Broad support for Scottish socialists
By Greg Harris
EDINBURGH — The last weekend of February was the British Labour Party's 100th anniversary. On the same weekend, the young Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) held its second annual conference in Edinburgh.
With its activism and a clear socialist message, the SSP has captured the imagination of Scotland. Tommy Sheridan, the SSP's representative in the Scottish parliament, is a household name in a country suffering under Prime Minister Tony Blair's New Labour.
Held over two days, the SSP conference drew together more than 200 delegates and observers. They included members from all corners of Scotland and international guests.
During his opening remarks, Sheridan described some of the recent successes of the party, including it becoming the best organised political party in the more remote northern regions of Scotland. He compared the growing support for genuine socialist policies to the failures of Labour.
The SSP was formed in 1998 by the Scottish Socialist Alliance. With some 2000 members, it includes many individuals with a long history of left activism. But the majority of members have joined the party since its formation.
The SSP is fighting for an independent socialist Scotland. This sets it apart from the Scottish Nationalist Party, the major opposition party in parliament. While the SNP has supported an independent Scotland throughout its 60-year history, it has a vision of attracting investment to Scotland through tax breaks for big corporations.
The SSP constitution states that the party "stands for the socialist transformation of society, to replace capitalism with an economic system based on democratic ownership and control of the key sectors of the economy. A system based on social need and environmental protection rather than private profit and ecological destruction."
This goal has won the party broad support across Scotland.
Activism
The most notable feature of the conference was the range of campaigns and movements represented by its members. The delegates included national and regional trade union leaders, leaders of the environmental, women's liberation and disability rights movements, and campaigners against nuclear weapons, for better public transport and against the homophobic local government law "Section 28".
Activism flowed through the whole conference, including an impromptu departure of several delegates on the Saturday morning to mount a counter-picket when news of an anti-abortion demonstration was brought to the conference. As well as community and workplace campaigning, the party has built a reputation for street activism, even in the freezing conditions of the Scottish winter.
The SSP's successes are due to the widespread anger in Scotland's population at the dreadful record of the Labour Party in recent years. As the governing party in the whole of Britain, the Labour Party has been seen to support the rich and powerful against working people and the poor.
A typical case has been in the area of transport. Speakers at the conference discussed the attacks on rail services, the planned privatisation of air traffic control and the closure of two coast guard bases. The conference called for massive increases in public transport as part of the development of the country's infrastructure.
The SSP has been at the forefront of many political campaigns in Scotland. It has been a strong voice for workers' rights, for example, including calling for an immediate shorter working week with no loss of pay as a way to fight unemployment. The party has called for unions to disaffiliate from Labour and support the SSP.
The party has also campaigned for an end to all nuclear weapons and against "new" Labour's plan to spend billions of pounds on a nuclear weapons program.
The party has actively called for the repeal of Section 28 of the local government act, which bans school teachers, counsellors and other staff from any mention of homosexuality. Brought in by the previous Conservative government, the clause has led to a rise in bullying and intimidation in schools. Labour failed to repeal the clause when it was elected, giving right-wing forces the time to organise for the law's retention.
And the party has played a prominent role in supporting free tertiary education and financial assistance for all students.
Internationalism
The conference demonstrated a strong commitment to international solidarity. The party affirmed its support for other socialist parties and alliances in Europe seeking to build an alternative to the capitalist parties.
It also expressed its support for the rights of the Kurdish people and issued a statement of solidarity with Cuba. The statement resolved to support campaigns "to break the trade blockade and build direct political, trading and cultural links with Cuba". While reserving the right to "disagree with certain policies and practices of the socialist government in Cuba", the SSP committed itself to "the defence of the ideals, advances and the rights of the Cuban people".
A representative of the Cuban ambassador told the conference, "In a time when too many shy away from the word socialism ... it is an electrifying experience for me being here witnessing your conference". Rather than having to agree on every point, he said, "we can and must share the same passion, the same solidarity".
The conference decided to develop links with organisations in other countries which share the SSP's vision of a democratic socialist society. Greetings were presented to the conference from the Left Bloc in Portugal, the Democratic Socialist Party in Australia, the London Socialist Alliance, the Norwegian Red Electoral Alliance and the London-based Committee for a Workers International.
While many reports were adopted unanimously, where substantial differences existed the conference allowed for open and democratic debate. This was also true in the contested elections for several national officer positions.
Much of the conference was devoted to planning the coming year, including to organise young people. The conference agreed to begin discussions on setting up an active youth organisation or network. While most conference participants were in their 30s or older, the core of younger people present were clearly important in the growing activity and success of the party.