The Scottish Socialist MP, Frances Curran, spoke at the Resistance New Struggles, New Alternatives forum. This is an edited version of her speech.
Be took the decision to launch the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) almost exactly five years ago. Then, we felt we were racing against time. The following May the first elections for the Scottish Parliament would take place. We knew that if we did not launch the party, we were going to miss a huge opportunity for socialism -In
There was a lot of opposition, even inside the Scottish Socialist Alliance, which we were members of at the time. But we decided to launch the SSP
I am aware of the obstacles you are facing in terms of launching the same type of movement in England. It is easy now for us to say that it was the right decision to take in Scotland. But it was not easy at the time. We had to have enough confidence in our political ideas to launch this party.
The SSP has had an enormous impact on Scottish politics. Its existence and success over the last five years has helped transform political debate in Scotland.
The anti-war movement south of the border - two million in the streets, including young people and sections of the Muslim community - was inspirational for us.
n Scotland we also had a very big antiwar movement. The day when two
million demonstrated in London, 100,000 also marched in Glasgow -which, given the size of Scotland's population, is the equivalent of one million people in England. It was the biggest movement we have seen, and the biggest movement that has involved young people.
The Scottish Socialist Party has been consistently anti-war. In 1999 we fought the election on an anti-war position when Britain was bombing Serbia, and Tommy Sheridan was elected.
This year, we were told that taking an anti-war position would lose us support. Tommy condemned the war on TV and denounced Blair and Bush as war criminals. This provoked the most disgraceful attacks on us by the tabloids. We did not know what the electoral impact of our position on the war would be.
Yet, the pundits were confounded, and we got six MPs elected to the Scottish Parliament. It proves that if you take a position and stick to your guns, you can win support for your views.
If we had only got Tommy re-elected again, there would have been some difficult times ahead for us. But now we've had this enormous breakthrough with six Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).
The MSPs have brought us important resources. We have taken on 24 party members as researchers, caseworkers and secretaries. Nevertheless, we have also launched a big subscriptions appeal because we are not going to rely on parliament money. But while it is there, we are going to use it to our benefit.
It the same time, we re exposing the wages and junkets of the • • • leadership. We have called for the release of detainees and the defence of asylum rights, particularly highlighting the question of asylum seekers' children. We have forced the other parties onto the defensive. You could not imagine the same sort of debate taking place in Westminster.
ahree of our MSPs posted bail
released. And Rosie Kane has put her money where her mouth is. She went into the detention centre and got an asylum seeker and her daughter freed - and they are now living at her house.
Our priority over the next four years is to shift the debate politically in Scotland -the debate on public ownership, on socialism and on democracy. We've been given €5,000 by the RMT railworkers' union, who we are hoping will affiliate at branch and regional level.
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We are using the money for research to present a bill for the renationalisation of the rail industry in Scotland.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is coming to speak at our MP group meeting about what Labour is doing to the Fire Service.
This is despite the fact that most of the FBU leadership are still in the Labour Party, something we want to discuss with them a bit further. UCATT and other trade unions also want to come. We are the only party defending working class people.
Be are also proposing an independence convention. We want a debate about who owns Scotland, about oil and chemical resources. And guess what? The SNP are not interested; they don't want the debate, because we want to recruit people at a grass roots level to take part. .....
Our MSPs will also be at the forefront of every struggle that takes place. Being in the Parliament three days a week sometimes does your head in.
We have to go, because it would look bad if we did not turn up. But extra parliamentary campaigning is absolutely crucial for us.
In the run up to the elections all the candidates were chained to Tommy at Faslane naval base in front of the gates. We were the only people not to get arrested! Two weeks before the election - it wasn't for the want of trying! There seems to be an immunity for us at the moment. But I wouldn't hold your breath.
The SSP wants to work in solidarity, in unity, with comrades in England and Wales in this struggle, especially in campaigns like the anti-war campaign.
We are going forward, but we've still got a long way to go
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