The SSP is standing across Scotland in 10 constituencies, and alongside opposition to cuts in public services we’ll be making the case for the withdrawal of all British troops from Afghanistan. We’ve had new branches and dozens of new members on the back of our campaign for withdrawal, and were also standing SSY and SSP member James Nesbitt in Glasgow Central. Listen to him below speak out against the occupation of Afghanistan.

Cancel your weekend jaunt to the Maldives SSY readers, those mindless militants have only gone and ruined everyone’s holiday – British Airways cabin crew are going ahead with strike action after the collapse of talks. The strike by BA workers was originally called last year, and was due to occur during Christmas/New Year. That strike was ruled illegal by a High Court because it was believed ex-BA workers would have been allowed a vote. This was despite the vote being won by a massive margin on a massive turnout, and the fact that no MP, MEP, Councillor or any other elected official is disqualified despite the potential of inaccurate electoral lists, and their mandate being far smaller than for the BA strike. The BA workers union, UNITE the largest union in the UK has rescheduled strikes for this weekend – but has itself also been dragged into a political storm.

After the Tories were exposed for taking money from a Lord who has not been paying tax in the UK, David Cameron believes he can deflect the criticism he has faced by attacking Labour for it’s links with UNITE. As the largest union in the country, UNITE has donated £11 million to the Labour Party, and sponsors hundreds of MP’s as well as providing assistance during election campaigns for Labour. The Tories are playing to their middle England base – the same base that was wooed by Blairism – that New Labour is over, and Labour has returned to its left wng trade union roots.

If only. If UNITE have Labour in its grip, they certainly aren’t squeezing where they should be. The only statements from the Labour government on the dispute have not been ones of support, nor even neutrality. Both Gordon Brown and Lord Adonis have attacked the strike, as bad for UNITE, BA and “the national interest”.

No Labour minister has spoke out on UNITE’s willingness to compromise. UNITE were willing to accept an offer put forward by BA and call off the strikes, but this offer was taken off the table by management. The unions members have already worked for free for a month, and have outlined the sacrifices they are prepared to make for BA. What the union is unprepared to do is to accept an imposed settlement from BA – one that freezes pay for 2 years and will reduce staff on flights. BA are also planning on introducing new terms for fresh staff, which will mean they will earn substantially less than current cabin crew. This will not only attack the wages of BA staff but reduce customer service on flights. BA say these changes are necessary due to the losses BA made last year, of £342 million. The unions desire to strike against this background has raised concerns from media pundits that the strike is suicidal. However a mix of Walshs cuts and union sacrifices means BA is sitting on £2 billion, enough to keep the company afloat despite strikes. Also, both BA management and the anti-union press and politicians did not appear to be very concerned for BA’s future when the company was fined a massive £270 million for price fixing. This criminality did not of course result in Walsh facing any threat to his job, despite the fact that without this fine BA would not have to make such cuts to staff and conditions.

The unions willingness to negotiate means nothing to Willie Walsh however, because it is becoming increasingly clear that the aim of the dispute for BA management is not simply enforcing changes to pay and staff, but to remove the unions influence and power. Willie Walsh himself was a former trade unionist from the Irish Airlines Pilots Association, so is aware of the power an organised workforce has. In a union magazine he is on record saying “A reasonable man gets nowhere in negotiations”. Walsh upheld his motto well during his defection from union rep to managament in Aer Lingus. His management of the company was was disastrous for many of its staff – his lack of “reason” allowed him to go very far indeed.

In management at Aer Lingus Walsh attacked trade unions and slashed thousands of jobs. He was condemned by no other than Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, when he said that Walsh’s running of Aer Lingus was a time “when the management wanted to steal the assets for themselves through a management buy out, shafting staff interests”. When Bertie Ahern accuses you of being a dodgy spiv, he’s probably on to something given his own experience of being one himself.

Walsh’s plans are to maintain BA’s image as a “premium” airline, but without “premium” pay for the staff. His ultimate aim is to smash the UNITE union so he can downgrade pay to the levels present in Ryanair, Easyjet, Virgin etc, where the cabin crew earns substantially less. BA, the Tories and their allies in the press have made a hue and cry of the fact that BA wages for cabin crew are higher than in other airlines – but then again, the fares for BA are higher than these budget airlines. A more important point however is this – so what if BA cabin crew get more than budget airline equivalents? Ultimately, its the cabin crew (along with thousands of other workers) who keep BA going, not its shareholders or its management, with its incompetent criminal attempts to rig prices.

The facts are simple – if you are in a union, on average you will have better pay, better conditions, and increased job security. Those basic facts stand up against propaganda that trade unionism is like flares and disco music – best kept in the 70’s. Any reduction in BA workers conditions won’t improve wages for Ryanair cabin crew or customer service. All it will do is increase the profits for Willie Walsh and BA’s shareholders.

It’s fast approaching the end of the year, which for any self-respecting magazine, newspaper or um, leftie satirical current affairs yoof blog, can only mean one thing… Yep, it’s time to start compiling mundane, identikit and altogether quite predictable lists of the best ’stuff’ that’s happened over the past 12 months, as if anyone actually gives a fuck about the media’s self-important judgement of um, anything, anymore.

Anyway, in this spirit, we’re happy to present to you Leftfield’s list of the…
TOP FOURTEEN PROTEST SIGNS/PLACARDS/BANNERS OF TWO THOUSAND AND NINE…!

Many wonderful, and some less wonderful, things happened this year. And there was plenty to protest about, as we’re about to find out…

The two biggest controversies the US saw this year – healthcare and Beyoncegate - IN ONE AMAZING SIGN!

Ha ha ! Omg, I totally see what they did there!!!

The American Right: hundreds of think-tanks, tens of millions of voters, trillions of dollars, and this was the best they could come up with?

Hmm, I’m not sure. Tanker? Anchor?

There are no wrods to describe how great this is.

It’s funny cause it’s true.

See, it’s people like this guy that give violent anti-Arab fascist-zionist politics a bad name.

If any good came out the Gaza occupation at Glasgow Uni this February, it was undoubtedly this graffiti. Genius.

Difficult one there.

Aww, if you look closely, you’ll see a little ‘zionist’ has been added above the ‘juice’! How thoughtful. Zionist juice.. erm, Zion Bru?

yes!

With a media circus about to descend on Glasgow North East, for a by-election triggered as the consequence of political and personal corruption in Westminster its time to remind the politicians about the communities they have abandoned.

Youth unemployment in the UK has now risen to a staggering 20% for 18-24 year olds, and is 30% for 16-17 year olds. These are only the national averages. In hundreds of housing schemes, estates, towns and cities the levels of unemployment will be much higher.

One such area is Glasgow North East, where unfortunately its not just been disgraced Speaker Michael Martin whose been put out of a job in the last 6 months.

All of this is taking place is one of the poorest areas in Scotland, with a lack of social housing, a lack of facilities for young people, a lack of public transport and one of the poorest life expectancy rates in the UK.

There is no reason for anybody to be unemployed in Scotland when there is so much need to resolve issues of housing and poverty.

The only reason there are millions on the dole and millions without decent, affordable housing is because the market doesn’t find it profitable to use the two to resolve each other.

Thats why the Scottish Socialist Party, and its youth wing Scottish Socialist Youth is organising a MARCH FOR JOBS – NOT ANOTHER LOST GENERATION in Springburn, on October 31st. Details have still to be finalised on the route and rally points for the march.

Make the bankers pay for their crisis, not working people

The SSP/SSY is calling for a 10% greed tax to be levied on everyone in the UK with “liquid assets” of £1 million – that is a million quid lying in the bank, not in property etc.

This would raise £7 Billion for Scotland, which could provide decent, unionised, socially valuable jobs for thousands of young people in places like Springburn, Ruchazie, Carntyne and hundreds of other communities Labour and the Tories have ignored.

The march is demanding the greed tax be enacted to fund,

* Apprenticeships for young people, to build social housing in Glasgow North East, and improve existing housing,

* A massively expanded free public transport system across the constituency,

*Facilities like sports clubs, discos, parks etc for young people to enjoy in the constituency,

*An expansion of health services to improve the quality and length of peoples lives across Glasgow.

New Labour and the Tories are busy fighting over who can cut the deepest and the harshest into public spending.

The SSP says communities like Glasgow North East have had enough stolen from them for the bankers over the past 30 years, its time to provide a voice for working class people who have been abandoned and betrayed by the mainstream parties.

GIVE YOUTH A FUTURE – NO TO ANOTHER LOST GENERATION

SUPPORT THE MARCH FOR JOBS IN SPRINGBURN ON OCTOBER 31ST!

Here’s me speaking at Mondays meeting against youth unemployment. Have a look at it if your interested though I would have got more views if Kanye West interrupted me, unfortunately he agreed with the whole speech and the perspectives for a Socialist Scotland.

Unemployment for young people is going through the roof. All of New Labour’s boasts about getting young people into new (low paid, unskilled, crap jobs) have been blown away by the recession.

Youth unemployment is now as high as it was under the Tories. And it’s only going to grow.

Over 20% of 16-24 year olds are unemployed. The rate is even higher for 16-17 year olds who left school, over 30% – and unlike 18 year olds they are too young to claim benefits.
The average unemployment rate has now rose to over 7%, showing that young people are facing the brunt.

This comes alongside the devastating news that city bonuses have dropped to only £7 Billion this year. That’s half of last years booty, so remember that next time you get £50 a week from the dole to spend.

The Government are proposing funding a £1 Billion fund for 150,000 jobs, which must last at least 6 months and will be minimum wage.

But there’s now over 2 million unemployed – 150,000 is less than 10% of that figure. 6 months and then back on the dole is not a way to live your life, and neither is working on New Labour’s pathetic minimum wage – a minimum wage which discriminates against under 21’s for doing the same job.

There is another solution – take the gargantuan wealth of the billionaires and use it for real jobs, on decent wages that do not end in 6 months.

How about we pay every unemployed young person £8 per hour to build socially owned, cheap rent houses and solve the housing problem?

Or employ an army of young people to abolish child poverty in this country forever?

Fuck Dragons Den – support decent jobs for young people, working in their communities to make them better, safer and healthier places to live.