Category: News & Analysis

Issue 20 Editorial: Scotland in 2018

By Amy Dean, Glasgow Marxists

We publish here the editorial for issue 20 of Revolution, the Scottish paper of The International Marxist Tendency. This issue includes articles on abolishing the monarchy, the battle for Bifab, Corbyn, the SNP and The national question, the Holyrood budget, bitcoin and supporting Syria’s Kurds against Turkish invasion. If you’d like a copy, please let us know. Minimum price is £1 plus postage but extra solidarity donations are always welcome. If you agree with our ideas get in contact and join us in fighting for a Scottish Worker’s republic and a World Socialist Revolution.

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Flaggate: National Divisions and The Capitalist Press

By Paddy O’ Brien, Edinburgh IMT

For over 100 years we have had mass media in the UK, feeding the working class propaganda and telling them which of the established political parties to vote for. You would have hoped in a so called “democratic” and “free” society that over this period, the style of journalism would have evolved into a fair and unbiased view to inform people of the social injustices in society. But as we all know, the press has continued to report on insignificant news stories that do nothing but incite national division between the working classes. If you want an example to this journalism, look no further than the headlines of Britain’s longest running newspaper (I use the term loosely), The Daily Mail.

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DPD driver’s death demonstrates brutality of precarious work

By Alex Johnson, IMT Edinburgh

Recent figures show unemployment to be at 4.5%, the lowest seen since the 1970s. When we take a moment to examine this figure more closely, however, we find that it isn’t the cause for celebration the Tories would have us believe.

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Strike Threats Pressure Holyrood Budget

By Marios Kalomenopoulos, IMT Edinburgh

The political situation in Scotland has been rather quiet, recently, however this superficial stability hides important changes that are developing below the surface. The unions response to the proposed budget from the SNP government is one such expression.

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Make Bristo Square Red Square! Defend Edinburgh University Lecturers and the National UCU Pension Strike

Max Wright, IMT Edinburgh

Beginning this month, the National union of students (NUS) and University and College Union (UCU) have called for four rounds of strikes action in a unified defence against the slashing of Pension benefits. Lecturers at Edinburgh University will be partaking part on this strike. These benefit cuts will lead to a typical lecturer being £10,000 worse off in retirement, at Edinbrugh this is happening even when the university is already reliant on “voluntary” severance deals. Edinburgh IMT call for total support of the action in order to fight back against the increasing levels of Marketisation affecting our education system. The strike action was backed by 88% of UCU members in the largest vote for industrial action ever seen in the higher education sector.

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Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers Need a Socialist Leadership: Vote Richie Venton for USDAW NEC

We publish the statement by Richie Venton below in his campaign for USDAW NEC. and also his statement on the threat from Tescos to axe 17,00 jobs.

USDAW organise some of the most exploited workers in companies such as Tescos, Sainbury’s, Ikea, Co-op, Argos, Aldi and Lidl along with various factories and warehouses. It is potentially very powerful Union.

With a militant leadership and a recruitment drive they could have the Tesco CEOs running scared and with a Socialist programme they could play an integral part in a fight for nationalised, workers controlled, food producers and distributors service. Yet they have a very conservative leadership.

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Battle for Bifab: The Return Bout

By Tam Burke, IMT Edinburgh, Prospect, Personal Capacity

Compared with Catalonia, South Africa or the USA, political life in Scotland for most of last year hardly set the heather on fire. Then in November came the Battle for BiFab when the workers made headlines with their successful fight for the wages they were due. A dispute last November between their employer, Burntisland Fabrication (BiFab), and its customer, Seaway Heavy Lifting (SHL), over what payment was still due, threatened the closure of the three yards, Burtisland and Methyl in Fife and Arnish, Isle of Lewis. BiFab said they’d no money coming in to pay wages, so 1400 workers would be laid off. There was no likelihood of the yards reopening. “A hammer blow to BiFab workers and communities in Fife and the Isle of Lewis” declared Gary Smith, GMB Union organiser. SHL said it’d paid BiFab on time in line with the contract. BiFab sought a Notice of Administration, giving just ten short days to find a solution before the yards fell silent. Shocked politicians at every level and of all parties condemned, denounced, exclaimed, wailed, complained and proclaimed that somehow it must not happen, but without any mitigation of the catastrophe.

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Scottish Labour, The National Question and The SNP

By Ross Walker

After two years of utter humiliation following the 2014 referendum, 2017 saw a gradual improvement in Scottish Labour’s fortunes. In June they increased their seats from 1 to 7 in the snap Westminster election. In November, left-winger, Richard Leonard was elected after decades of right wing leadership. The party finished the year with some polls showing them having overtaken the Tories in popularity.

 

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SNP Draft Budget Changes Nothing

By Harvey Dodds, IMT Edinburgh

The draft budget presented by the Scottish Government in December marked a chance for the SNP to embellish the anti-austerity credentials they have earned in recent years with a bold budget. With the tax powers that have been devolved to Holyrood, it would have been possible to significantly raise tax for the highest earners in order to fund redistributive policies, public sector pay, and investment without affecting lower earners. This, however, was not the case. 

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Bifab Workers March on Parliament

by Tam Burke

Several hundred workers, some with their families, from the BiFab (Burntisland Fabrication) energy engineering company marched down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile on Thursday, 16th November to the Scottish Parliament demanding action to save 1,400 jobs under threat and payment of their wages. They are still working even though the company says it can’t pay any more wages. This is due to Dutch owned Seaway Heavy Lifting(SHL) refusing to pay for their order of jackets for marine wind  turbines. SHL cite “production problems and cost overruns” by BiFab. This news came out of the blue to workers, union leaders and Government ministers. There is anger at the callous disregard for the livelihoods under threat. The wider community beyond that depends on the spending of BiFab workers will also be badly hit.

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