One year on: Colin Fox Emily: Denise on the mass grassroots Morton on Emily pro-indy campaign Davison’s legacy • see page 5 • see page 9 £1 • issue 419 • 7th - 20th June 2013 facebook.com/scottishsocialistvoice Labour, Tories: BITTER AS bankers’ pal Alastair Darling wooed the dwindling band of Scottish Tories in Stirling, Labour unionist splits - led by Gordon Brown - widened. TOGETAH growing reEvulsion R at sharing a platform with the Tories and Lib Dems behind the savage austerity cuts saw the first No camp split, with ‘United With Labour’ going their own way. Former Labour MP and MSP John McAllion lifts the lid on the DAVID CAMERON: master of cuts ALISTAIR DARLING: ‘UK OK’ murky stew - see page 3... facebook.com/ScottishSocialistVoice @ssv_voice INDEPENDENCE bLy Kaen bFergouson ur and Tories: bitter toachigevements itn bhenefiets, her alth and social provision - all accom - As the latest round of benefit cuts panied by crocodile tears and hand slash the income of the disabled wringing about “hard times”. and Bedroom Tax horror tales grow The truth is that Labour is in the anybody looking for relief from midst of a wholesale break with its Labour had their hopes dashed by historic past achievements under shadow chancellor Ed Balls who the cloak of making “communi - warned of “iron rule” and cuts in ties” responsible for services and winter payments to wealthier pen - sub letting key services to the vol - sioners under Labour. untary sector in what will amount The latest stage in the auction to to back door privatisation. prove who can be toughest on the poor, ConDems or Labour, came Fault line as it was revealed that former Anyone with illusions about Labour Chancellor Alistair Dar - being saved from the wicked To - ling is speaking at the conference ries by valiant Labour needs ur - of that isolated fringe group, the BALLS! shadow chancellor warned of ‘iron rule’ and more cuts gently to read the not so small Scottish Tories, as Better Together print and understand that Red Ed, chief. Of course while there is elsewhere in this Voice , the brutal assaults ranging for plans to priva - Johann and her key backers long growing unease in Labour ranks at truth is that beyond the national tise Royal Mail to proposals to fur - ago dropped Labour’s social dem - the prospect of sharing a platform question there much agreement ther weaken trade unions. ocratic past and are now entirely with the hard liners in the West - between the threesome. Not to be outdone Labour joins prisoners of the idea that markets minster coalition in the anti inde - At the heart of this is the fact the auction with Scottish leader are the answer. It is this reality - pendence front, which we look at that all the Westminster gang are Johann Lamont attacking the pro - that markets, global finance and Edinburgh working to a common belief that, vision of free prescription under a war for resources are shared val - People’s Festival to rescue the greedy rich who thin smoke screen of needing the ues of the Better Together three - wrecked the economy, everybody money for cancer sufferers and re - some - that is the key fault line in BENEFIT NIGHT else it to face cuts, sackings, soar - treating wholesale from other the debate about independence. Tues 11 June ing prices and austerity stretching keynote policies dressed up as an There must be no stone left un - to the far horizon. attack on “Freebie Scotland”. turned to drive home the message This is the source of the endless And nobody should swallow that a No vote is a vote for dra - media drum beat about scroungers the Balls spin that the attack on matic cuts, sackings and in favour and benefit cheats and almost winter fuel allowances is just to of private greed over public need. daily announcements of “crack tweak things and deprive the rich Only a Yes vote can break with downs” on what must be - at least of their payments. The key part of the pro-war, market-worshipping, in Daily Mail land - the laziest the Balls announcement was the job and service-slashing market population on the planet. In turn promise of an “iron rule” on fi - and money dictatorship backed this helps generate increasingly vi - nance if they win in 2015. by the No parties and open a cious ConDem attacks which are This clearly opens the door to a prospect of a society which put gathering pace and backed up by wholesale dismantling of key people before profit. To subscribe, fill in this form and send it to: Scottish Socialist Voice, Suite 370, 4th Floor, Central Chambers, 93 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 6LD. The Stand Comedy Club, Or telephone: 0781 126 5388 Edinburgh Doors: 7.30pm - Show: 8pm Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to ‘Scottish Socialist Voice’ Featuring two of the finest Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/scottishsocialistvoice & Twitter: @ssv_voice comedians in Scotland - Susan Calman and Vladimir Name.......................................................................................... McTavish - and an all star line Address....................................................................................... up. Tickets: £8 waged, £5 unwaged, available via the .................................................................................................... Edinburgh People’s Festival Phone......................................................................................... website and from The Stand, 5 York Place, Edinburgh. Email........................................................................................... Tel: 0844 335 8879 I enclose: g £5 for 5 issues g £10 for 10 issues g £20 for 20 issues thestand.co.uk edinburghpeoplesfestival.org Solidarity rate: g £6 for 5 issues g £12 for 10 issues g £24 for 20 issues 2 • Scottish Socialist Voice • issue 419 McALLION CRACKS IN LABOUR’S SUPPORT FOR BETTER TOGETHER ARE WIDENING John McAllion reports former Chancellor will rub shoulders with the authors of THE three opinion polls taken in the tax inside and join with them May on voting intentions in the in setting up a military wing of independence referendum show the “Better Together” campaign an average No vote of 53 per to be called “Forces Together”. cent as compared to an average Darling, one of Labour’s most Yes vote of just 32 per cent. senior figures in Scottish A year on from the launch of politics, appears determined the Yes campaign these figures that “Better Together” will should have been music to the continue to lead and to ears of “Better Together” dominate the No campaign. campaigners. We might have This will cause Scottish expected plaudits for the Labour no end of problems. It is campaign’s chair Alistair Darling now clear that the general and all round satisfaction with a secretaries of Scottish trade job so far well done. unions are failing to deliver their Instead, we have seen the unions official backing and first serious split in the” Better ALISTAIR DARLING: will support for the No campaign. Together” campaign. make an unsurprising The general secretaries of the The launch of “United with appearance at the Scottish Labour affiliated unions are Labour” to make the Labour Tories conference themselves already on board Party’s case for the UK and to was widespread unease among undoubtedly an attempt to the No campaign but are unable operate separately from the rank and file party members pacify a restive rank and file. to deliver their members who cross party campaign is a clear about sharing a no platform with Likewise, his verbal onslaught look at “Better Together” and sign that all is not well inside the the Tories. Dave Watson, a against a Powellite Tory party see only the Tories and the Lib unionist camp. It was no senior figure in UNISON, made spinning off to the right for fear Dems. accident that Gordon Brown, it clear that many unions also of UKIP was meant to put as once likened by Darling to the “had difficulties” about much distance as possible Key battles Labour Government’s mad campaigning with Tories. between Scottish Labour and So far only ASLEF has woman in the attic, was the star This rank and file revolt Cameron’s Tories. backed the Better Together of the Labour launch. demanding that their party It was factually wrong – since campaign while the STUC distance itself from the “Better 1945 Scotland has only once refused an invitation to join the Split Together” campaign is easy to voted Tory (1955) but has cross party campaign. It was also no accident that understand. Labour’s two main suffered 9 Tory governments It is inside the trade union the most significant Labour partners in “Better Together” are thanks to English voters. movement that one of the key absentee at the high profile the two parties who together It is because of the Union that battles over the referendum is launch in the Commonwealth form the ConDem Coalition we can’t ditch the Tories. But now being fought. While the Arena was none other than currently waging class war Brown here wasn’t dealing in Tories and Lib Dems are a total Alistair Darling himself. against working people across facts. He was telling the party turn off for most trade unionists, Brown and Darling disagreed this island. faithful what they wanted to so too are Labour’ continuing over the economy when they It is bad enough that Labour hear regardless of the facts. support for anti-trade union laws were in government together councils have already started Unfortunately for him it didn’t along with the leadership’s and now they clearly disagree eviction proceedings over the work. Within a week of “United acceptance of austerity and its with each other on how the hated bedroom tax, without with Labour” being launched ditching of universal benefits. referendum will be won. Yet the Labour leaders then being Alistair Darling announced he “United with Labour” is a split inside the unionist camp caught on camera in a unionist would be sharing a platform feeble attempt to cover over runs deeper than the embrace with the Tory authors with Tories at their Scottish party these cracks and to con grass personality clash between these of that tax.