Speakers: Maria del Carmen Barroso Gonzalez (Cuban Parliamentary Deputy), Hilary Wainwright (Editor of Red Pepper), Matt Wrack (General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union), Mark Lyons (Unite Convenor for Grangemouth Oil Refinery), Colin Fox (Edinburgh May Day Committee, and Joint National Spokesperson of the SSP).
The Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign has called city-wide protests outside the schools and nurseries threatened with closure, at 3pm on Monday 27th April – as reports confirm that Labour plans further school closures.
Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign organiser, Richie Venton, today said:
“Spineless Labour councillors voted to close down 22 schools and nurseries last week, but they won’t find it so easy to implement their scandalous decision!
“Far from being defeated, we are defiant. The Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign has a whole raft of protests planned, starting with a city-wide series of human rings around the schools and nurseries they want to shut. Our defiant message is: ‘Labour can vote to ignore the public, to shut our schools, but we shall not be moved’.
“And as reports confirm what we have warned of since January – that anything up to 34 more Glasgow schools could face closure in the next year or two – we appeal to parents from those schools and communities to join our protests, to add power to our battle to defy, obstruct and reverse the closures.
“This show of continued defiance is only one strand to our struggle.
“We are pursuing legal challenges to a brutally flawed procedure.
“And we are taking our case to the Scottish parliament. The Scottish government should come out clearly in opposition to these closures, wield its political power to demand they be reversed, and side with the people of Glasgow against the Labour council’s vandalism. The Glasgow SOS Campaign plans a lobby of the parliament to seek support in the next few weeks.”
For more info contact Richie Venton on 07828 278 093 or at richieventon@hotmail.com
Fury has erupted amongst parents, carers and communities after Labour councillors voted to close primaries and nurseries, despite the mass opposition movement of the past 3 months.
The Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign has agreed an immediate plan of action at an emergency meeting this afternoon.
Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign organiser, Richie Venton, today said:
“Labour councillors have shown absolutely spineless careerism by bowing to the dictatorship of their Labour group leader, Steven Purcell. They will rue the day!
“At the secretive meeting of the Labour councillors last week, they voted by 31:6 to proceed with 22 closures. That means 6 of them felt the closure package is rotten, the tens of thousands who oppose the closures are right, and they hoped to save their electoral skins by making a gesture of opposition behind closed doors. But today Labour councillors all toed the Labour party line, obeyed orders and ignored their own consciences. Shame on them for their cowardice - for putting their Labour party careers before kids!
“They have voted to close down schools and nurseries, but they won’t find it so easy to implement their scandalous decision!
“Across the road from the Council meeting, the Glasgow Save Our Schools Campaign met, with representatives from schools across the city, and decided a plan of action to defy, defeat and reverse these closures.
“We will launch a new round of peaceful direct action protest, with unity in the community, starting with a city-wide Hands Around Our Schools protest on Monday at 3pm, declaring that the councillors might vote for closures, but ‘we shall not be moved’!
“We are seeking professional help with legal challenges to a brutally flawed procedure.
“And we are taking our case to the Scottish parliament. The Scottish government should come out clearly in opposition to these closures, wield its political power to demand they be reversed, and side with the people of Glasgow against the Labour council’s unprincipled axe-wielders. The Glasgow SOS Campaign plans a lobby of the parliament to seek support in the next few weeks.”
For more info contact Richie Venton on 07828 278 093 or at richieventon@hotmail.com
'After 51 days in occupation the Dundee Prisme workers have decided to end their occupation. The reason we have taken this decision is that it looks like we have secured funding to take our co-op venture forward and save the jobs that we thought had gone.
Our occupation began to secure our redundancy payments and other monies that were denied to us by our employer when we were sacked. However, during the occupation we also decided to fight to safeguard our jobs because we believed there was a viable business, even if our predecessors did not. It looks like we have achieved this aim. A new company Discovery Packaging and Design Ltd is going to be launched on 1st May 2009.
This victory would not have been possible if it had not been for the support we have had from the general public, trade unionists, socialists and many others. This support and solidarity has been overwhelming and has helped give us the energy and determination to carry on for more than 7 weeks.
We said at the beginning of this that we were little people who had refused to be little anymore. We are proud of what we have achieved and our dignity is intact. We showed we would not be walked over by an uncaring employer.
We want to thank all those who have supported our struggle over the last 51 days, your support has been invaluable. Thanks once again to you all.
The Prisme workers will be leaving the factory together and united at 5pm on Friday 24th April.'
The Scottish Student Left Forum planned for this weekend at St Andrews University has been cancelled.
In an email sent out to the Left Society's mailing list who were organising the event, Patrick O'Hare (President and SSP Member) stated that the cancellation was due to a 'lack of confirmed guests' going onto say 'It seems people are too busy with essays, exams and other stuff, even though they all said it was a good idea'. However Mr O'Hare did not rule out the possibility of the event taking place at a later date stating 'Hopefully its something we could try again next semester when people have more time'.
Nikki Duda (one of the main organisers) said that members of the Socialist Workers Party although interested could not attend due to other arrangements, and that another large group had also pulled out of the proceedings.
It seems that the event will now take place in autumn (if at all), when Leftist Students will have the first chance to come together as a collective group.
*Picture of Occupation for Palestine Earlier This Year
There will be an SSP EC meeting this Sunday at 1pm in the Albion Bar, Barnton St, Stirling.
All members are welcome.
The main agenda items will be the European Elections, if one is interested in helping with the campaign it would be a good idea to attend or email scottishsocialistparty@googlemail.com
A group of Parents, carers, and campaigners gathered outside Gordon Matheson’s Surgery tonight in Rose Street. While protesters were chanting outside, 5 of the parents managed to speak with him to put their side of the story across. One person let him know that she had voted labour all her life, but never again. In fact from now on during any elections she’ll be standing outside polling stations campaigning against labour.
24hour vigil from 12noon Weds until the start of the Demo/BLOCKADE.
Parents will be taking it in shifts to hold a vigil outside the city chambers until the start of the demo on Thursday.
Rooftop Protest in Ruchill - Please visit to show support 07949 383 019"
"Some details may be incorrect - will update when possible (5pm 20/04/2009) .
There are occupations ongoing at Our Lady of Assumption (OLA) in Ruchill and at Victoria Primary in Govanhill.At OLA.. about 4 or 5 parents went on to the roof in the middle of the night last night and are still there, planning to stay until Thursday. They have one tent but need sleeping bags, camping stoves, torches etc.
'Parents also occupied Victoria Primary in the city’s south side, with some chaining themselves to railings.'"
News stories regarding the occupations can be found at: -
The recent occupations at Wyndford and St Gregory's Primary Schools ended last Saturday, videos of theses occupations can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/nwsocialist
After an unprecedented year of activism, the Left Society at the University of St Andrews is welcoming leftist students from across Scotland to the Scottish Student Left Forum this weekend. It is the first event of its kind following the example of the Convention of the Left in Manchester last year.
The itinerary includes workshops and discussions on University privatisation, the influence of the military, tuition fees, democratic education, narrow teaching as class warfare and cutting links with imperialism.
The event is planned to coincide with Reclaim Your Education (Global Week of Action), and a good attendance is expected with student groups from all over Scotland being invited (and all individuals being welcomed). It is also hoped that another University will take on the role of organising a similar event next year.
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