04.09.1997

Vote SSA in Pollockshields East

As well as referendum day, September 11 is also the date of the Pollockshields East council by-election. This was Mohammad Sarwar’s seat on Glasgow council which he had to relinquish when he was elected to parliament on May 1. The Scottish Socialist Alliance is contesting this seat and has chosen Lorraine Lafferty as its candidate. The main issues in the campaign have been the council cuts and council sleaze.

The SSA since its formation has been at the forefront of the fight against council cuts across Scotland and particularly in Glasgow. Through the Save Our Services campaign it has organised actions to prevent £80 million cuts and 2,000 job losses approved by the Labour councillors. These actions have included sit-ins at community centres and schools and occupations of the council chambers, and the SSA has shown that it is the only organisation prepared to stand up, defy and defeat the cuts.

Glasgow’s Labour councillors are also under investigation by their party’s national leadership. The official report compiled on the ‘junkets for votes’ scandal will conveniently be delivered after the current referendum campaign.

By voting for the SSA’s Lorraine Lafferty, the people of Pollockshields East will be voting for a socialist alternative. An alternative that is committed to fight for the needs and interests of working class communities and expose the sleaze and hypocrisy of the mainstream parties.

Nick Clarke