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Hope & Change No Hope & No Change

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Hope & Change No Hope & No Change PHOTO: Craig Maclean Bedroom Tax hypocrisy: Scottish Labour deputy leader Anas Sarwar under pressure after he fails to vote against hated tax at Westminster • see page 2 £1 • issue 429 • 6th Dec 2013 - 9th Jan 2014 facebook.com/scottishsocialistvoice AS THE independence White Paper fuelled debate on the real prospect of a more just Scotland with independence, UK PM David Cameron’s coalition dredged new depths of UKIP-style racism, attracting the United Kingdom the label “the nasty country” It offers a snapshot of the choice in next year’s A TALE referendum: Hope and change with the new politics offered by independence... Or fear, cuts, militarism and despair with Cameron and his ‘Better Together’ chums in Labour and the Lib OF TWO Dems. 2014 will be a year of decision – make it a decisive Yes. PHOTO: Craig MaOclean LITICS No HOPE & NO HOPE & CHANGE NO CHANGE facebook.com/ScottishSocialistVoice @ssv_voice GLASGOW CLUTHA PUB SSP protest highlights Labour TRAGEDY ROCKS MP’s Bedroom Tax hypocPrHOiTOs: Cray ig Maclean SCOTLAND WORKING CLASS poet John McGarrigle was one of the victims of the Clutha bar tragedy in Glasgow on Friday 29 November. Nine people were killed when a police helicopter crashed through the roof of the busy pub at 10.25pm. The Clutha Vaults has always held a special place in the hearts of local socialists. As we remember the nine who lost their lives on that Friday night, it is with the utmost respect that we pay tribute to John by reprinting one of his poems. RENT ARREARS Dear Sir In answer to your letter dated March fifteenth concerning my non payment of rent arrears Gerritupyi Yes! Gerritrightupyi Yir hoose izny ON FRIDAY 15 November, the Scottish Socialist office, to express their disgust at his failure wurth Party initiated a peaceful protest at Scottish earlier that week to attend a Westminster debate a fuck Labour deputy leader Anas Sarwar’s shameful and vote for the abolition of the hated tax. The anywey failure to vote for the abolition of the Bedroom flash protest was initiated by SSP Glasgow Tax. The SSP appealed to anti-Bedroom Tax Shettleston council by-election candidate John McGarrigle activists to join the protest outside Sarwar’s Tommy Ball – a constituent of Mr Sarwar’s. 2 • Scottish Socialist Voice • issue 429 EDITORIAL bTy Kwen Feorgus ovn isions for Scotland collide IN THE gloom of a storm a flash of lightning can illuminate the scene and so it was as the White Paper on independence was published by the Scottish Government. The ink was barely dry on the White Paper, and the metropolitan press corps back on the London flight, when the Cameron government launched its offensive on foreigners, immigrants and anti-vision of European co-operation. In both tone and content it was straight out of the UKIP play book. Given that its aim is to RADICAL IDEAS: 1000+ packed into the RIC’s second annual conference PHOTO: Craig Maclean counter the UKIP threat in England, this was no great been blown away, and the referendum year, progressive The Voice is the only surprise. However, it stood in real reactionary nature of the option is overwhelmingly socialist paper wholly edited stark contrast to the vision ConDems revealed. swinging behind and produced in Scotland offered in Edinburgh of a The nasty brand of independence with only an and we have consistently non-nuclear, inclusive social privatising, sub-racist and insignificant rump still backed independence as a democratic Scotland by the greed worshipping was pushing for a British Road to means to that other Scotland. Holyrood government, and underlined by the far right Socialism. Our first forum on this in the two events have done pseudo buffoon Boris Edinburgh is, we hope, the much to draw the battle lines Johnson who proclaimed the Routing of Farage first of many, and we will also and choices for next year’s gospel of Gordon Gekko From the 1,000-plus continue to bring the facts referendum. “greed is good”. Radical independence events and arguments in support of No wonder European through a mass Yes our vision on our pages. Political botox ministers warned Cameron campaign, the routing of This is our last paper before Cameron and his backers that the United Kingdom was Farage in Edinburgh and the the opening of 2014 – 800 spent a fortune on political in danger of being seen as work of parties such as the years after Bannockburn and botox to rid the Tories of the “the nasty country”. SSP the belief that another, nine months to a Yes vote. long shadow of the year of Meanwhile in Scotland, as more just Scotland is We look forward to playing vicious class war waged by we enter the decisive possible is gathering pace. our part in that fight. them in the Thatcher years and which earned them the To subscribe, fill in this form and send it to: Scottish Socialist Voice, label of the ‘the nasty party’. Suite 370, 4th Floor, Central Chambers, 93 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 6LD. Indeed, despite that hard Or telephone: 0781 126 5388 work and skilful spinning Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to ‘Scottish Socialist Voice’ Cameron – with his man of Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/scottishsocialistvoice & Twitter: @ssv_voice the people myth – still failed to win the general election Name.......................................................................................... and had to fall back on the Address....................................................................................... copper-bottomed .................................................................................................... opportunists in the Lib Dems as a prop for power. Phone......................................................................................... Now, in a single speech, all Email........................................................................................... that hard work to present the I enclose: g £5 for 5 issues g £10 for 10 issues g £20 for 20 issues Tory/Lib Dem gang as cosy, Solidarity rate: g £6 for 5 issues g £12 for 10 issues g £24 for 20 issues nice and on your side has issue 429 • Scottish Socialist Voice • 3 JOHN M cALLION by John McAllion lationship to an independent Scotland. Will the Scottish A CRITIC once described the Crown in the Scottish Parliament British constitution as “not worth no longer be sovereign? Will the the paper it is not written on”. As Queen continue as commander- constitutions go, it certainly has Why a written in-chief of Scotland’s armed many democratic flaws. forces? Will her assent still be It is unwritten and infinitely required to Scottish legislation? flexible allowing our ruling elites constitution Will she continue to appoint Min - to define the limits or absence isters? Will there be a Scottish of limits on how they govern. It Privy Council? Will she and her embeds hereditary monarchy successors have any kind of po - and elitism at the core of the matters PHOTO: Craig Maclean litical role? There are simply no state. It wrests sovereignty from answers to any of these legiti - the people and places ultimate mate questions. political authority in the “Crown- The SNP’s ideas on the con - in-Parliament”. Effectively, it fa - tents of Scotland’s written consti - cilitates government by an tution are also limited. A ban on elected dictatorship. nuclear weapons being based in However, despite its many Scotland is fine as far as it goes. flaws, it also demonstrates that However, it does not go far constitutions do matter. They ef - enough since it leaves the way fectively determine the systems open for an independent Scot - of authority, law and practice land to shelter under the protec - under which political power is ex - tion of NATO’s nuclear weapons ercised in our daily lives. Without deployed elsewhere within the the British constitution, Scotland other nations of that alliance. could not have been governed More worryingly is the failure for 21 of the last 34 years by po - to properly address workers’ litical parties it did not elect. With - rights. If we can embed the Eu - out the British constitution, there YES...TO NATO? the SNP ropean Convention on Human would be no weapons of mass wants to ban Trident after Rights in our written constitution, destruction on the Clyde; no independence but also why can we not do the same for Scottish participation in the illegal wants to join NATO the ILO’s “Declaration on Fun - invasion of Iraq… the list could people of Scotland for the peo - advisory leaving final decisions damental Principles and Rights go on and on. ple of Scotland.” A duty will there - on the constitution to parlia - at Work”? if we can constitution - fore be placed upon the first ment? Will its proposals be bind - ally guarantee the right to edu - Sovereign authority independent Scottish Parliament ing and subject to a popular cation, why can’t we do the The left therefore cannot ig - to convene such a convention to referendum? same for the right to strike? nore the section of the White debate and draft a written consti - The White Paper provides no Paper “Scotland’s Future” tution. We are promised a fully answers to any of these funda - Impact headed “Constitutions, govern - “participative and inclusive mental questions. It is also less I have touched on only a few ment and citizens”. Within it lies process” involving just about than transparent on the role of examples of how written consti - the SNP Government’s pro - everyone and their granny. the monarchy in an independent tutions can impact on our every - posed framework for how politics Unfortunately, there is little de - Scotland. On the one hand we day lives. There are many more will be conducted in an inde - tail about how this is to be are told that Scotland will con - examples. The British constitu - pendent Scotland. Within it we achieved.
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