lost passenger revenue alone works out at around GBP4m every day, while the wet lease plane bill has already passed GBP7m for last week's strike.
Twenty One Years On - It's time to stop persuing poll tax debts
March 18th marks the 21st anniversary of the first mass protest against the Poll Tax. Thousands of people marched through Glasgow at the beginning of a movement that led that to a mass non-payment campaign and ended in the resignation of Margaret Thatcher.
Solidarity’s Co-Convenor Tommy Sheridan played a key role in the campaign against the hated tax and he wishes to see the anniversary marked by calling for Scotland to adopt a Statute of Limitations that would prevent councils from perusing people with poll tax debts. “I’m proud of the role that myself and thousands of other ordinary working class people played in defeating both the Poll Tax and Margaret Thatcher herself.”
“At the time we called it an ‘unfair, unjust and immoral’ tax. The Tories ignored petitions, protest marches and rallies and the ballot box. All we had left was the right to defy. Civil disobedience through mass non-payment. “
“Twenty one years on, we in Solidarity think that it is time for a Statute of Limitations that would give Scotland parity with England and Wales meaning that outstanding poll tax debt would be scrapped.”
“People across Scotland face continued harassment for poll tax bills going back 20 years. Many couldn’t afford to pay then and they can’t afford to pay now.”
“A much better use of the money and resources allocated to perusing decades old debt owed by ordinary people would be instead to chase those millionaire and billionaire business people who avoid paying tax by claiming non-domiciled tax status or setting up companies in offshore tax havens.”
“Whilst pensioners, the poor and low paid are chased for measly poll tax bills by local councils, members of the tax avoiding super rich are rewarded with knighthoods and seats in the House of Lords. We consigned the poll tax to history, now it's time to do the same thing with poll tax debt."
Tommy Sheridan was Secretary of Pollok Anti-Poll Tax Union, Chair of Scottish and All Britain Anti-Poll Tax Federation. He was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for defying a court order to help prevent a warrant sale in October 1991. Tommy served 4 months in Saughton Prison between March and July 1992 were he was elected as a Scottish Militant Labour councillor for Glasgow Pollok in the May elections of that year and secured 20% of the vote and came 2nd in the Westminster election of April 1992. Tommy is now co-convenor of Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement.
Solidarity with BA Cabin Crew
Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement today welcomed the news that trade unionists across the world are preparing to show solidarity with striking BA cabin crew workers.
Whilst New Labour and Gordon Brown have shamefully attacked a union and its members that funds his own party to the tune of millions of pounds a year, workers in the USA, France and Germany will take action to support the UNITE members. Brown and his unelected Transport Secretary Lord Adonis have called the action of the workers “deplorable” and “unjustified” but Solidarity Co-Convenor Tommy Sheridan has said that it is the bosses who are “cruel” and “callous.”
Tommy Sheridan said; “I congratulate those workers in the Teamsters Union in the USA, the Ver Di Service Union in Germany and the numerous French trade unionists who are planning to stand shoulder to shoulder with BA cabin crew.”
“It is shameful that a New Labour Government, funded by millions of pounds of UNITE member’s money, should attack workers taking industrial action to defend pay and conditions.“
"The management of BA want to bring in a new set of workers, on worse pay and conditions, with current crew members working with reduced crew numbers, shorter rest times, fewer holidays and cuts in pay.”
“Management have tried to portray BA staff as greedy and claim they are the best paid in the business. What they don’t tell you is that 70% of cabin crew earn less than £20,000 a year and many rely on tax credits or second jobs to survive."
Walsh jets off with £62k per month
“One thing you can be sure of, BA boss Willie Walsh, a man earning £62,000 per month, will never have to worry about relying on tax credits. This man really is a financial wizard…with an ability to make money disappear. He has taken a company with record profits of £883 million (reported in May 2008) and presided over a loss of 92% in one year. Despite holding reserves of over £2 billion, Walsh now argues that it is cabin crew who must pay for his mismanagement by insisting BA cannot maintain the low levels of wages paid to highly trained staff.”
“If these crews are the best paid then it shows the scandalous levels of low pay that exist in the airline industry. It used to be the Labour Party that would argue for other workers to be brought up to the levels of the best paid in the industry but those days are long gone. Come the General Election however, the same Government Ministers lining up to attack the union and its members will go back to them with begging bowl in hand asking for donations to fight their election campaign.”
“We in Solidarity stand shoulder to shoulder with the striking cabin crew members and their brothers and sisters in the trade union movement throughout the world.”
Events Calendar
Stop the Cuts - Public Works: 
Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement offers our sincere condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of the two Southampton based firefighters James Shears and Alan Bannon who were tragically killed whilst undertaking their duties. 
British Airways is attempting a contrick Paul Daniels would be proud of, say Unite the union.
March 18th marks the 21st anniversary of the first mass protest against the Poll Tax. Thousands of people marched through Glasgow at the beginning of a movement that led that to a mass non-payment campaign and ended in the resignation of Margaret Thatcher. 
Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement today welcomed the news that trade unionists across the world are preparing to show solidarity with striking BA cabin crew workers.
