Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition

Rich get richer - It's official !
We’re all in this together are we ?

Anti-cuts candidates speak out against huge wealth increases for the rich at a time of savage cuts for the majority

The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition today (29th April 2012) described as obscene the outcome of the annual UK’s rich list survey. The Sunday Times found the elite at the top of society are now richer than at any other time in history.
The richest 1,000 people in the UK now own collectively £414billion – the highest ever and an increase of over 4% on last year. This means their combined wealth has now surpassed the level of 2008, the start of the great recession.

Brian Smith of SACC said:
“If yet more proof were needed that we live in the most unequal society ever – this rich list has confirmed it. It proves yet again that there is one rule for the rich 1% and another for the majority – who are seeing our wages frozen, pensions attacked and public services cut year-on-year as a result of the austerity agenda.”
“The idea that there is no money for public spending, job creation and decent wages and benefits has been exposed. Alongside the £400 billion for the rich there is a colossal £750 billion in the UK lying under the collective mattresses of the major corporations and banks who refuse to invest because it is not profitable for them to do so.”
“This scandal at a time of mass unemployment, particularly high among young people and women, cannot go on. There is no need for cuts and austerity. SACC is calling for an emergency 50% capital tax to seize the unused assets of big business to end the cuts and invest in job creation for the majority.”

SACC candidates are standing in 38 wards across 10 local authority areas including 12 of the 21 Glasgow wards and 7 of the 8 Dundee areas. The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition (SACC) was set-up by trade unionists, community campaigners and socialists to offer an alternative to the failed politicians who are imposing Tory/LibDem cuts on us. If elected SACC councillors will vote against all cuts, support needs budgets and demand a return of the money stolen from the 99% of us to bail-out the bankers.

Scottish Anti - Cuts Coalition stands with Glasgow's workers on International Workers Day (1 May)

The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition in Glasgow is calling on workers in the city to get behind their council election campaign. SACC will be highlighting its anti-cuts platfrom outside the city chambers on Tuesday 1 May, International Workers Day.

Cheryl Gedling, Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), National Executive Committee (personal capacity) said:
“It has become obvious that mainstream parties have abandoned ordinary workers. They exist it seems only to maintain their own positions and protect the interests of big business and the wealthy in society. We need a political alternative. We need anti-cuts candidates who will vote against cuts, stand up against attacks on services, and ensure the voices of ordinary workers, whether in the public or private sector, are heard."


The SACC canidates in Glasgow will be outside the city chambers on Tuesday 1 May from 12.30pm. If elected SACC councillors will vote against all cuts, support needs budgets and demand a return of the money stolen from the 99% of us to bail-out the bankers

Brian Smith, secretary of the 11,000 strong Glasgow City Unison branch (personal capacity) commented:

“The need to stand anti-cuts candidates is clear and a recognition that all the main parties, including the SNP and Labour, are carrying out savage cuts. It is essential that principled fighters be prepared to stand to offer an alternative.”

Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition in Glasgow campaign to defend disabled people from the “Triple Whammy” attack of the main parties.

The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition today outlined how its councillors would resist the attacks on disabled people in Glasgow.

Diane Harvey, SACC Candidate for Newlands / Auldburn ward, said:
“Disabled people in our city face a triple whammy from the big parties with cuts in welfare benefits, poorer employment support and job opportunities, and cuts in social care services. SACC councillors would reinstate the 11% Labour cut, supported by the SNP, in the city’s adult social care budget for this year, expanded welfare rights services and fight alongside disabled people to resist the cuts”.

SACC argues that councillors should actively resist Tory/LibDem cuts by setting budgets which protect services whilst leading a campaign of defiance across Scotland to win more money for the city.

Ronnie Stevenson, SACC Candidate for Langside, commented:
“Less than 10% of the £37 billion of public money used to bail-out RBS in 2009 would reverse all funding cuts in Scotland. If Labour and SNP councillors are not prepared to stand up then they should get out of the way. Councillors must be tribunes of the people, not managers of the Tory/LibDem cuts”.



Contacts are: Brian Smith, 07870 914361, curransmith@btinternet.com (Glasgow campaign), Phillip Stott, 07889 135533, anticutscandidates@hotmail.com (Scottish campaign). See www.scottishanticutscoalition.org.uk

Young anti-cuts council candidates condemn crisis of youth unemployment calling for real job creation

Scottish Anti Cuts Coalition (SACC) candidates respond to huge increase in long-term youth unemployment since 2007.

THE number of young people in Scotland who have been out of work and claiming job seekers allowance for more than 12 months has increased by more than 1,100 per cent in the last five years, according to new figures.

The latest Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) labour market report, based of figures from the Office of National Statistics showed that in March this year 5,210 Scots aged between 18 and 24 had been receiving the benefit for more than 12 months compared to 415 claimants in December 2007 – a 1155.4 per cent rise.


Wayne Scott (19)( Dundee, Candidate for Coldside Ward) “These shocking figures, showing a an increase of more than 1,100 per cent in long term youth unemployment in Scotland, since 2007, show a generation face joblessness on a mass scale. This situation will only worsen as councils and the Scottish government pass on Tory cuts. The sheer scale of the crisis means the SNP’s Modern Apprenticiship scheme will have little impact. This scheme only provides training for a minority of young people at a low wage with no guarantee of a job on completion”


Ryan Stuart (23) (Glasgow, Candidate for Garscadden Scotstounhill Ward) “If we are elected on the 3 May, our councillors will campaign for an expansion of council job creation schemes and skilled apprenticeships. Any training schemes rather than exploiting young people for low pay must guarantee a job on completion, contractors, businesses and organisations that benefit from council schemes should pay a living wage of £7.20 an hour. SACC is campaigning on a platform of No Cuts to jobs and services and demanding local authorities set needs budgets in defiance of the Con Dem cuts”

Wayne and Ryan are activists in the Youth Fight for Jobs, a campaign supported by several national trade unions.

www.youthfightforjobs.com

Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition in call for real jobs with a living wage and an end to the scandal of unemployment.

The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition is calling for more to be done to fight unemployment and low pay. It says that the failures of the ConDem’s austerity policies are becoming more apparent day by day, as is the total lack of a serious economic alternative from both the Labour Party and the SNP. The SACC argues that by taxing the rich and big business appropriately, billions could be raised for public services. They also campaign for the public ownership of the banks and the big companies to release huge resources to invest in the future of the majority.

Jamie Cocozza, SACC Candidate in North East Glasgow, said:
“If elected on 3 May, then SACC councillors will push for an expansion of council apprenticeships with real jobs and a living wage at the end. We will also fight for the Scottish Living Wage of £7.20 per hour to be paid by all the contractors and organisations the council does business with. Finally, we will protect jobs not cut them”.

The SACC is campaigning on a platform of No Cuts and for the setting of needs budgets in defiance of the ConDems, and will refuse to cut any more jobs in the city. They would use the powers of the council to protect the most disadvantaged in the city.

Akhtar Khan, SACC Candidate in Pollokshields, commented:
“Local councillors are passing on the UK and Scottish Governments savage cuts to jobs and services in councils, community projects and voluntary organisations, with Black and Minority Ethnic groups being amongst the worst affected. Electing SACC candidates will give minorities and the poorest people in our society a voice, and councillors who are on their side”.

Contacts are: Brian Smith, 07870 914361, curransmith@btinternet.com (Glasgow campaign), Phillip Stott, 07889 135533, anticutscandidates@hotmail.com (Scottish campaign). See www.scottishanticutscoalition.org.uk

The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition (SACC) candidates in Dundee unveiled their manifesto today

left to right. Rory Malone (Lochee ward) Jim McFarlane (Strathmartine) Raymond Mennie (West End) Wayne Scott (Coldside) Derek Milligan (Maryfield). Our other candidates are Sinead Daly (North East) and Linda Rose (East End)

SACC's key pledges include

•Refusing to make cuts and fight for a return of the £23 million money stolen from Dundee since 2010.

•SACC candidates pledge to refuse to vote for a single penny of cuts demanded by the Tory/LibDem coalition


Jim McFarlane a SACC candidate for the Strathmartine ward said:
“Between 2010 to 2013 a shocking £ 23 million will have been cut from Dundee City Council’s budget. The result of which is lost jobs to the city as a result of the non-filling of vacancies, effective cuts to the incomes of thousands of families due to public sector wage freezes, and reductions in the quality of services to the people of the city.”

“This cannot go unchallenged. Under the SNP administration in Dundee neither they nor Labour, not even a single councillor, has been prepared to stand-up and refuse to implement the cuts.”

We are standing a team of seven candidates across the city that is unrivalled in terms of its experience of leading campaigns and fighting for the interests of working class communities in our city.

Our central pledge to the people of Dundee is that we will refuse to vote for a single penny of cuts. Cuts that have been imposed on our city by governments in Westminster who spent £37billion, bailing out one bank – RBS. Who are cutting taxes for the rich, the millionaires and big corporations, while imposing savage austerity on the majority.

A tiny fraction – 0.00062% - of the money used to bail-out RBS would mean no cuts to Dundee’s budget and would return spending on our essential services back to 2009 levels. "

Standing against the cuts on May 3rd

“It has become obvious that mainstream parties have abandoned ordinary workers. They exist it seems only to maintain their own positions and protect the interests of big business and the wealthy in society. We need a political alternative. We need anti-cuts candidates who will vote against cuts, stand up against attacks on services, and ensure the voices of ordinary workers, whether in the public or private sector, are heard."

Cheryl Gedling, Derek Thomson, Sam Hall
Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) National Executive Committee members (personal capacity)

“The need to stand anti-cuts candidates is clear and a recognition that all the main parties, including the SNP and Labour, are carrying out savage cuts. It is essential that principled fighters be prepared to stand to offer an alternative.”

Brian Smith
secretary of the 11,000 strong Glasgow City Unison branch (Personal capacity)

“According to Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK the tax gap between what is already owed by rich individuals and corporations and what is collected is around 120 billion. Deloitte - one of the 'Big Four' accountancy firms puts the tax gap at 40 billion a year.

“The truth is that the ConDems are ideologically opposed to taxing the rich as opposed to the rest of us. If the rich paid their fair share there would be no need for any of these cuts ."

John McArdle
Founder Member of Black Triangle Disability Rights Campaign

STOP THE CUTS!

The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition is to stand in areas across Scotland on May 3rd, the date of the local government election in Scotland. Our candidates include workers fighting to save the Remploy factories, leading members of public sector unions including Unison, PCS and the EIS, anti-cuts campaigners, socialists, Youth Fight For Jobs activists, disabled rights campaigners and community activists.

The Scottish local government elections on May 3rd take place at a time of vicious cuts and savage austerity for the majority. Yet the rich have never had it so good. The recent Tory/Lib Dem budget slashed tax for the wealthy and big business while at the same time driving ahead with plans to step-up attacks on public spending and welfare benefits.

Why should ordinary people have to pay for the greed of the rich and the bankers? They’re the ones who created the economic mess, yet we’re being told we have to pay the price to clean it up. We’re facing huge cuts to our jobs, wages, pensions and benefits - while the bankers are pocketing millions in bonuses. We say NO. Make them pay.

Councils in Scotland have seen dramatic cuts in their budgets over the last three years. Billion s have been cut from public spending in Scotland by the ConDem millionaires, shamefully aided by the SNP-led Scottish government. To a man and a woman the ruling parties at a local council level have passed the cuts on to us. That means tens of thousands fewer jobs, huge funding cuts to local projects, privatisation of services and pay cuts for workers as a result of years of wage freezes.

And yet there is an alternative. Instead of imposing the Tory cuts on working class communities’ councillors have the option of standing with the people who elected them.

Devastating cuts

Over the last three years hundreds of millions of pounds have been cut from local government funding in Scotland. 13,000 jobs have been wiped-out this year alone. At the same time corporation tax for big business and income tax for the rich is being slashed. A small fraction of this would reverse the cuts in local government spending in Scotland. In 2009 one bank, RBS received £37 billion from the public purse. Many communities will be asking where is our bail-out for our jobs and services.

Enough is enough. The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition (SACC) is standing and supporting candidates in areas across Scotland including Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh, Midlothian and Renfrewshire among others.
SACC was set-up by trade unionists, community campaigners and socialist organisations to offer an alternative to the failed politicians who are imposing Tory cuts on us. SACC is standing candidates in many areas across Scotland in May.

SACC is standing in 7 of the 8 council wards in Dundee, 12 in Glasgow (9 standing as SACC and 3 as Solidarity), 5 candidates in Renfrewshire, 4 in Edinburgh, 3 in Midlothian, 2 in the Highlands, 1 in Ayrshire, 1 in North Lanarkshire. Solidarity, who are part of the anti-cuts coalition are standing two candidates in South Lanarkshire.

In addition SACC initiated negotiations in Glasgow to avoid any clashes of socialist and anti-cuts candidates competing in the same wards. As a result all 21 wards in Glasgow will have a socialist/anti-cuts candidate.

Set needs budgets

SACC candidates will call for councils to refuse to implement the cuts. As an immediate first step councils should set budgets based on the needs of the local community including making no cuts to the current level of spending.

While this would create over time a shortfall, councils could use their reserves and borrowing powers to avoid inflicting the Tory cuts. At the same time a mass campaign involving the council trade unions and local communities could be mobilised to demand that the government makes up the shortfall.

As the Socialist Party in England and Wales who are standing as part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition commented “We are told that doing this - following the example of Poplar in the 1920s or of Liverpool and Lambeth in the 1980s - is 'impossible' and will inevitably lead to defeat.

But the real history is different. Poplar council won a campaign to equalise the rates across London and were able to introduce a programme of financial assistance for the poor, equal pay for women and a minimum wage for council workers.

In the 1980s the socialist-led Liverpool City Council forced Thatcher to hand over an extra £60 million to Liverpool.

That was used to build 5,000 council houses plus new leisure centres and nurseries and to create tens of thousands of jobs.

Liverpool's councillors were only able to be removed and surcharged after the betrayal of Labour leader Neil Kinnock and Co.

Today councillors can no longer be surcharged unless they are found guilty of financial crime for personal gain. But it is still true that any council that refused to carry out cuts or introduce hikes in council tax would - at a certain stage - come into conflict with the legal system.

Trade unionists and anti-cuts campaigners would be able to mobilise tens of thousands in support of such a stand. In these circumstances it would be very difficult for the law to be used against such councils.
However, most councils can prepare themselves before taking this road. By using their reserves and borrowing powers to avoid making cuts, councils could gain time to build a mass movement in their support.”

If elected SACC councillors will

• Oppose all cuts to jobs, council services, workers pay and conditions - we reject the claim that 'some cuts' are inevitable to our services.
• Fight for a massive investment programme to build new council housing helping to create jobs and apprenticeships for our young people.
• Vote against all increases in council tax, rent, school meals or service charges to compensate for cuts
• Oppose all privatisation of council jobs and services, including the transfer of council services and housing to 'social enterprises' or 'arms-length' management organisations, which are first steps to privatisation
• Give full support to trade unionists and local communities who are fighting the cuts
• Argue for councils to set a No cuts budget that meets the needs of the local community.
• At the same time we will work to build a mass campaign to force the ConDem government to pay back the money stolen from local government to bail out the bankers and the rich.

The Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition also believes that by taxing the rich and big business appropriately, billions could be raised for public services. Ending expensive and wasteful private finance schemes in our public services could save hundreds of millions more. Public ownership of the banks and the big companies could release huge resources to invest in the future of the majority - instead of lining the pockets of a tiny elite.
If you think it’s wrong that the rich and big business are seeing their taxes cut while we face savage cuts to our vital public services, jobs and communities then vote for your anti-cuts candidate on May 3rd.

Give us your No 1 vote or the highest possible preference

Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition candidates

Glasgow

Frank Young - Linn
Diane Harvey - Newlands/Aultburn
Akhtar Khan - Pollokshields
RONNIE STEVENSON Langside
ERIC STEVENSON - Drumchapel/Anniesland
RYAN STUART - Garscadden/Scotstounhill
ANGELA McCormick - Canal
Luke IVORY - Springburn
Jamie Cocozza - North East

Standing as Solidarity

Gail Sheridan - Craigton
JOYCE DRUMMOND – Govan
Graham Campbell - Anderston/City

Dundee

Jim McFarlane - Strathmartine
Rory Malone - Lochee
Raymond Mennie - West End
Wayne Scott - Coldside
Derek Milligan - Maryfield
Sinead Daly - North East
Linda Rose - East End

Renfrewshire

Jim Halfpenny - Erskine/Inchinnan
Gerry Kavanagh - Renfrew North
HARRY PFAFF - Paisley South
DANNY WILLIAMSON - Houston/Crosslea/Linwood
WARREN VALE - Bishopton/Bridge of Weir/Langbank

Edinburgh

Ruth Henderson - Forth
Willie Black - Southside/Newington
John McCardle - Leith Walk
Kevin Ferguson - Craigentinny/Duddingston

Midlothian

Bob Goupillot - Midlothian East
Lynn Leitch - Midlothian West
Willie Duncan - Dalkeith

Highland

George MacDonald - Inverness West
Sean Robertson - Tain/Easter Ross
East Lothian
Jack Fraser – Musselburgh West

Ayrshire

Ian Kerr – Irvine West

North Lanarkshire

Kenny Martin – Motherwell

Give us your No 1 vote or the highest possible preference

Ronnie Stevenson at Glasgow Disability Alliance hustings