SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit Press Release: 02/03/05
Parliament to debate school meals & right to protest at Gleneagles
The Scottish Socialist Party will use its business time in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday to highlight the party's priorities ranging from socialist internationalism around the mobilisation for the G8 summit at Gleneagles to the fight to improve Scots children's health through free school meals. The SSP will highlight the inadequacy of the Scottish Executive in relation to the health of Scots schoolchildren by moving a motion congratulating Labour administrations which have taken radical measures in relation to school meals; the National Assembly for Wales and the city councils of Hull and Glasgow. The motion will be moved by West of Scotland MSP Frances Curran who said today; "Free school meals is an idea whose time has come. "It would be the biggest single anti-poverty and pro-health measure introduced in Scotland for generations. "Scotland's health crisis is notorious the world over. A man in parts in the East End of Glasgow can expect to die 25 years younger than a man in Dorset. "Poverty, combined with our junk food culture, is literally killing us. "We have to start the fight against ill health in our schools by ending the burger and chips culture. "Let's call a halt to the queue at the bakers for meat pies and doughnuts at lunchtime. "By far the best way to do that is to provide attractive, healthy, free school meals for all."
A motion in the name of Rosie Kane calls on the parliament to support the right to "freedom of peaceful assembly and association" under Article 20 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights in respect of demonstrations around the G8 summit. The Scottish Socialist Party has been at the forefront a broad based movement building support for a massive show of opposition to the leaders of the G8 when they arrive in Scotland in July. SSP national convenor Colin Fox will move the motion. Colin said today; "The Godfathers of capitalism will be arriving in Scotland in July and the thousands of people who wish to make clear their opposition to world poverty, to the catastrophic policies of the industrialised nations in relation to the environment and over the Iraq war have the right to demonstrate at Gleneagles. "The SSP Group will be joining the demonstrators and we are determined that the right to peaceful protest should be upheld despite the fact that the UK now has one of the most authoritarian governments in Europe."
*S2M-2507 Frances Curran: School Meals and Our Children's Future "That the Parliament notes that all serious nutritionists are predicting that obesity will double in Scotland over the next 10 years, causing a health crisis which will dramatically increase demand for health services and lower average life expectancy; therefore endorses the principle that radical action is required to tackle Scotland's diet- related health problems; believes that there can be no better use of Scotland's resources than to invest in our children's future, and congratulates the National Assembly for Wales and the city councils of Hull and Glasgow for their action in providing free breakfasts for all primary children and the councils for their further commitment to extending free, nutritious school lunches to all their primary school pupils.
*S2M-2506 Rosie Kane: The Right to Protest at Gleneagles "That the Parliament puts on record its support for Article 20 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that "everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association"; notes that the G8 summit will be meeting in Gleneagles in July this year, and resolves to uphold and support the right to peaceful assembly and protest in Scotland, in particular in Edinburgh at the Make Poverty History demonstration and at the summit itself in Gleneagles.
