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From The Socialist newspaper, 15 October 2014
'Political awakening' continues in Scotland
One of the Generation Fightback stalls at the Hope Over Fear rally, photo by GF (Click to enlarge)
Matt Dobson, Socialist Party Scotland
Over 10,000 participated in the Hope Over Fear pro-independence rally called by Tommy Sheridan in Glasgow's George Square on 12 October. The event showed the depth of the newly awakened political consciousness in Scotland with mass mobilisations still a possibility even after the result of a No vote.
Clear strategy
Socialist Party Scotland (SPS) member and Glasgow Unison branch secretary, Brian Smith, was the only platform speaker to put a clear strategy for a mass movement against austerity. He got one of the loudest cheers of the whole afternoon when he called for the major parts of the economy to be brought under public ownership. He pointed out that if the SNP government and local councils in Scotland refused to make the cuts they would receive mass support.
Unfortunately this is not the case at the moment so Brian called for people to attend the conference called by the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on 1 November to discuss standing anti-cuts candidates May's Westminster election.
Hundreds of young people signed up to Generation Fightback, a new youth organisation that fights for demands including a £10 an hour minimum wage without discrimination, the immediate introduction of votes at 16 and an independent socialist Scotland.
SPS distributed our open letter to SNP members calling on SNP leaders to stand up and fight austerity which was mostly warmly received. We had seventy applications to join SPS and two new members joined immediately and then helped us on the stall.
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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.
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In The Socialist 15 October 2014:
£££ Britain needs a pay rise
Fight for mass action to end cuts and low pay
Mark Serwotka: Building a strong, fighting union
Fight the cuts!
How a mass campaign stopped the cuts
Challenging the austerity parties
Barking and Dagenham council at a crossroads
Socialist Party news and analysis
Tories and Labour in crisis after Ukip win
International socialist news and analysis
Ireland: Stunning byelection victory for Socialist Party
Obama's strategy to beat IS lies in tatters
Socialist Party workplace news
First NHS pay strike for 30 years
Local government pay: reject offer, reinstate action!
Care UK workers mark 81st strike day
600 St Mungo's housing workers to strike for a week
Recycling workers strike over pay and conditions
Severfields engineers strike against bonus cut
Youth Fight for Jobs
Young workers say: decent jobs now
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
'Political awakening' continues in Scotland
Building the Socialist Party
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