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More photos of anti-fascist demonstration here |
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OTHER RECENT EVENTS: TUE 16 March Marinella from Venezuela addressed the Maryhill branch meeting on recent developments in the Bolivarian Revolution. Among the issues that came up was the fact that the US has been building a propaganda campaign against Venezuela in order to have a pretext to invade the country which has a democratically elected socialist government. The US has put pressure on neighbouring countries to allow it to build bases along the border of their countries with Venezuela. Venezuela, like the middle-eastern countries that America is currently occupying, is very high in oil resources. SUN 7th March 2010: SSP members demonstrated outside Cornton Vale Women’s Prison to highlight unfair differences in men’s and women’s sentencing and conditions and the fact that a very high percentage of female prisoners are there as a result of petty crimes stemming from a life-long experience of being victims of abuse of one kind or another. The demonstration has become an annual event on the closest Sunday to the 8th March on international women’s day. SAT 6th March The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) launched a major campaign for 2010 starting with a march and rally on 6th March to promote the cause of Scottish education and protect the funding of schools and colleges. They do not want children’s education to suffer as a result of budget cuts just at a time when higher level skills and qualifications will be needed more than ever. Education has suffered quite enough already with the closure of many schools over the last year. Videos of EIS demo part one, part two. EIS website here. Photos of march here. |
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Helen Connor (above), president of the EIS teachers union spoke at a rally after a mass demonstration in Glasgow. Video part 2. She challenged the government to answer whether they think that children who are the country’s future are less important than spending billions on illegal wars and bailing out bankers. Well said, Helen! This is what the SSP has been arguing for a long time now. The country is going down the stank with all the cuts that are being made in education, services and jobs. Good money is thrown after bad to bail out what is effectively bankers’ gambling debts. And more money and lots of life is being lost in Afghanistan and Iraq in wars that are not about preventing terror but about obtaining cheap oil for America and setting up American bases in strategic spots so that they can take further control of areas whose resources they are interested in. Photos |
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On Saturday 20 February the SSP joined with thousands of other anti-fascists in keeping Edinburgh’s streets clear of neo-Nazis, just as they did in Glasgow in November 2009. Photos |
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The SSP held a public meeting in Glasgow on the subject of End the illegal war in Afghanistan and bring home the troops. Colin Fox, SSP co-spokesperson from Edinburgh, Waheed Totakhyl from the Scottish Afghan Society and Joan Humphreys from Military Families Against the War and grandmother of Dundee soldier Kevin Elliot killed in the war, who joined the SSP because of its strong stance against the war, spoke at the meeting. Photos of meeting here. Click on picture (left) for video of Colin speaking. Click links for parts two and three of Colin’s speech. |
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RMT official (left) outside Edinburgh Waverley station explains reason for rail strike. Glasgow Queen St station picket (above) More photos of Glasgow Queen St picket here. |
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The SSP held its Socialism 2010 events in Maryhill in the Community Central Halls on 5th - 6th February. On the evening of the 5th there was an international rally with speakers from Enhedslisten, the Red-Green Alliance, Denmark, the Nouveau Parti Anti-Capitaliste (NPA), France, the Irish Socialist Network, the Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign, John McAllion, SSP and Eric Chester from the US Socialist Party, currently in Maryhill and participating in our branch. On the following day there were plenty of workshops to discuss various topics.
Click photos for videos of speeches from Scottish Cuba Solidarity, Socialist Party USA and Frances Curran SSP co-spokesperson introducing rally. Click links for videos of NPA, Danish Red-Green Alliance, Irish Socialist Network, John McAllion part 1, part 2
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To get involved in the Maryhill branch of the SSP phone 07981 305362
Back to Maryhill SSP home page: |
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SSP MEMBERS ON THE MARCH AT THE GLASGOW WAVE DEMO ON 5TH DECEMBER The SSP youth section’s black, red and green ssy.org.uk flag can be seen throughout the demo. |
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In December 2009 Susan Dorazio and Eric Chester gave a very interesting report back from the activities centred around the climate change summit at Copenhagen where there were demonstrations, meetings and workshops attended by environmental activists, anti-capitalists and others from round the world.
There were a series of marches known as “the Wave” organised in several cities to coincide with the Copenhagen summit. Many SSP members participated in the Glasgow Wave march. The demonstrators assembled and set off from Bellahouston Park in Glasgow’s south side. It was a long march and videos were taken showing the marchers’ progress along Paisley Road West, up to the Squinty Bridge across the Clyde, at the motorway and continuing along the north side, and finally up Kelvin Way and into Kelvingrove Park where there was a rally. Photos here. |
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On 17th March 2010 the SSP held a public meeting entitled Unity in the Community in Barmulloch on the asylum issue and how the area for both immigrants and long-term residents suffers extreme deprivation because of lack of jobs, services, decent housing and investment in the area. Asylum seekers, in addition, frequently suffer from trauma from the place they have fled and also live in fear of being evicted without warning in the middle of the night to be deported. But the right-wing media further adds to their suffering by blaming asylum seekers for the poverty in the area and stirring up resentment from long-term residents. One thing that came out of the meeting was that local people and asylum seekers need to unite and help each other instead of blaming vulnerable people for the poverty that the government has caused by wasting billions on illegal wars and bailing out bankers. Kevin McVey of the SSP and Waheed Totakhyl of the Afghan society addressed the meeting and there followed a discussion. Part 2 of Kevin’s speech here. |
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MON 8th/TUE 9th March: The PCS civil servants’ union been fighting brutal attempts to slash tens of thousands of jobs. They have had a series of negotiations over a period of time but even slight improvements in offers would still result in huge cuts so they have held strikes and pickets. Every department - which includes Job centres, Tax offices, Driving Centres, the MOD, Student Loans authority, etc were out on strike on the 8th and 9th and held a rally in the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) on the 9th March. Other unions like the EIS and FBU were there to offer their support. |
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FRI 5th March 2010 Susan Dorazio from Socialist Party USA who has been active in Maryhill branch introduced a film on the attempted murder and framing of environmentalist and labour organiser Judi Bari at the Electron Club in CCA where weekly political films are shown. A discussion followed. |
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MARYHILL SSP |
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SAT 13th March SSP members participated in marches in two cities. In Edinburgh Scotland’s 4 Peace organised a “Cut Trident Not Jobs” march and rally. Photos of march and rally here.
In Glasgow there was a demonstration to remember the Serykh family who fell to their deaths in Red Road and to demand an immediate end to enforced removals of refugee families. Sat 13th was also the 3rd in a series of RMT strikes over rail safety. |
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Socialism 2010 workshop topics included Marxism in the 21st century, Latin-American socialism and call for a 5th international, a Scottish Republic, trade unions, women’s equality, capitalism after Lehmans, and fascism in Scotland.
Right: workshop participants on 6th February. |
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Maryhill SSP’s January 2010’s meetings included discussion on the party’s electoral strategy and the nature of the SSP’s way forward. |
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· Free public transport to reduce car usage and fuel emissions is one of the SSP policies and campaigns on the environment, a policy which also helps tackle poverty. Read more here.
The SSP organised for and participated in anti-racist marches to prevent neo-nazi thugs from marching in Glasgow on November 14th 2009, on the 16th Nov the SSP held a public meeting against racism and fascism, and at the last Maryhill branch meeting in November the main topic discussed was the rise of fascism and racism, the recent anti-fascist demonstration in Glasgow and the building of an anti-Fascist and anti-racist movement in Glasgow and Scotland.
· Click photo to see video of the main Glasgow anti-fascist demonstration · Link to video of the earlier part of the Glasgow march here |
