'Zombie marcher' Andy Bowden is capable of showing his opposition to cuts EVEN WHILE ASLEEP!
. . .at least on Saturday we did for a bit. While opposition to the cuts hasn’t got as cool in Scotland as it is in France yet, this weekend saw an important beginning for a mass movement to defeat the Tories and Lib Dems with an all-Scotland march organised by the Scottish Trade Unions Congress.
Over 20,000 people through the centre of Edinburgh the weekend after Gideon ‘George’ Osborne announced the government’s comprehensive plan for ruining your life. We were proud to take our place alongside all Scotland’s trade unions, as well as angry people facing cuts to services on which their whole lives depend.
Our materials for the day went down well, with socialist meerkats calling on marchers to Compare the Council Tax. With council tax set to become a big issue in the election campaign (the SNP want to continue their useless policy of freezing the level of it, Labour want it to go up, using the cuts as an excuse), the SSP’s policy of taxing the rich according to their income, so that most people pay less for local services but at the same time we raise an extra £1.6 billion to pay for them, is the only one that can deal with both cuts and poverty. Simples!
Welcome fool, you have come of your own free will to the appoined place. . .
Edinburgh also got completely plastered with our ‘Hey Tories, Gonnae no dae that’ stickers as well, which you can expect to see everywhere soon. Apart from these and some pretty homemade placards, perhaps one of our main political contributions was to popularise the chant, “Maggie Maggie Maggie, Die Die Die!” This brought a smile to the faces of everyone who was old enough to remember why it is all the forces of good in the Universe hate Thatcher.
Ending up in Princes Street gardens, the huge size of the crowd at the bandstand showed just how angry people are already, and the real grounds for a fightback there is. But when we all dispersed from the march, that wasn’t the end of the day of politics for SSY, not by a long shot, because we still had AN EFFIGY OF DAVID CAMERON TO DEAL WITH.
After some detailed tactical discussion in our political nerve centre Wetherspooons, it was ascertained that there were in fact some nearby Tory offices which would make the best place for the sacrificial victim to prove that we really are all in this together by burning for our amusement.
This being the posh heart of the centre of Edinburgh, we made our way past all the caviar and top hat shops to the bunker of the Tory occupation forces in Scotland, where Dave was to meet his ignominious end. Or so we thought -- but that was before a wormhole to the 1920s opened up across the street, and a very posh and disgruntled woman (with an amazing hat that made her look like a cockerel) popped out to put an end to the socialist ruffians daring to stand up against the fine gentlemen of Her Majesty’s Government.
YE SHALL BURN ME ONCE AGAIN?!?!
As the flames began to lick at Dave’s bin bag suit, she angrily demanded to know what we were doing, which surely was fairly obvious. She then intervened to bring the sacrifice to an end, but chose the method of blowing on the flame to put it out (we hate to break it to you, but that’s how you make flames get BIGGER). Realising this had failed, she then chose to KICK DAVE THROUGH THE RAILINGS into the front court of whoever is unlucky enough to occupy the premises below the Tory office. Assuming these are not just more Tories, then we can only apologise for the bizarre sight that must have greeted you of a half burned David Cameron on a stick, and assure you that we didn’t put it there!
More photos from the day:
Working class dogs hungry for a socialist message
. . . and he does!
Style and panache: decisive contributions of youth to the anti-cuts movement
Of course, Saturday’s march was only the beginning of the fightback against the Tory blitzkrieg, so keep checking back here for all the latest news about the resistance to the Tory occupation of Scotland.
On the 9th of October, in the deepest, darkest Menie there was a collective hate for a certain knob head as hundreds of anti-Trump protesters gathered to show their great discontent towards the American tycoon. Trump thinks that it is ok to evict people out of their homes for his own profitable gain. Today the basic message was that we don’t want Trump or his course or his complete contempt for human rights.
The march had a great reception and turnout with a clearly visible media presence. This event was attended by local residents, pressure groups and ourselves. It was widely agreed that this area is beautiful and should remain the way it has been for thousands of years and should be used for rolling down. The walk was from the Menie visitors centre to “The Bunker” where we all gave Trump’s security a wave! The rude bastards didn’t wave back! Between the visitors centre and The Bunker we walked through the great sand dunes and got to see the fantastic landscape which is at serious risk of no longer existing if Trump gets his way.
We got off the bus and were greeted by Tripping Up Trump activists and organisers. After a quick talk we were starting the walk. This great landscape could soon become a playground for Trump and his rich, corrupt friends whose quality of lives will not be changed by their mistakes. There is no denying the scenery is fantastic and no one can blame Trump for loving it but the moment you alter the dunes in any way thousands of years of development is wiped off, as if it never existed. This is what Trump wants to do. His desire is to destroy this beautiful part of the world so he can add couple million to HIS bank account and NOT to the local economy (which he claims he’s doing it for). The local media in Aberdeen have publicly declared their support for the course claimed that it will fill the gap for the oil industry. This to me seems odd as I cannot see how Trump will offer wages of £8+ to 500,000 people to work on his course as cleaners, KPs, Bar staff without going bust. Therefore he cannot replace the oil industry with one measly golf course. It is impossible to have 500,000 people work on a golf course. Furthermore when the oil industry goes Aberdeen will be broke unless if there is investment into renewable energies. No-one will afford to go onto this course anyways but once all the big oil managers in Aberdeen lose their jobs who will go on. I rest my case.
TUT flags fluttering in the great Menie winds.
The march was attended by 300 odd people and a further 100,000 dogs. After quick speeches at” The Bunker” a few SSY members headed back to a church hall for a meet and greet with Tripping Up Trump and for some free grub! There was information posted on all walls. There was a picture of a map showing what Trump wants to do and where Michael Forbes’ home sits in all this. Forbes is standing strong in his house and putting up a great resistance towards Trump and his international organisation and everyone has to praise him significantly for that. Forbes’ home is in the middle of Trump’s vision of luxury (Yes! Luxury being a concrete jungle in the middle of one of the most scenic places in the world.) When you see this for yourself you really understand the struggle the homeowners are facing just to keep onto their homes let alone protecting the local environment. If Trump gets to use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) it would sum up what Capitalists think of human rights, “Fuck them, I want Profit.”
This is a campaign in which we as Socialists can fight against. On one level it is showing what sort of people are running this country that they would vote down his course but then he flashes a bit of money and he’s got it, corruption of the highest order. The councillors had a very low price to sell out. From another perspective we cannot let a multi billionaire treat ordinary people like this. It is unbelievably selfish and arrogant of Trump to turn up with a wee bit o’ a swagger and get what he wants. He genuinely believed that this would be a matter of “Greetings mein fuhrer Trump, anything you want you can get it, no questions asked.” Well he is in the middle of big square go with lots of people and we will not be defeated.
I spent last weekend up in the metropolis of Menie and its near neighbour, a wee place called Aberdeen. It may be a 7-hour round trip and it may cost £26.50 (!!!?!) just for a single ticket on the bus from the ‘Deen back to Gleska; but it was worth it for the 2 great events I attended.
The first was the magnificent ‘March of Menie’ organised by Tripping Up Trump, protesting against Donald ‘The Chump’
i wish that wig would blow off
Trump’s plans to evict local residents and wreck a Site of Special Scientific Interest, just so he can build a new golf course. His project will, I imagine, be enjoyed mainly by an elite group of fat rich men, who use cat-o-ninetails on their caddies and light giant cigars with $100 bills.
A report of the demo will follow as soon as ‘pride of Aberdeen SSP’ Euan Benzie gets his finger out and indulges his blogging skillz. But I can tell you that there were up to 300 people on the march, representing a good balance of locals and visitors, from a vast array of backgrounds. Very impressive for rural Aberdeenshire, disproving Trump’s claims that his plans are opposed by “three men and a dog”. There was a good 15-20 dogs, actually. It is a truly amazing place, with beautiful coastal scenery, amazing sand-dunes, and wild stags frolicking all over the shop. It’d be a shame to wreck it by turning it into a playground for rich bastards.
Back in Aberdeen, there were a few beers (and ciders and rums) at a comrade’s house, followed the next day by a meeting of SSY’s National Executive Committee. This was the first time in a long time we’ve had a meeting like this up in the North-East and it was overdue considering there’s been a good number of active members up there for a few months. It was a really productive day and we planned loads of exciting stuff, some of which I’m gonna unveil RIGHT NOW!
First of all, we’re getting right behind the STUC’s new campaign, There Is A Better Way. Expect to hear more about this is coming days, as there’s gonna be a big demo in Edinburgh on the 23rd October. More about that on the Better Way website.
march against cameron and clegg's cuts
The gist is that they’re providing a focal point for widespread opposition to the ConDem cuts, which, as everyone knows, are ideologically-driven rather than economically necessary. They’re calling for Jobs, Services, Fairer Taxes and a Living Wage. Quite right. Different unions are running free buses to Edinburgh on the day, so get in touch with the STUC to get yourself on one, or drop us an email at scottishsocialistyouth@gmail.com and we’ll keep you in the loop. I think it’s gonna be a big demo.
Also in October (probably) is gonna be an SSY Glasgow Halloween extravaganza fundraiser thing. This will (probably) involve booze, dancing, great costumes (NB ‘HILARIOUS’ KKK/NAZI UNIFORMS NOT ALLOWED!) and all the usual Halloween fun, which will (hopefully) make us loadsa money. Muahahahaha.
Back to Aberdeen again, and we’ve got plans for a mega dayschool entitled ‘Silver City Socialism’ on the 4th of December. Expect workshops on Palestine Solidarity, What Socialists Stand For, organising against racists & fascists, feminism and the aforementioned TuT campaign. If you live in the area or just like the sound of it, then make sure to get yourself along. There will be an afterparty including vegan mince pies, mulled wine and an Alternative Xmas mix CD. Full details to follow, this one’s gonna be a cracker.
Finally and perhaps most excitingly, we decided to make a big fuss of ourselves and organise a tour to publicise the launch of the SSP’s pamphlet on Afghanistan (buy it here!), written by SSY members Andy Bowden and Jack Ferguson. The Party has been consistent in opposing imperialist intervention, and the pamphlet examines Afghan history and some of the geopolitical reasons for the invasion and occupation. Despite sounding heavy, it’s actually really well put together and easy to read; a good one for people who know nothing about the issue and seasoned anti-war activists alike. It’s a bargain buy and all profits go to the Revolutionary Association of theWomen of Afghanistan. Expect a forthcoming announcement on dates for the tour which will be coming to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, St Andrews, Dundee and possibly Stirling. We’ll have a range of different speakers and plenty of space for debate and discussion.
At a time of failing military missions and impending Tory attacks on our class’s living conditions, there is a helluva lot for young socialists to be out campaigning on. SSY is right in about it like a dog eatin hot chips.
Billionaire vandal and all round dick Donald Trump has controversially been awarded an honorary degree by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
Trump wants to kick people out of their homes (with a little help from his minions in the local council) in the Menie estate in Aberdeenshire, destroying the important local dunes ecosystem in the process. This is all in order to build a multi million pound playground for fellow rich bastards -- a golf course, luxury hotel and various other things completely useless, unlike the home for people and wildlife it is currently.
Not surprisingly this has pissed a lot of people off. So the news that an Aberdeen based uni has decided to honour him has folk up in arms.
RGU have said the degree is for his exceptional wrecking people’s lives for his own amusement skills “business acumen” and “the future his company is planning for the North East of Scotland” -- a future of ordinary people kicked and a beautiful place reduced to an ecological deadzone for those with more money than sense to hit balls around with sticks.
The Trump Mafia Organisation has been subjecting local people to some pretty serious intimidation. And now he’s not only getting away with his unbelievably behaviour, he’s being given an award for it!
One man who was particularly unhappy was the former principal of RGU, Dr David Kennedy, who was a key figure at the uni from 1987-97. He’s handed back his own honorary degree in protest. He said (not mincing his words):
“It’s an insult to decent people everywhere. Mr Trump is simply not a suitable person to be given an honorary
Former RGU Principal Dr David Kennedy hands back his own degree in disgust
degree and he should not be held up as an example of how to conduct business. Mr Trump’s behaviour in north-east Scotland has been deplorable from the first, particularly in how he has treated his neighbours.
“The university needs to realise how strongly people feel about this issue. I can think of no better way to express my anger at the decision to honour Mr Trump than to return my own honorary doctorate to the university.
“I would not want to hold the award after Mr Trump has received his.”
This Saturday the Tripping Up Trump campaign is organising the March of Menie to protest about the decision, and Trump’s outrageous actions. It’s a great chance to come down and show your support for the people that live there. The march is meeting at the Balmedie visitor centre at 12, and marching to The Bunker, a plot of land bought up Tripping Up Trump. (See their ace wee film below).
In the words of the campaign:
The Fremen warriors are very upset about the threat to the Dunes
“Bring, friends, family, flags and noise for what is going to be an excellent fun way to show Trump that we will stand up to him. At The Bunker there will games, bagpipes and we’ll take a giant photo.
After the March we’re holding an exhibition to showcase the unique and picturesque dunes at the The Whitehorse from 2-5pm. Refreshments and snacks will be available.”
If you’re in Glasgow and fancy a wee day out, Tripping Up Trump have really generously put on a bus up to Aberdeenshire. It’s all paid for, so although they could do with donations towards the cost, if you’re really skint you can still have a nice trip to a lovely place on Saturday, and show your solidarity while you’re at it. Loads of SSY members are going, so it should be a good laugh. The bus is leaving from Glasgow at about 8am (early I know, but Aberdeenshire is a long way away, and it’ll be totally worth it.) Why not come along? Places are limited, so if you’d like a place leave your contact details in the comments and we’ll be in touch!
Last Saturday the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country played host to a major demonstration in favour of civil and political rights for the Basque people.
Thousands of trade unionists, activists and Basque nationalist politicians took part in the march, which was called after Spanish courts banned pro-independence marches last month, claiming they would have demonstrated “support” and “justified” the Basque armed group ETA (which in any case has declared a ceasefire). The second march which was banned was aimed at protesting this blatant violation of the right to assemble and organise for Basque people.
The march took on new significance this week though with another wave of arrests of Basque activists for purely political reasons. The marchers carried banners proclaiming “Yes to human, civil and political rights,” and “No to the ban on demonstrations.” You can see footage of the march here.
Here in Scotland we’re planning some action to demonstrate how angry we are about the state repression of the Spanish “democracy” against peaceful activists of the Basque pro-independence left. We’ll be taking part in a Basque Solidarity Campaign action at the Spain vs. Scotland Euro qualifier game next Tuesday (12th). We’ll be meeting at 6pm at Mount Florida train station to leaflet fans going into the game, and let them know some of the facts about what’s been going on in the Spanish state. Will be bringing banners and flags as well, so come down to give us a hand.
Union map of where there were strikes and protests yesterday
You might not have noticed yesterday, what with the UK news much more concerned about what high paid cushy job David Miliband will be getting next, but across Europe millions of people were on strike and in the streets to protest the austerity policies of the EU governments.
Just like the ConDem government here, governments all across the European Union are making massive attacks on the working class, such cutting spending on vital services, taking away workers’ rights, throwing people out of work and generally making Europe a much more shite place to live.
Around 100,000 people took part in a Europe-wide demo in Brussels demanding an end to austerity policies. Delegations from 30 different countries are thought to have taken part. There’s some footage of it below:
There’s some great photos from the Brussels demo here, but a particular favourite of mine is these two who dressed up to take the piss out of right wing French President Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni:
Mr and Mrs Sarkozy
Meanwhile, in Spain there was a general strike, with 10 million people refusing to go to work in protest at the supposedly “Socialist” (the Spanish Socialist Party are more like New Labour) government, particularly plans to make it easier to sack workers and reduce the amount of compensation they’re entitled to. Protesters in Madrid went into any workplaces that were still open to hand out pamphlets and call on workers to join them, as well as blocking one of the main shopping streets the Gran Via. Throughout the different countries and regions that make up the Spanish state there were demonstrations taking place, and cops were used to break up picket lines, as you can see in this photo from Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
Here’s some footage as well of the protests in Huelva, Andalusia:
In Barcelona, riot cops attacked and beat protesters, who fought back by torching one of their cars:
Update from a comrade in Barcelona: “Protesters completely occupied the headquarters of a major bank, and set up 2 huge speakers from the balcony which they used to give a running commentary of events onto the street, and somehow jammed the frequency of a local radio station so that it broadcast their speeches instead, clever stuff.
Nearby, a police car was set on fire. Riot police responded shortly afterwards by charging into the crowd and lashing out indiscriminately with batons, which I suppose was ‘revenge’ for the burnt car.”
In Ireland protesters gathered in Dublin to mark the return of the Dáil (Irish parliament) into session. The Irish government is hugely unpopular for its austerity plans, and has spent €25 billion on bailing out banks. This morning came the news that the government is saying it will have to spend €35 billion just on bailing out the Anglo Irish bank. In the photo below you can see what people think about that:
The flyer for the protests in Dublin can be seen here. As part of the action, a cement mixer with “Toxic Bank” painted on the side was driven into the gates of the Irish parliament.
In Greece, although the “mainstream” unions hadn’t called for a strike, public transport workers, doctors and dockers came out anyway. This follows on from the ongoing lorry drivers’ strike, which has seen supermarkets start to run short of supplies.
In Portugal 50,000 people marched in Lisbon and another 20,000 in Porto.
Here in Scotland the Scottish Trade Union Congress‘ “There is a Better Way” campaign did have a number of events to mark the Europe wide day of action. But what more can we do to try and catch up with our European friends? A good starting point would be getting yourself along to the street rally against the cuts organised in Glasgow this Saturday from trade union groups across the country. It probably won’t be on the scale of some of the protests seen above, but right now all across Europe it’s about kickstarting a movement that will show the governments and capitalists we aren’t going to accept paying the bill for their fuck ups. The rally meets at 12 at Buchanan Street subway.
One aim of the rally against the cuts is to try and build momentum for the all Scotland demonstration called by the STUC for October 23rd in Edinburgh (Facebook event here). It’s really important that both the Scottish and British government see there’s a real mood in Scotland to fight back against the cuts, especially from young people who already are suffering completely disproportionately from unemployment and the effects of the capitalist crisis.
Glasgow City Council are poised to bring in new legislation that could effectively ban public processions and demonstrations from the city centre, among other draconian measures which together form an unashamed attack on democratic rights in the city. As we reported earlier this year, this comes as part of their much trumpeted drive to cut down on the number of the sectarian parades in the city – which is reportedly higher than the annual total in Derry and Belfast combined.
Now the full extent of the council’s plans have been revealed in a consultation document sent this Monday to 29 ‘relevant stakeholders’, including SSY. Among the proposals are:
to ban marches which would ’cause too much disruption or congestion’
to develop ’standard procession routes which minimise disruption and congestion’
to ban marches which ’place an excessive burden on the police’
march organisers will be ‘encouraged to consider alternatives to processions’
no procession will be allowed to ‘become elongated by a formation of fewer than four abreast; a procession will not be allowed to move off until in the correct formation’
all events with more than 1000 participants will ‘be required to assemble in a public park and progress to a public park’
The target of this is, we’re meant to assume, obviously the Orange Order, as well as their Protestant supremacist pals in the Black Institute and the Apprentice Boys of Derry, who together make up well over 200 of the city’s 370 odd marches each year. Certainly, everything in the consultation document points towards this – there’s even a couple of proposals thrown in there which specifically target these organisations, including a ban on carrying swords without prior permission. However, everything we’ve seen over the past year – since GCC initially announced their plans to slash the number of parades in the city ‘by up to ninety percent’ – indicates that this is far from the reality of the planned legislation.
Since this original announcement, several marches in Glasgow have indeed be rerouted. There was the 3000 strong Unison anti-cuts demonstration, forced to take place at 9.30 in the morning and squeezed out of the city centre. There was the EIS teachers’ union demo against cuts, 10,000 strong, again forced out of the city centre and to the earlier time of 10.30am. Then there was the 9000 strong Wave march calling for immediate action on Climate Change, forced despite protestations to take a route which again completely cut out the centre of the city. You might see a pattern developing here – this demo was pushed back to 10.30am too. These three marches, two called by trade unions and one by a grouping of NGOs, were hardly the most provocative, controversial or dangerous to take place in Glasgow over the year, yet all were denied their desired route and time. The council paper does in fact allude to these marches, as examples of ‘groups which are opting for alternatives to having processions through the city centre’. This is taking serious liberties, no pun intended, with the truth. Meanwhile, the Orange Lodge’s biggest event of the year – the ‘Big Walk’ in early July – was allowed to go ahead entirely unhindered, giving drunk, sectarian bigots ownership of the city centre for the whole day and making it an effective no-go area for anyone else. Nor has it stopped permission being granted to at least two provocative Orange marches directly through the Gallowgate over the past twelve months.
It all bears disturbing similarities to current goings-on in Northern Ireland, where the devolved government is currently attempting to push through a swathing attack on the right to protest, the Public Assembles Bill. Similarly, this is being done under the cloak of cutting down on sectarian parades. But as the coalition which has come together to oppose the Bill makes clear, it’s no coincidence that this has arisen at the same time as the worst attack on the working class since the creation of the welfare state: “The two main parties in the Assembly who have already agreed to make these cuts are also the two parties who sat down together and drafted this proposed legislation. The intention could not be clearer. The purpose of the law is to smash any possible opposition to the destruction of the public sector and the sacking of thousands of workers.”
Under the Bill, all public gatherings of more than fifty people will require permission with 37 days notice. Failure to comply will potentially lead to a prison sentence or hefty fine for all participants. Obviously, Glasgow City Council do not possess nearly the same level powers as the NI Assembly – and their consultation document bluntly makes clear that they’re stretching the boundaries of current Scottish, UK and European legislation to their very limits.
However, the document doesn’t shy away from revealing the council’s main agenda in putting forward this new policy on public parades. In fact, a whole section is entitled ‘City Centre Developments: the Changing Face of Glasgow’. Cue a list of major new “improvements” to the city centre over the past few years, among them the £100m extension to the St Enoch’s shopping centre, the planned expansion of the Buchanan Galleries, the “award-winning” financial district at the Broomielaw, and “many other prestigious office developments”. It concludes that the importance of the city centre to ‘Glasgow’s economic prosperity’ rules it out as somewhere suitable for public processions. It might as well read: anyone expressing dissent to the neo-liberal restructuring and gentrification of Glasgow – can fuck off. It’s also worth noting that the paper bizarrely singles out the May Day demo in 2009 for special attention, claiming it was ‘particularly problematic’, involving a ‘day of protest in the city centre against capitalism and globalisation’. Were they on the same demo as us – all I remember is the usual tame procession from George Square to some equally boring rally at the Old Fruitmarket…
The next few years will bring a virtually unprecedented attack on the social wage of the working class. There’s already been broad speculation that cuts of 25% in state spending will bring what’s possible under a democratic system to its absolute limits. In Northern Ireland, the governing parties are doing the ConDem’s dirty work for them, severely limiting the right to express any kind of dissent. The same can now be said, perhaps, of Glasgow’s Labour council.
If you want to free the weed clap your hands.. CLAP CLAP.
Yesterday saw the SSY organised Legalise Cannabis – End the War on Drugs demo take to the streets of the west end of Glasgow, with between 300-350 mostly young people turning out for the biggest march of its kind Scotland has seen for a number of years.
The demo left University Avenue in the west end of the city at around 1pm with a small police escort, before marching via Byres Road and Dumbarton Road to Kelvingrove Park. Indeed, the marchers then proceeded to er, legalise cannabis, with the police adopting a very welcome non-interference approach to anyone lighting up in the park!
Across the world, the tide is beginning to turn against blanket drugs prohibition. An ever increasing number of countries are opting to decriminalise possession and start treating drugs as a social and health issue, rather than a criminal one, with harm reduction at the fore. This couldn’t be further from the truth in the UK, however. None of the big four parties are willing to go anywhere near a policy of relaxing our backwards drugs laws – displayed all too recently in the rush to ban mephedrone, or m-cat, flying against the advice of top scientists and even the government’s own drugs advisory board, several of whom resigned in protest, but happily going along with the agenda of right-wing tabloids.
This is why we felt it especially important to take the message to the streets again this summer that there is a real alternative to the madness of drugs prohibition – to legalise, regulate and control drug use, rather than pushing the whole industry underground and into the arms global crime syndicates.
Saturday’s demo got a great reception from passers-by – afternoon shoppers on Byres Road applauded the march as it passed, while groups of young people charged over the street to join it as it went by. The fact is, most people know that cannabis is not a dangerous drug, and if the reception SSY have got on the streets over the past few weeks is anything to by, most people know it should legalised too.
For as long as the UK government continues on their ridiculous and, ultimately, flawed approach of criminalising young people who smoke the occasional joint, forcing heroin addicts into a life of crime and prostitution, and wasting vast amounts of police time and resources on a pointless “war on drugs” that fuels conflict across the world, SSY will continue to campaign for sweeping reform to the drugs laws. See youse all next year.
M-CAT NOT FAT CATS! The march sets off from Uni Avenue
When I say LEGALISE, you say.. CANNABIS!
The PA system that totally worked the whole time and that there was absolutely no problems with. Uhuh
Yesterday saw the biannual Glasgow LGBT Pride march in the city.
Held in cities all over the world every summer, Pride marches are traditionally an assertion of LGBT rights and a celebration of LGBT culture. The marches themselves have their origins as annual commemorations of the Stonewall Riots, a series of demonstrations against police oppression of the LGBT community in New York, in 1969. However, over the past two decades, the marches have, from their radical origins, been gradually become more and more commercial, with corporate sponsorship and more emphasis on cheap drinks offers and goody bags than remembering the radical history of the LGBT rights movement.
In Glasgow yesterday, SSY took our ‘Pride not Profit’ message to the Pride demonstration, as well as our witty Hate Mail spoof newspaper, which lambastes Tory homophobia and right-wing tabloid bigotry, which is sadly still all too prevalent.
By McMeg, additional writing by me, blogging fae Athens on today’s demonstrations protesting the Greek parliament’s vote to bring in destructive “austerity measures” in the wake of Greece’s near-financial collapse.
PAME demonstration of around 10,000 in central Athens
Athens is a city that is acquiring a reputation for itself. When a taxi driver asked where we were headed with our suitcases, our response prompted him to ask “Athens? Will you no get caught up in they riots out there?”. It would seem that the combination of constant reporting of Greece as overtaken by bomb-strewn madness and the main Scottish reference point when it comes to riots – the Poll Tax Riots – has given people a distorted view of what’s really going on here. The fact is, the IMF are being sold Greece under the table by the ‘Socialist’ government (Read: Greek version of the Labour Party), and their conditions for giving Greece money to bail out its failed banks is that the Greek government goes about systematically destroying any vestiges of a welfare state. It’s understandable why the people are angry. But they are expressing it in a way that is altogether more concise and class conscious than any pictures of anarchists throwing Molotov cocktails at riot police while stray dogs look on cooly can convey.
What we attended today was not a Poll Tax riot. No banks were burnt down, no statues were defaced. What we attended was an eye opening experience that allowed us to see two things:
The diversity and competence of the Left in Greece
The sheer extent of the unbalanced and jaundiced way in which the international press have reported this situation.
Billionaire vandal and all round dick Donald Trump has controversially been awarded an honorary degree by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
Last Saturday the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country played host to a major demonstration in favour of civil and political rights for the Basque people.
Here’s some footage as well of the protests in Huelva, Andalusia:
The flyer for the protests in Dublin can be seen 
Glasgow City Council are poised to bring in new legislation that could effectively ban public processions and demonstrations from the city centre, among other draconian measures which together form an unashamed attack on democratic rights in the city. As we 
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