Grandmother of soldier killed in Afghanistan joins the SSP.

Joan Humphries receives her SSP membership card from SSP co-Convener Colin Fox

The Grandmother of Kevin Elliot, a Soldier from the Black Watch killed in August has joined the SSP, due to the party’s staunch opposition to the war in Afghanistan.

Joan says, “Having toyed with the idea of joining the SSP for some time, it is their strong anti-war stance, especially against the immoral Afghanistan invasion by the US-led coalition, plus the realisation that the views held by the SSP on anti-racism, women and children’s rights, public ownership and fighting poverty ran parallel to mine.”

The SSP has had several public meetings across Scotland with Colin and Mohammed Asif of the Scottish Afghan Society speaking, from Edinburgh, Dundee, Penicuik etc. The issue of Afghanistan is one where the party has picked up members alongside Joan, who oppose the senseless waste of lives.

The SSP has also succeeded in attracting serving Squaddies to public meetings highlighting that despite the official press releases of the MOD there is increasing opposition among ordinary soldiers themselves to fighting an unwinnable war, to defend a corrupt warlord Government without the proper equipment.

Despite an overwhelming opposition to the war in Afghanistan – 71% of people want the troops back home – none of the four mainstream Scottish political parties support withdrawing the troops. The SSP in contrast has been consistent in opposing the war in Afghanistan right from the very start – even when it was not popular to do so.

The SSP has worked to build links with the families of those who have serving soldiers or who have lost serving soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan, most recently Joan but also Rose Gentle who tragically lost her son Gordon in Iraq.

It’s time to demand that Scottish Soldiers are brought back from Afghanistan unharmed, and end an unpopular war which is immoral and doomed to failure, and for those veterans who do return to have proper medical and psychiatric care if they require it. As it stands today, there is a disproportionate amount of vets who are homeless or imprisoned, who are dependent on charity for survival.

The British state is coming into the poorest areas of Scotland to recruit soldiers into a job which chews them up and spits them out, and sends them to their death for a Government that legalises rape and has warlords on its payroll. Its time to end this madness, bring them home, Save Scottish lives and Afghan lives.