Inquiry after error over baby MMR
Scottish Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan said: "I was horrified when I heard. This case again highlights the issue of the triple MMR vaccine." BBC News
Healthy living helpline costs taxpayer £115 a call in first year
Tommy Sheridan, convener of the Scottish Socialist party, said the cost to the taxpayer of one call to the helpline would provide nearly 40 children with a nutritious school meal. The Herald
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Dungavel Expansion Condemned
Anger at plan to expand asylum centre
THE Home Office was the focus of a furious backlash from opposition politicians last night after it emerged ministers were driving ahead with a major new extension to the controversial Dungavel detention centre in Lanarkshire despite widespread public unease...
Tommy Sheridan, of the Scottish Socialist Party, said: "What an appalling Christmas present from New Labour to Scotland. Dungavel is Scotland’s Guantanamo Bay. It should not be expanded, it should be closed."
One of the most controversial features of the Lanarkshire detention centre is its use to keep children locked up with their parents.
The latest figures show that six children are in the centre and are expected to remain behind bars for Christmas. The Scotsman
Little cheer for detained children
IN TWO days’ time, here in Scotland, six children who have committed no crime, will spend Christmas behind bars.
They are the sons and daughters of asylum seekers locked up in the Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire.
A year-long campaign has been mounted to stop the government detaining children at Dungavel and, while it has made a series of concessions along the way, the authorities’ resolve appears to be as strong as ever.
Indeed, rather than conceding to the demands of campaigners who want the controversial detention centre closed, ministers are about to finalise a deal that will see a new unit built there, increasing its capacity by 25 per cent.
The abolitionists, led by the Scottish Socialist Party, want to close Dungavel and force the government to end its policy of locking up asylum seekers while it assesses their claims. The Scotsman
Blair 'popular as Thatcher' The Scotsman
THE Home Office was the focus of a furious backlash from opposition politicians last night after it emerged ministers were driving ahead with a major new extension to the controversial Dungavel detention centre in Lanarkshire despite widespread public unease...
Tommy Sheridan, of the Scottish Socialist Party, said: "What an appalling Christmas present from New Labour to Scotland. Dungavel is Scotland’s Guantanamo Bay. It should not be expanded, it should be closed."
One of the most controversial features of the Lanarkshire detention centre is its use to keep children locked up with their parents.
The latest figures show that six children are in the centre and are expected to remain behind bars for Christmas. The Scotsman
Little cheer for detained children
IN TWO days’ time, here in Scotland, six children who have committed no crime, will spend Christmas behind bars.
They are the sons and daughters of asylum seekers locked up in the Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire.
A year-long campaign has been mounted to stop the government detaining children at Dungavel and, while it has made a series of concessions along the way, the authorities’ resolve appears to be as strong as ever.
Indeed, rather than conceding to the demands of campaigners who want the controversial detention centre closed, ministers are about to finalise a deal that will see a new unit built there, increasing its capacity by 25 per cent.
The abolitionists, led by the Scottish Socialist Party, want to close Dungavel and force the government to end its policy of locking up asylum seekers while it assesses their claims. The Scotsman
Blair 'popular as Thatcher' The Scotsman
Euro Poll
Scots to test post votes in Euro poll
VOTERS in Scotland now appear certain to be using postal ballots in this year's European elections, it emerged yesterday, following moves to reassure returning officers they will receive the support they need.
Earlier this month the Electoral Commission selected two English regions, East Midlands and the North East, to pilot postal voting for June's poll but made clear that Scotland would have been ideal had it not been for doubts expressed by returning officers about their ability to cope...
Tommy Sheridan of the Scottish Socialists said: "This is a gross example of Labour control-freakery. First they set up an independent Electoral Commission, then they try to subvert its decisions when they don't like them.
"The only reason can be that they cannot motivate their own voters to go out and vote at next June's European election." The Herald
VOTERS in Scotland now appear certain to be using postal ballots in this year's European elections, it emerged yesterday, following moves to reassure returning officers they will receive the support they need.
Earlier this month the Electoral Commission selected two English regions, East Midlands and the North East, to pilot postal voting for June's poll but made clear that Scotland would have been ideal had it not been for doubts expressed by returning officers about their ability to cope...
Tommy Sheridan of the Scottish Socialists said: "This is a gross example of Labour control-freakery. First they set up an independent Electoral Commission, then they try to subvert its decisions when they don't like them.
"The only reason can be that they cannot motivate their own voters to go out and vote at next June's European election." The Herald
Monday, December 22, 2003
Oppose Caithness Health Cuts
'So many lives are going to be lost. . . it's just awful' EMOTIONAL scenes erupted when the man leading the review of maternity services in Caithness flew in this week. Hundreds of men, women and children from across the county rallied outside Wick Airport and Caithness General Hospital on Monday for a mass protest to campaign against threats to the future of the local baby unit. "Hands off our lives", "Listen to the mothers", "No downgrading" and "You know when you've been quango'd" were just a few of the slogans adorning placards which greeted Professor Andrew Calder on his arrival. He was accompanied by a team of health experts to carry out a risk assessment of the specialist service. At Wick Airport over lunchtime, around 200 protesters swamped the terminal building chanting to save their services. A poster innocently hanging inside begged the question, "Are you here on business, pleasure or terror?" However, Prof Calder was quickly whisked away in a car to Caithness General Hospital in the centre of town after local Scottish Socialist Party activist Frank Ward gatecrashed the prearranged press conference in the departure lounge. Caithness Courier
Friday, December 19, 2003
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
MSP bid for single MMR
Evening News - MSP bid for single MMR
MSP bid for single MMR
THE Scottish Parliament is to hear renewed calls for babies in Scotland to be offered single MMR vaccines.
Scottish Socialist MSP Carolyn Leckie is proposing a Single Vaccinations for MMR (Scotland) Bill in a bid to increase uptake of measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations by making single jabs available on the NHS.
The proposal has been signed by 14 Scottish Parliament members.
Take-up of the combined vaccine has fallen in recent years following speculation about a link between the jab and autism.
MSP bid for single MMR
THE Scottish Parliament is to hear renewed calls for babies in Scotland to be offered single MMR vaccines.
Scottish Socialist MSP Carolyn Leckie is proposing a Single Vaccinations for MMR (Scotland) Bill in a bid to increase uptake of measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations by making single jabs available on the NHS.
The proposal has been signed by 14 Scottish Parliament members.
Take-up of the combined vaccine has fallen in recent years following speculation about a link between the jab and autism.
Bill would allow right to free single jabs for MMR
Bill would allow right to free single jabs for MMR
PLANS to give parents the right to free single vaccinations for MMR were presented yesterday by the Scottish Socialists.
Carolyn Leckie, SSP list MSP for Central Scotland, who is also a midwife, unveiled a proposed back-bench bill to go before the Scottish Parliament encouraging worried parents to choose single vaccinations instead of the all-in-one MMR jab, which has been suspected by some health experts of being the cause of the rising incidence of autism. The Herald
PLANS to give parents the right to free single vaccinations for MMR were presented yesterday by the Scottish Socialists.
Carolyn Leckie, SSP list MSP for Central Scotland, who is also a midwife, unveiled a proposed back-bench bill to go before the Scottish Parliament encouraging worried parents to choose single vaccinations instead of the all-in-one MMR jab, which has been suspected by some health experts of being the cause of the rising incidence of autism. The Herald
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Rail union risks Labour split over SSP
Rail union risks Labour split over SSP
BRITAIN’S main railway union, the RMT, is just one step away from being expelled from the Labour Party after its Scottish wing took a decision to start forging concrete links with the Scottish Socialists.
The Scottish RMT decision represents a huge fillip for Tommy Sheridan’s party, which has been courting several of the big, left-leaning unions for some time.
But it also represents a major blow to the Labour Party, both in financial and political terms, and it could herald the start of a general erosion of union support for the party.
Mr Sheridan said: "Trade union members across Scotland should now examine their links with New Labour which is privatising services, supporting illegal wars and refusing to give pensioners a decent pension.
"The Scottish Socialist Party is the natural home for trade union members and socialists and I would call on other unions in Scotland to follow the example of the RMT.
"New Labour is no longer the party of the millions; Tony Blair has transformed it into the party of the millionaires."
The decision of the RMT’s Scottish branches to forge closer links with the SSP could be only the first in a series of boosts for the socialists in Scotland.
It is understood that some of the more left-wing activists in the Fire Brigades Union are urging their union to follow the RMT example and disaffiliate from Labour in Scotland. The Scotsman
Labour threatens to expel rail union The Herald
Scottish rail union ready to sever links with 'failed' Labour Daily Telegraph
BRITAIN’S main railway union, the RMT, is just one step away from being expelled from the Labour Party after its Scottish wing took a decision to start forging concrete links with the Scottish Socialists.
The Scottish RMT decision represents a huge fillip for Tommy Sheridan’s party, which has been courting several of the big, left-leaning unions for some time.
But it also represents a major blow to the Labour Party, both in financial and political terms, and it could herald the start of a general erosion of union support for the party.
Mr Sheridan said: "Trade union members across Scotland should now examine their links with New Labour which is privatising services, supporting illegal wars and refusing to give pensioners a decent pension.
"The Scottish Socialist Party is the natural home for trade union members and socialists and I would call on other unions in Scotland to follow the example of the RMT.
"New Labour is no longer the party of the millions; Tony Blair has transformed it into the party of the millionaires."
The decision of the RMT’s Scottish branches to forge closer links with the SSP could be only the first in a series of boosts for the socialists in Scotland.
It is understood that some of the more left-wing activists in the Fire Brigades Union are urging their union to follow the RMT example and disaffiliate from Labour in Scotland. The Scotsman
Labour threatens to expel rail union The Herald
Scottish rail union ready to sever links with 'failed' Labour Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
SSP praised for web access
Election 2003: Fully Inclusive?
Dundee University's Digital Media Access Group have recently released a report on the online manifesto's of Scottish political parties during the May 2003 elections for the Scottish parliament. The report looked at how accessible the manifesto information was for disabled people.
The report praised the Scottish Socialist Party for providing the most accessible website.
"Many sites, including those of Scottish Labour and Scottish Conservatives, failed to comply with basic guidelines for web accessibility - guidelines that were published the day before the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999."
...
"The picture is not, however, completely bleak. The Manifesto of the Scottish Socialist Party was relatively straightforward to access, even when using Home Page Reader and Lynx, and the SSP's web site was particularly commendable in that it validated to an accepted HTML standard: XHTML 1.0 Transitional. The simple layout and design of the SSP site helped to ensure improved access to the Manifesto. This greatly increases the chance that the site will be readable in the widest range of browsers and assistive technologies."
Dundee University's Digital Media Access Group have recently released a report on the online manifesto's of Scottish political parties during the May 2003 elections for the Scottish parliament. The report looked at how accessible the manifesto information was for disabled people.
The report praised the Scottish Socialist Party for providing the most accessible website.
"Many sites, including those of Scottish Labour and Scottish Conservatives, failed to comply with basic guidelines for web accessibility - guidelines that were published the day before the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999."
...
"The picture is not, however, completely bleak. The Manifesto of the Scottish Socialist Party was relatively straightforward to access, even when using Home Page Reader and Lynx, and the SSP's web site was particularly commendable in that it validated to an accepted HTML standard: XHTML 1.0 Transitional. The simple layout and design of the SSP site helped to ensure improved access to the Manifesto. This greatly increases the chance that the site will be readable in the widest range of browsers and assistive technologies."
Blair ‘steers return to Thatcher attitudes’
Blair ‘steers return to Thatcher attitudes’: To the Scottish Socialist party the findings were vindication of their own campaigns, summed up by the election poster that showed the face of Margaret Thatcher "morphing" into Tony Blair. Eddie Truman, the party's spokesman, said: "This is something we have always said Tony Blair has been more successful at Thatcherism than Thatcher. "We are conscious of the fact that there are people who voted him in and still vote Labour with their first vote and SSP with their second. That will change. Time is running out for Blair and New Labour as people realise it is the same policies with different faces promoting them." The Herald
Friday, December 05, 2003
Lack of coverage
Letter to The Herald
ON November 21 The Herald gave prominent coverage to an anti-Bush protest that suspended the Scottish Parliament for three minutes. Which was fair enough considering that the SSP-initiated debates on world peace and poverty had been boycotted by the Scottish Executive that day. It was only through this stunt that these debates received any media coverage at all.
However, now on December 3, The Herald completely ignored the launch of one of the SSP's flagship parliamentary bills on radical plans to tackle Scotland's horrendous problems of drug addiction. This bill aims to establish for the first time in Scotland a network of community-based day centres to provide detox, rehab, counselling, and maintenance programmes for every addict who seeks help. The bill, lodged by Rosemary Byrne, MSP, has already been signed by 15 other MSPs so will now go out to consultation after which it make it through to the next stage of Parliamentary proceedings. It needs the support of 65 MSPs to become policy. So why is it that a three-minute stunt by an SSP member in a George Bush mask merits national media attention yet a considered and important bill on drug addiction services is blanked by The Herald as well as the BBC, the Scotsman, the Record, and others? Have The Herald's news values succumbed to the shock-trivia agenda of the tabloid press? Or is doing something constructive to help get addicts and their families out of the nightmare of heroin addiction not considered as important as a three-minute stunt?
We hope that The Herald redresses this imbalance and gives an important and considered bill, already supported by 16 MSPs, the fair coverage it deserves.
Kevin Williamson, SSP drugs spokesperson; Rosemary Byrne, MSP; Frances Curran, MSP; Colin Fox, MSP; Rosie Kane, MSP; Carolyn Leckie, MSP; Tommy Sheridan, MSP, The Scottish Parliament.
ON November 21 The Herald gave prominent coverage to an anti-Bush protest that suspended the Scottish Parliament for three minutes. Which was fair enough considering that the SSP-initiated debates on world peace and poverty had been boycotted by the Scottish Executive that day. It was only through this stunt that these debates received any media coverage at all.
However, now on December 3, The Herald completely ignored the launch of one of the SSP's flagship parliamentary bills on radical plans to tackle Scotland's horrendous problems of drug addiction. This bill aims to establish for the first time in Scotland a network of community-based day centres to provide detox, rehab, counselling, and maintenance programmes for every addict who seeks help. The bill, lodged by Rosemary Byrne, MSP, has already been signed by 15 other MSPs so will now go out to consultation after which it make it through to the next stage of Parliamentary proceedings. It needs the support of 65 MSPs to become policy. So why is it that a three-minute stunt by an SSP member in a George Bush mask merits national media attention yet a considered and important bill on drug addiction services is blanked by The Herald as well as the BBC, the Scotsman, the Record, and others? Have The Herald's news values succumbed to the shock-trivia agenda of the tabloid press? Or is doing something constructive to help get addicts and their families out of the nightmare of heroin addiction not considered as important as a three-minute stunt?
We hope that The Herald redresses this imbalance and gives an important and considered bill, already supported by 16 MSPs, the fair coverage it deserves.
Kevin Williamson, SSP drugs spokesperson; Rosemary Byrne, MSP; Frances Curran, MSP; Colin Fox, MSP; Rosie Kane, MSP; Carolyn Leckie, MSP; Tommy Sheridan, MSP, The Scottish Parliament.
Defend Colombian Trade Unionists! Boycott Coke!
Above: MSP's, including Frances Curran (SSP) and Shiona Baird (Green), and activists meet with Luis at the Scottish Parliament.
This week Luis Eduardo Garcia, a trade-unionist from Colombia representing the food and drink workers union Sinaltrainal completed a successful tour of the UK including a week in Scotland. Luis addressed meetings in Glasgow, Stirling, Fort William, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. At the meetings he described the situation in Colombia where trade unionists face the risk of assassination at the hands of right-wing paramilitary death squads. To highlight killings and attacks on trade unionists working at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia, the union is calling for a boycott of Coke products for one year.
The campaign has had a successful start with a vote by students in Dublin and several pubs and clubs in Ireland to boycott Coke. In Scotland there were pledges from students in Glasgow, Stirling, Aberdeen and Edinburgh to take up the campaign. Trade Unionists in Fort William, Dundee and Edinburgh also pledged to highlight the campaign and will call on the STUC to back the boycott.
Luis attended the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 4th December. SSP MSP for West of Scotland Frances Curran appealed to the parliament to welcome Luis' visit and to help secure his safety when he returns to Colombia.
Extract from the Official Report of the Scottish Parliament
Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Before the chamber empties, I ask whether we could welcome to the gallery Luis Eduardo Garcia, a Columbian trade union leader with Sinaltrainal. The reason why it is important to do so is that he fears for his life when he returns to Columbia. I hope that he will have the support of the Scottish Parliament.
The Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid): That is not a point of order, but I am sure that members regard him as being very welcome. [Applause.]
The SSP have previously put a motion to the parliament to support the boycott.
S2M-376# Frances Curran: Boycott of Coca-Cola—That the Parliament supports the international boycott of Coca-Cola, launched by the Colombian trade union federation Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Colombia (CUT) and supported by the World Social Forum in Brazil, to highlight the murder of eight trade union leaders at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia, and considers that people across Scotland should boycott Coca-Cola as part of the international campaign to force this multinational company to pay compensation to the families of those murdered, assist in bringing the assassins to court and guarantee trade union and human rights at their bottling plants throughout Colombia.
Supported by: Tommy Sheridan, Rosie Kane, Carolyn Leckie, Elaine Smith, Ms Rosemary Byrne, Shiona Baird, John Swinburne, Mark Ballard, Margo MacDonald, Mr Mark Ruskell, Chris Ballance, Ms Sandra White
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Monday, December 01, 2003
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