MANIFESTO FOR A RADICAL SCOTLAND

IF SCOTLAND IS TO recover from fourteen years of Tory austerity and the limited mitigation offered by the SNP, new thinking, bold policies, and a major change of economic direction will be required.  Before the Tory takeover, Scotland was already a nation of low pay, gross inequality, high levels of poverty and inadequate investment in essential public services. This is exemplified by the growth of the so-called “gig” economy, where workers have minimal rights and scant job security. It worsened the position of women who remain unequal in pay, in employment and promotion opportunities, and in how they are treated at work. Analysis by the Scottish Trade Union Congress has found that the gender pay gap has recently risen by 30 per cent, from 6.4 per cent in 2023 to 8.3 per cent in 2024.

In the post-Tory era, we must do better and build an economy and society that works for all. To do that, we need to build a movement to fight back. It can’t be done in Parliaments alone, whether in Westminster or Holyrood.  It must involve people across Scotland in every trade union, community group, campaigns of all sorts and reach people who have never been involved in organisations. We must unite in a common cause to demand change. 

Our objective is a radical redistribution of wealth and power within a democratic economy and society. Scotland is a wealthy nation, but that wealth is not shared equitably or in a manner that promotes social cohesion and economic and environmental sustainability

We will therefore campaign for an economy that addresses the people’s needs for an inclusive, high-quality system of lifelong education and training, a safe, warm home for all, fully funded, democratically accountable public services, and well-paid, secure jobs. Socialists and progressives in the Scottish Labour Movement, working together, can forge this new, radical Scotland.

Finally, on the constitution, we believe that the Scottish Parliament should have the power to call a referendum on Scottish Independence. We do not believe, however, that independence is necessary to transform the Scottish society and economy. On the contrary, only through the united action of the working class at the Scottish and British levels is it possible to challenge the power of corporate capital and transform our country. We want the Scottish Labour Party not only to support, but to lead this campaign.

To achieve these goals, we ask those in the Scottish Labour Party and Trade Union Movement who agree with these proposals to give us their support in their branches, constituencies, and in supporting those public representatives committed to this radical manifesto