Scotland's best electorally supported socialist party has agreed to renew efforts to foster left unity across Scotland and specifically to encourage a single left candidate in the forthcoming Glasgow North by-election. Solidarity will contact the leading left trade unions in Scotland again to appeal to them to gather the left groups and forces together with a view to knocking heads together in time for the likely November by-election poll.
 
Solidarity also agreed that if the left unity process does not develop in time for the by-election then our national co-convenor and former MSP, Tommy Sheridan, should be nominated as the Solidarity candidate. A final decision on this process is to be taken in early September.

Tommy Sheridan said today;

"My preference would be to campaign in support of a trade union backed left unity candidate instead of several socialist parties competing against one and other. . If the timescale available does not allow that process to ferment in time then I will fight hard to win the seat. With 11 years as a city councillor and 8 years as an MSP representing Glasgow under my belt I would probably be the most politically experienced and qualified candidate on the ballot paper".
 

 "If I am the Solidarity candidate the fight against the jobs massacre and the relentless cycle of low pay and poverty spawned by the rigged free market bosses system will be our priority. The system of private ownership and control of our lives is bust and broken. The big business parties want to try and repair that system. We in Solidarity want to replace it. We want social ownership and control geared to maximum satisfaction of society's needs and provision for the many not the few. That is the essence of our socialist vision."
 
"We will also campaign for a new written contract for all elected politicians which will regulate behaviour to ensure responsiveness to constituent's needs, the ability to trigger recall and re-election via proper petition and a rate of pay set at that of an average skilled worker and transparent and basic expenses".

Motion Agreed at the Solidarity Glasgow All Members Meeting 30/06/09    

Preamble  

This meeting notes the collapse of the Labour Party’s vote at the recent European elections, the record low turn out and the election of two members of the Nazi BNP as MEPs.   

We applaud the recent victories by workers at Visteon, Linamar and Lindsey - whose success has been based on unofficial action that defied the anti-union laws. This represents a significant step forward for working class confidence and resistance to the attacks on our jobs, conditions and living standards.   

We recognise that a great opportunity exists for a united left electoral challenge to Labour. We welcome both Bob Crow’s call for “urgent discussions involving socialist organisations, campaigns and trade unions to build a concerted response following the election of two fascists from the BNP to the European Parliament” and “The Open Letter” on left unity from The Socialist Workers Party.       

In light of the latest information concerning the likely delay in the timing of the Glasgow North By-Election to November 12th instead of late July or August this Glasgow Solidarity meeting agrees;