Solidarity members from across Scotland came together in Glasgow last Saturday (November 28th) for the party’s 3rd Annual Conference. After attending the STUC’s Anti-Racism march in the morning the party met to discuss an array of important motions and amendments. 

Included in the motions that were agreed were support for the Postal Workers, a call to help build for the 2010 Right to Work Conference, a call to bring the Whisky Industry into public ownership, opposition to council cuts, support for an Independence Referendum, calls for troops out of Afghanistan and no to an attack on Iran. 

Also passed were motions in favour of continuing Solidarity’s involvement in the discussions led by the RMT union aimed at ensuring a socialist and trade union challenge at the 2010 General election and to continue the party’s principled support for the building of left unity here in Scotland and beyond. 

Conference was addressed by speakers including Ronnie Stevenson Convenor of UNISON Shop Stewards at Glasgow City Council’s social work department, (in a personal capacity) and Vanesa Fuertes and Kevin Connor from the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign.

Ronnie spoke about the fight that council workers face in the face of an onslaught of proposed cuts that will make workers pay for the crisis in capitalism. He called for anti-cuts groups and workers support groups to be set up in every region of the country to help defend public services. 

Kevin and Vanesa are 2 of 5 Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign activists on trial following a non-violent protest during a performance by the Jerusalem Quartet in Edinburgh. Unbelievably the 5 were charged with “racism” for their actions. At the trial in Edinburgh earlier this year, the Sheriff heard evidence from the defence that criticism of Israel is not racist, and that the charge is not competent. The trial was adjourned until January after the BBC refused to hand over their audio recording of the concert (and the activists interventions) without a court order.  

Conference passed motions of support for the SPSC 5 and congratulated the STUC and the TUC on their recent decisions to Boycott Israeli Goods. 

Solidarity Co-Convenor thanked Solidarity members for their help in support during his recent by-election campaign in Glasgow North East. He expressed disappointment at finishing behind the Tories and the BNP but was encouraged by beating the Lib/Dems and consolidating Solidarity’s position as the best supported party of the left in Scotland. He called on Solidarity to use that position to continue its attempts to work with broader forces and the trade union movement to provide socialist electoral alternatives to the parties of big business. 

He spoke of the legacy of a New Labour Government that had presided over two illegal wars, the largest ever gap between rich and poor, the haemorrhaging of voter turnout and the fact that fascists had been elected to the European Parliament. 

The conference finished with a rousing rendition of the socialist call for solidarity and cooperation to change society for the better – The Internationale.