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MARYHILL SSP |
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The Scottish Socialist party is a party that campaigns for fairness, peace and justice and against poverty, exploitation and inequality. The meetings of the Maryhill local branch are held once a fortnight, and consist of discussion to organise activity and we also have speakers and debate on various topics. We hold weekly stalls in the local area with petitions to campaign on various issues such as free school meals and transport. We support workers in struggle who have included firefighters, nursery nurses, care workers and postal workers and we campaign to save public services. Our local branch has been campaigning against post office closures.
We are against profit-driven wars that victimize innocent civilians and damage the environment, waste young people’s lives and cost the economy a fortune which would be better spent on health, housing, education, transport and other public services. We are for an independent socialist Scotland where Scotland’s resources would be spent on bettering living conditions for the majority and not squandered on needless wars or subsidies to capitalistic companies which frequently take millions of pounds in grants to create jobs then switch to countries with cheaper labour leaving Scots jobless.
Our campaigning both on the streets and in the Scottish Parliament on issues like free prescriptions and the abolition of the Council Tax has helped raise awareness about the injustice to low-paid workers and pensioners, and although most MSPs have voted down SSP bills when we first raised these issues, the SNP since they replaced the Labour leadership in the Scottish parliament have promised to introduce a watered-down version of the SSP’s abolition of the council tax bill i.e to replace it with a local income tax instead of our proposed Scottish-wide income tax. This would still be better than the existing council tax - but now the SNP are saying they are ditching the plan as a result of the new Labour Westminster government’s threats to penalise them financially if they go ahead. There is one solution to that: go for full independence and let Scotland control our full finances. We call upon the SNP-led Scottish parliament to have the guts to stand up to New Labour in Westminster, implement the abolition of the Council Tax in favour of a fairer income tax, let Westminster carry out their threats, then implement independence and take Scottish income tax money back into Scotland where it belongs. It may be difficult but not impossible to break Westminster’s stranglehold. We need to elect people to the Scottish parliament who have the will and the guts to do this, namely the SSP.
Our branch campaigns on various issues in the Maryhill constituency area and in the Maryhill/Kelvin and Canal wards as well as joining with Scottish Socialists in other parts of Glasgow and Scotland for Glasgow- and Scottish-wide events and activities. The constituency area is wide and includes Summerston and areas adjacent to Maryhill Road down through Burgh Hall area, Wyndford, North Kelvinside, Ruchill, Possil, Milton, Firhill, Woodlands. The wards include the Dawsholm and Kelvindale areas. Our most frequent stalls are held at Tesco, Maryhill Shopping Centre and Lidl, Firhill or St George’s X underground. We also work with other local activists in the community in encouraging local residents to stand up for themselves and know their rights regarding things like housing and services. More information about stalls and other activities can be obtained from our branch meetings or by contacting our mobile no. listed below.
If you are angry about poverty, ill-health, low pay and lack of facilities, don’t be a silent victim! It doesn’t matter whether you are a student, a pensioner, a worker, disabled or unwaged: whether it’s through letter-writing, e-mailing or campaigning on the streets, you have a voice and the power to change things. We in the SSP firmly believe this and will keep on fighting for what is right. If you are interested in getting involved in campaigning against injustice and for a fairer society you are welcome to attend one of our meetings or join in the activity at the stall.
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Thousands of Palestinian civilians have recently been killed in what is a crime against humanity.
White phosphorous which is an internationally banned substance has been used by the Israeli soldiers. International criticism of Israel’s war crimes has resulted in a UN building being bombed as well. The Palestinians have been continuously driven out of their homes or bombed while still in them until and Israeli forces have been continually surrounding any new gained territory and have built a thick iron wall around what little territory remains for the Palestinians in what is now known as the biggest prison on earth. The Palestinians have been left with no land suitable for farming and no means of getting in or out to trade and are literally starving to death while until recently pleas to let humanitarian aid in have been ignored by Israel.
The SSP recently held a successful public meeting on the crisis in Glasgow and we have resolved to campaign for a boycott against all products and ambassadors from Israel. Boycotting products from South Africa assisted in bringing apartheid to an end. The boycott also brought encouragement to the South African people knowing that people around the world cared which prevented them from completely despairing in a very difficult situation. Please aid the Palestinians by asking your local supermarket to stop stocking Israeli goods.
Articles on the current situation in Gaza
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign: http://spsc.scottishpsc.org.uk/index.php
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JOIN THE SSP HERE: |
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The SSP has for the past seven years been campaigning to have free school meals introduced across Scotland for all pupils. Read more about our campaign, the arguments and how to get involved: |
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For more information about the party or on how to join or get involved, contact Suite 308/310, 4th floor, Central Chambers, 93 Hope St, Glasgow G2 6LD Phone: 0141 221 7470 Direct phone number for Maryhill branch: 07981 305362
For other information visit: |
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Downloading the toolbar below will give you quick access to maryhillssp.org. It will give you a link plus a dropdown list of other SSP links within the site as well as a few other useful buttons. |
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Well done to all those who campaigned in the Glasgow East by-election. Our candidate Frances Curran has a long track record of fighting for ordinary people and against poverty which includes campaigning for free school meals both inside and outside parliament, unlike her namesake Margaret Curran the New Labour candidate who was defeated in what was formerly a safe Labour seat. Visit http://www. scottishsocialist party.org/ new_stories/ glasgoweast/ glasgoweast090 8.html and http://www. scottishsocialist party.co.uk/ new_pdfs/election_ pamphlets/ Eastender.pdf
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Click to read SSP newspaper the Scottish Socialist Voice |
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To aid peole in finding our site in the event of typographical errors , the following keyword misspellings or phrases including misspelled words havebeen included: Glasgoe Maryhi;; Scottiash socialaim, partyt equaltiy globalisatino politica; antiglobalisatuon, justive profteering cmapignging Envirmomentalisn issues transport cooncil tax healthvcare prsewcriptions. |
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On Wednesday 20th Aug 2008 there was a massive strike by 3 trade unions in all 32 of the Scottish local authorities. This will be followed by a series of selective 3-day strikes and extra 1-day united mass action if the employers don’t give in. Read more by Richie Venton, the SSP’s national workplace organiser. |
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The more links you click, the more the page will turn red! |
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Forecast for 2009 - and for a long time to come
Capitalism is being shown not to work with artificially inflated shares and house prices collapsing, businesses going under with resulting job losses. Numbers of genuine jobseekers will soar just at a time when the government is hammering people on benefits. People made redundant because of the current recession will have to suffer the double injustice of not only losing their jobs, their salaries and maybe their house, but also the bad attitudes and treatment at the hands of the welfare system. The government bails out the biggest banks with gifts of billions of pounds and takes from the poorest and most vulnerable to pay for it e.g. the genuine sick who are being forced off benefits after being put through intimidating interrogations.
Meanwhile, Britain is increasingly becoming a Big Brother state (and that’s not referring to a national obsession with the TV programme Big Brother or Celebrity Big Brother) with the government pressing ahead with their plans to introduce ID cards. Every British citizen will have to pay a large amount for the obligatory cards. If they don’t carry an ID card they will be refused access to work, benefits or health treatment. If they lose the card they will have to pay a fine. Anyone who does not have their card on their person could be detained at a police station.
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Other local SSP branch website links:
Other branches: do send in your links or link to ours and we’ll automatically get your website’s url. |
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Welcome to Maryhill Scottish Socialist Party branch website! |
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On Friday 3rd April 2009 Maryhill parents marked the beginning of the Easter holidays by occupying two schools in the Wyndford earmarked for closure, Wyndford primary and St Gregory’s primary. They remained there for 15 days starting at the end of the last day’s lessons. The Wyndford nursery has already been threatened with closure in the past and was saved by vigorous campaigning. As one local resident said: “If the schools close, it will have a knock-on effect on the few remaining facilities and the small shop will likely go too and the Wyndford will become a ghetto.” Two groups of parents, one of which contained at least 17 people, locked themselves in the school buildings using chains and a crowd of supporters steadily grew outside. There was a large police presence who threatened to bodily remove the parents if they did not come out by 6pm. 6pm came and went and the police were still standing there. Other parents, friends, relatives and well-wishers used innovative means to get provisions inside, passing food, soft drinks, sleeping bags, a portable DVD player and DVDs through the windows. One window was too high up to reach and a hooked pole was used to catch a sleeping bag being passed up. Read more and view photos of the Wyndford & St Gregory’s occupations.
A local demonstration against the council’s proposed school closures also took place on 9th April which marched round the Wyndford area with much local support. The parents marched out of the two schools on April 18th with continued defiance, and gave speeches showing their determination to continue the fight to save their schools.
Parents from Our Lady of the Assumption and Victoria primaries began an occupation of their children’s schools on Monday 20th April. At Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA), Bilsland Drive, Ruchill, parents occupied the school roof for several days until the results from the council meeting. They slept on the windy roof in all weathers with just a couple of tents between them. Passers-by and motorists waved and tooted their support from the main road. Those capable of scaling the locked school gate and climbing a ladder visited the parents in person with donations of food etc or simply to chat to them to help boost their morale and relieve the monotony of waiting. View video of rooftop protest Click here for photos of Our Lady of the Assumption rooftop protest
On 17th April a Glasgow demonstration and lobby of the City Council executive took place. Parents spoke out about how moving small children to far-off schools will affect them. Watch video clip of one of the speeches On 23rd April there was a blockade of the council meeting in the City Chambers but despite this the council voted to close 22 out of 25 schools and it has emerged that a further 34 schools are earmarked for closure.
View more photos from throughout the SOS campaign
Photos of Save Our Schools lobby of Scottish Parliament 14th May 2009
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PARENT AND PUPIL POWER! |
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SOS! Glasgow City Council have voted to close 22 out of 25 primaries and nurseries despite widespread opposition among the public and non-Labour politicians - and it’s not over yet as another 34 closures are on the cards.
See link below for mainstream media reportage: http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2504317.0.0.php
The Labour Council claim they want the closures in order to transfer the kids to better quality buildings (from list C and D to list A and B.) This has been proven to be false as some of the schools earmarked for closure are a higher grade than the ones they want to transfer the pupils to. The fact of the matter is that they want the pupils from the closing schools to amalgamate with the pupils from other schools to form larger class sizes in order to cut costs by reducing school staff. Many public buildings such as former schools, once knocked down or vacated have been turned into luxury flats for non-local house-buyers so that the council can make money from developers who in turn cream off a huge profit while robbing the local community of its much-needed facilities.
Many of the schools recently voted to be closed by the Council are in the Maryhill area which has already seen the loss of several schools over the last few years. Parents are naturally angry at this and have been campaigning in the local communities with “Save Our Skools” banners to be seen around the areas. The SSP is in full support of the parents and against the destruction of local communities which is what the school closures will lead to if they go ahead. SSP’s Richie Venton along with the parents and supporters from Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign have organised protests against the closures. Demonstrations have taken place in Glasgow’s George Square and in Drumchapel and Maryhill. Campaigners have created online petitions and have participated in various stunts including balloon launches and visiting the City Chambers dressed as clowns. Parents have also taken to occupying school buildings including rooftop protests in an attempt to save them. Despite the council’s decision to close the twenty-two schools on 23rd April, parents are vowing to fight on. “We shall not be moved” has become a familiar chant among the campaigners and they plan to obstruct the closures if they cannot have the closures reversed. On Mon 27 Apr there were protests forming rings around the threatened schools. To see short video clip of one of the hands-round-the-schools protests click here.
This year’s Glasgow May Day march was attended by SOS protestors. The May Day speaking platform is traditionally dominated by Labour but they are out of touch with the workers they claim to represent. They have slashed jobs, cut pensions, cut services. SOS campaigners let Labour know exactly what they think.
Richie Venton has written to all 129 MSPs and the First Minister seeking the support of the Scottish government in opposing the closures. The Glasgow council’s vote to close schools contradict the Scottish parliament’s stated intention to cut class sizes. Read more here On 14th May Richie and a large group of parents went to lobby the Scottish parliament. More about the lobby.
Parents vowed to campaign against Labour in the next elections in return for the contempt that the Labour Council has shown them, and campaign they did. They stood outside polling stations asking people not to vote Labour. It’s ironic that the very schools that Labour wants to close were used as polling stations. As one parent said: “The school buildings are good enough when it comes to them being used as polling stations.” It is a scandal that Labour want to save money by closing schools while they waste much more in expenses for luxuries and things that normal people have to pay out of their own wages.
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Map recently been archived. New archive starts after mid April |
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Photo: P Kirk |
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27th June 2009: Parents have re-occupied Wyndford Primary School. Read more here |
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The ongoing greed of the capitalist speculators has artificially inflated the value of shares and houses for years and now the bloated, get-rich-quick bubble has burst and the fake value that was put on shares and houses has taken a dive, causing great losses for people who bought them when they were overvalued and even bigger losses for society and the world as a whole as firms go bust due to shares plummeting causing escalating unemployment as well as money not being able to buy as much with escalating prices of essentials and basics like food and fuel.
Instead of cutting essential public services and throwing good money after bad by bailing out banks, governments across the world should be nationalising the banks they have practically already bought anyway with their bail-out packages instead of letting bankers continue to pay themselves obscenely high salaries and bonuses and retirement packages while continuing to let the bank go down the plug-hole for the ordinary customers.
The SSP believes that a 10% tax on the super-rich would be a fairer way of generating the income that is needed to supply jobs, housing and services, given that it was the super-rich who got us into this mess in the first place with their reckless gambling. For more information click here: http://scottishsocialistparty.co.uk/makegreedhistory/?page_id=137
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MAKE GREED HISTORY! |
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The BBC recently gave Britain’s most racist party an hour’s free publicity with a phone-in on TV, while as usual, any publicity on progressive parties is blanked. One of the SSP’s Euro candidates Dr Nick McKerrell from Glasgow launched a formal complaint into how a blatantly racist organisation like the BNP can be promoted by a government-backed channel like the BBC. By allowing people to phone in with racist comments it could legitimize them and incite more race hatred. Read more: http://news.scotsman.com/politics/BBC-phonein-incites-race-hate.5298324.jp |
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EURO ELECTION RESULTS FOR SCOTLAND: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/euro/09/html/ukregion_999999.stm |
