Scotland is in a party joining mood

Sarah Sachs-Eldridge, Socialist Party national organiser

Ugh! That is the general response to the Labour and Tory conferences. The Etonites have once again taken time out (from what, expenses fiddling?) to stay in posh hotels and spell out their plans to continue our misery. Here we go again - 'there's no money' to spend to allow workers and young people a life of dignity - not a tall order, surely?

Meanwhile Everest-size cash-piles mount up in the vaults of big business and the super-rich. It makes you sick. And it is therefore not surprising that inviting people to join a political party can seem akin to enjoining them to partake of a bowl of cold vomit.

Mood transformed

But in Scotland this understandable anti-party mood has been transformed into a joining-party mood. At the time of writing an estimated 43,000 have joined the Scottish National Party, and thousands have applied to join the Greens and others in less than two weeks. But these parties work within the framework of capitalism and will disappoint the activists seeking a vehicle to fight for their and their children's future.

As the Socialist Party's sister organisation Socialist Party Scotland (SPS) explained and understood, the working class and young people were energised by their participation in the referendum campaign. It became a channel for the anti-austerity rage that exists in Scotland - as in England and Wales, and across the world.

The difference was that in Scotland the anger found expression - and had an impact. When a poll in early September found that Yes for Independence was on 51%, the Tory-Labour-big-business-bank-1%-defending-monster went into meltdown, offering the Scots everything under the sun to prevent a Yes vote. Cameron even offered to sacrifice himself: "If you don't like me, I won't be here forever"! So the Scottish workers and young people who had been mobilised in their hundreds of thousands for the Yes side could feel they had an impact.

The No vote announced on 19 September could not wipe that out. People who spoke to SPS campaigners described being inconsolable, but then committing to fight on. Socialist Party Scotland has played an important role in this - it was they who helped organise many huge Socialist Case for Independence meetings as part of the Hope Over Fear tour with Tommy Sheridan. SPS explained that regardless of the vote the fight must go on. SPS boldly calls for the building of a new mass workers' party.

Join

Now many workers and young people are seeing that Socialist Party Scotland is a party they want to join. They followed the party's excellent analysis and saw SPS members participate in the mass manifestations of the democratic uprising - as well as previously in the anti-bedroom tax campaign, and in leading roles as fighting trade unionists.

Hundreds attended SPS post-referendum meetings, many filling in standing order forms then and there - they had come to join. Young people are already taking responsibility to bring their friends into the party - "wait till you hear these people speak" one college student told his friends, encouraging them to attend the next meeting.

See www.socialistpartyscotland.org.uk for reports and analysis - and join the Socialist Party! As SPS says in their new recruitment leaflet: "If you agree with our ideas, we need you to join us."

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.