Last days before Dunfermline and West Fife by-election
Jim Jepps
New Labour must have been gutted when they heard the news that long standing and well respected Labour member had defected to the Scottish Socialist Party and was standing against them in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election (held this Thursday).
This is no peripheral member of the party either Mr McAllion was an MP from 1987 until 2001, holding key posts in Labour's Scottish Shadow Cabinet, including front-bench spokesman for Constitutional Affairs, Health and Housing.
As Labour MSP for the constituency between 1999 and 2003 he chaired the respected public petitions committee.
He stated that “I believe that tradition of challenging inequality, resisting social injustice and standing up for working people is now represented by the Scottish Socialist Party.
“In contrast, New Labour hounds benefit claimants, sends young Scottish soldiers to risk their lives in a war based on lies, defends the unfair council tax and colludes with the Tories to block free prescription charges and free school meals.”
This figure's history in the movement goes back a long way, from his support for the miners in the eighties, the Timex strikers in the nineties, and a leading figure in the anti-poll tax movement. His left credentials are indisputable.
Mr McAllion has long been a friend of the Scottish Socialist Party, even before his defection. Indeed, the SSP refused to stand against him in the 2003 Scottish Parliament elections despite his Labour label, stating that if McAllion was elected this would be a real blow against New Labour. This long term and sensible friendship has reaped rewards for the SSP.
Last days of campaign
Leading figures in the Scottish
Socialist Party including Rosie Kane MSP, Tommy Sheridan MSP and party leader
Colin Fox MSP McAllion at two public meetings in the constituency this
evening (Tuesday).
Colin and Rosie will join John McAllion at a public meeting in the City Hotel
, Dunfermline at 7pm.
John will then move on to join Tommy at Valleyfield club at a public meeting
which is scheduled to start at 7.30.
John McAllion said: "Despite New Labour's decision to keep the election as
short as possible the
SSP is putting its policies to voters on the doorstep, in public meetings and
in thousands of leaflets."
"I warn the voters - beware of crocodile tears about gas and council tax rises from the other parties in this By election. The Labour, Lib Dem, Tory and SNP parties all voted to keep the Council tax last week at Holyrood when the SSP offered them the chance to scrap it. On gas prices they will parade their concerns but do nothing to stop the increases. Only the SSP tells the truth-Gas."
Interesting links
Weekly Worker report from 2003 on how the SSP stood down rather than stand against McAllion
The curse of interesting times by John McAllion MP article written in 2000
John McAllion on Proportional representation in local government The Citizen
Previously on Socialist Unity Labour legend stands for Scottish Socialists
Feb 2006
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