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Socialist Labour Party

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Author: Allistair Lomax

  • Reverse the Decay

    Reverse the Decay

    Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis has announced the closure of its Falkirk factory, with 115 job losses. Its nearby Larbert plant will be converted to a chassis manufacturing site, safeguarding around 200 roles that were previously at risk. This comes despite receiving £4.1 million from the Scottish government in September 2025 to protect jobs, after the firm threatened to shift production to Yorkshire, putting up to 400 roles at risk. First Minister John Swinney visited the Larbert factory to announce the bailout. Months later, the axe has fallen anyway. This is a scene oft repeated. A company/bank/post office announces closure, the SNP and the rest fulminate and demand a reversal of the decision – then closure happens and off go the parliamentarians on to the next bandwagon.

    Nearby Grangemouth has also faced closure. Scotland’s last oil refinery ceased production in April 2025, with more than 400 direct job losses, destabilising a supply chain of nearly 3,000 workers.

    At the same time, Scottish public sector contracts are being sent abroad. The publicly owned CALMAC is having ferries built in Poland (seven new electric ferries) and Turkey (four vessels), while the nationalised Ferguson Marine shipyard misses out. And the bus contracts? Under the Scottish government’s Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB2), 523 electric buses were funded. Fewer than a third (31%) were built in Scotland. More than half—287 buses, 55% of the total—were built in China. That’s nearly four times as many orders to Chinese manufacturers as to Scottish industry.

    The series of ineptocratic governments we have seen over decades now need to go.  The economy is upside down where something like 20% manufacturing industry is supposed to support 80% services. It is unsustainable.

    The Socialist Labour Party has long argued that this needs to be reversed; as manufacturing bleeds jobs and capacity, the economy remains stagnant with manufacturing output in Scotland falling 4.3% in the first half of 2025 yet government plods on into oblivion continuing failed neoliberal policies that enrich an elite that many are now understandably referring to as the “Epstein” class but lead to the impoverishment of working class communities and decrepit, crumbling infrastructure. The SLP manifesto points out how this can be reversed.

    You can begin that process by voting Socialist Labour Party on May 7th.

    James McDaid
    Lead Candidate, West Scotland Region

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  • Five Questions that UK journalists should be asking the Labour Government, (and are not).

    Five Questions that UK journalists should be asking the Labour Government, (and are not).

    By Allistair Lomax

    Despite the protestations from Government ministers, there is little doubt that the UK has been ‘dragged’ into the US/Israel war against Iran. What we see is the mainstream media fulfilling its role as government stenographers by pushing the narrative that Keir Starmer has resisted pressure from Donald Trump to join the war against Iran and that the UK bases are only used for ‘defensive’ operations by the US.


    The mainstream media has been deployed to convince the British public that Keir Starmer is, somehow, ‘on the right side of history’.

    This is how our media is used to push government propaganda: they are an instrument of government policy rather than a way of forcing the government to account for its duplicity. Their role is to walk lockstep with government policy.

    I believe that our journalists should confront the Labour government with these five questions:

    1. What is the verification process for deciding whether a US target in Iran is ‘defensive’ or ‘offensive’?
    2. Who in the UK government signs off that decision?
    3. How many US requests for targets in Iran have been rejected by the UK government?
    4. Is the list of targets attacked by the US shared with the UK, retrospectively?
    5. Are the numbers of civilian casualties being monitored and reported?

    These are the questions that our journalists should be asking the government, if they were worthy of the name. We deserve the truth.

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  • Open Letter to the World: From Cuba, An Ordinary Woman Denounces the Crime They Refuse to See

    Open Letter to the World: From Cuba, An Ordinary Woman Denounces the Crime They Refuse to See

    To all of humanity, to the mothers of the world, to Doctors Without Borders, to journalists with dignity, to the governments that still believe in justice:

    My name is like millions of others. I have no famous last name or important title. I am an ordinary Cuban woman. A daughter, a sister, a patriot. And I write this with a torn soul and trembling hands, because what my people are living through today is not a “crisis.” It is a slow murder—calculated, coldly executed from Washington.

    And the world looks the other way.

    👵 I DENOUNCE ON BEHALF OF MY GRANDPARENTS:

    I denounce that in Cuba, elderly people are dying before their time because the blockade prevents heart medication, blood pressure pills, and diabetes treatments from arriving. It is not a lack of resources. It is a deliberate prohibition. Companies that want to sell to Cuba are fined, hounded, and threatened. Their governments stay silent. Meanwhile, a Cuban grandfather clutches his chest and waits. Death doesn’t give a warning. The blockade does.

    👶 I DENOUNCE ON BEHALF OF MY CHILDREN:

    I denounce that there are incubators in Cuba that have had to be turned off due to lack of fuel. That there are newborns fighting for their lives while the United States government decides which countries can sell us oil and which cannot. That there are Cuban mothers who have seen their children’s lives endangered because an order signed in an office in Washington is worth more than the cry of a baby 90 miles from its shores.

    Where is the international community? Where are the organizations that so fiercely defend childhood? Or do Cuban children not deserve to live?

    🍽️ I DENOUNCE INTENTIONAL HUNGER:

    I denounce that the blockade is programmed hunger. It’s not that food is missing just because. It’s that they prevent us from buying it. Ships carrying food are hunted. Bank transactions are blocked. The companies that sell us grain, chicken, and milk are sanctioned.

    Hunger in Cuba is not an accident. It is a State policy of the United States government, refined over 60 years, updated by every administration, intensified by Donald Trump, and executed with malice by Marco Rubio.

    They call this “economic pressure.” I call it terrorism through hunger.

    ⚕️ I DENOUNCE ON BEHALF OF MY DOCTORS:

    I denounce that our doctors—the same ones who saved lives during the pandemic while the whole world collapsed—today have no syringes, no anesthesia, no X-ray equipment. Not because we don’t know how to produce them. Not because we lack talent. But because the blockade prevents us from accessing supplies, spare parts, and technology.

    Our scientists created five COVID-19 vaccines. Five. Without anyone’s help. Against all odds. Against the blockade and the lies. And even so, the empire punishes us for having achieved it.

    🌍 TO THE WORLD, I SAY:

    Cuba is not asking you for alms.

    Cuba is not asking you for soldiers.

    Cuba is not asking you to love us.

    Cuba asks you for justice. Nothing more. Nothing less.

    I ask you to stop normalizing the suffering of my people.

    I ask you to call the blockade by its name: A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.

    I ask you not to be fooled by the tale of “dialogue” and “democracy” while they tighten the noose around our necks.

    We don’t want charity. We want them to LET US LIVE.

    To the complicit governments that remain silent:

    History will hold you accountable.

    To the media that lies:

    The truth always finds the cracks.

    To the executioners who sign sanctions:

    The Cuban people do not forget and do not forgive.

    To those who still have humanity in their hearts:

    Look at Cuba. Look at what they are doing to her. And ask yourself: Which side of history do I want to be on?

    From this small island, with a giant people, An ordinary Cuban woman who refuses to surrender.

    IF THIS TEXT MOVED SOMETHING INSIDE YOU, SHARE IT.

    I don’t care if you have 10 friends or 10,000 followers.

    I don’t care if your wall is public or private.

    I don’t care if you never share anything.

    But this is different.

    This is not a photo of a sunset.

    This is not celebrity news.

    This is not just another opinion.

    This is a SCREAM. And screams are not meant to be kept. They are HEARD. They are ECHOED. They BECOME A MULTITUDE.

    Today I am not asking for a “like.”

    I am asking you to use your thumbs for something bigger than scrolling.

    SHARE.

    So the world knows that in Cuba there is no crisis.

    There is a CRIME.

    So that mothers in other countries know that here there are babies fighting in incubators turned off by the blockade.

    So that grandparents in other lands know that here there are elderly people dying while waiting for medicine that Washington won’t let in.

    So that complicit governments feel shame.

    So that lying media outlets have no escape.

    So that the executioners know that WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED.

    A single person sharing this doesn’t change the world.

    Thousands, millions, DO.

    Don’t keep this text hidden.

    Don’t be an accomplice to the silence.

    MAKE THIS DENUNCIATION GO FURTHER THAN THE BLOCKADE.

    SHARE. NOW.

    #CubaDenouncesToTheWorld

    #TheBlockadeKills

    #ChildrenWithoutIncubators

    #ElderlyWithoutMedicine

    #IntentionalHunger

    #CrimeAgainstHumanity

    #CubaLives

    #SHAREforCuba

    #LetTheWorldHearUs

    #DenunciationThatHurts

    #CubaScreams

    #TheBlockadeIsACrime

    #ViralizeTheTruth

    #HomelandOrDeath

    #WeShallOvercome

    Ikay Romay…

    ✊🇨🇺💔

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  • Opposition toward USAF Activity in Scotland

    Opposition toward USAF Activity in Scotland

    By SLP Leader Jim McDaid

    Ayrshire SLP members supported and participated in the protest at Prestwick International Airport organised by Stop The War Scotland in conjunction with Ayrshire CND on Sunday, 22nd March 2026. The demonstration was called to express outright opposition to the use of the airport by logistical support aircraft of the USAF in the ongoing US/Israeli aggression against Iran.

    Demonstrators chanted their outrage within the airport in advance of a letter of protest being handed over to airport management. The letter will also be submitted to John Swinney, First Minister calling on the Scottish government to intervene to stop the military use of the airport.

    The letter points out that dozens of flights of large military conveyance aircraft have transitioned through Prestwick since the aggression was initiated on 28th February. Prestwick International Airport is owned by the Scottish government and the letter goes on to demand that:

    1. Facilities are withdrawn from the US military to land, take off or refuel.

    2. To transition the use of the airport to wholly civilian use.

    These  military aircraft are massive and loaded with all sorts of hardware including presumably with ammunition which in the event of an accident could lead to catastrophic death and destruction in and around the airport in neighbouring towns such as Prestwick and Troon.

    The Socialist Labour Party will continue to support the struggle for peace in our world and for a socialist future which is the only guarantee of that. Those two objectives will be at the forefront of the SLP Scottish Parliament election campaign ahead.

    Jim McDaid

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  • The War Against Iran

    The War Against Iran

    The UK government’s position on the US/Israel war with Iran, is duplicitous. It is on the one hand claiming that it is not being drawn into the war with Iran, while on the other hand it is giving logistical aid to the US by allowing the US to use UK bases. The UK is therefore complicit.

    (RAF Fairford, which Starmer gave the US ‘permission’ to use, is a USAF Base. It is the operational centre of the 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron, both are USAF. It supports the B1, Lancer Bomber, and the B52 Bomber, used to bomb Iran, this week.)

    The US, Israel and some European leaders have openly admitted that this war is about regime change in Iran.

    The UK government has claimed that it will only support ‘defensive’ military actions against Iran, not ‘aggressive’ actions, which is a nonsensical position because it is impossible to draw the distinction between ‘defensive’ and ‘aggressive’ operations because that would require a degree of control and situational awareness that the UK government is unlikely to possess. Also, now that UK has granted the US permission to use its territory, it is unlikely to be able to stop any aggressive military actions launched from the UK.

    Iran’s UN Ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, has said that 1,300+ civilians have already been killed. 9,669 civilian sites destroyed, 32 medical facilities, 65 schools and 13 Red Cross buildings. Fuel strikes are causing toxic rain over Tehran. Water plants bombed. This is hardly ‘defensive’ military action.

    The mainstream media often omit to mention that Iran has a right to retaliate under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

    The UK’s own military actions are carried out as ‘defensive’, the justification given is that they are protecting British citizens in the Middle East, which are more than likely British military personnel. The important point is that Iran did not attack British installations until Starmer had agreed to allow the US to use its bases in the UK.

    This war is not only causing the death of innocent people in Iran, but closer to home, working class people are/will suffer the effects, disproportionately, through rising fuel costs, and a shrinking global economy. The only beneficiaries will be the industrial military complex.

    Allistair Lomax,

    General Secretary, SLP

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  • Immigration and People who Escape War and Persecution

    Immigration and People who Escape War and Persecution

    By David Jacobsen

    Our government and  media continue to try and brainwash or hypnotically trick people in Britain about the increase in the number of people who come into UK, hoping for freedom from persecution and war in their homeland.

    The Socialist Labour Party policy on immigration and economic migration onto Britain, understands that we face a crisis.

    It is caused bythe EU adoption of the Nice Treaty (2001). 

    The implementation of the treaty relaxed border controls within EU countries. This furthered  the strategy to globalise the capitalist appropriation of people and other resources.

    In 2001 the UK population was 59 million. 

    The number of people who tried to escape war and persecution and the overall number of UK immigrants  equalled the number of people who emigrated from Britain in the same year.

    But then the 2003 Accession Treaty removed border controls. This resulted In people from 25 countries able to enter countries within the European Union. The population in the UK, today, is over 70 million. This 25 year increase of 11 million people to Britain is the main reason Britain does not sustain an economy planned and designed for a smaller population.

    A sensible and fair immigration policy should give priority to people who try to escape war and persecution and citizens of former UK colonies equal to the number of people who emigrate from Britain each year.

    Note of point; business, diplomatic and military immigration from people outside the union, such as USA and Israel, is managed with ease and efficiency by UK governments.

    The Socialist Labour Party Policy on Immigration and Asylum Seekers fleeing war and persecution is on page 8 of its manifesto.

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  • Statement on the US attack on Iran

    Statement on the US attack on Iran

    The Socialist Labour Party wishes to condemn, without reserve, the attack on the sovereign state of Iran by the United States and Israel.

    This illegal act of aggression under international law has already cost innocent human lives, and we see this as the latest of a series of conflicts, spurred on by the US’s imperialist ambitions in that part of the world.

    We also condemn the duplicitous response of the UK government, which has claimed, on the one-hand to be free of involvement while simultaneously deploying aircraft in the conflict arena, instead of working towards de-escalation and negotiation. We urge the immediate ban of arms sales and military aid to the aggressor states, from the UK.

    We are concerned by the potential for escalation in this conflict and the possibility that this could be a key moment in global history, should this conflict develop even further.

    We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran.

    Socialist Labour Party

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  • The Gorton and Denton By-election Result

    The Gorton and Denton By-election Result

    This morning (27/02/2026) woke up to the spectacular result of the Greens win in the Gorton and Denton by-election, in Manchester Labour was beaten to 3rd place. They had won the seat in 2024 with a majority of 13,000 which has now been crushed by the Greens to a withering 9,364 votes, and a massive swing of 26% from Labour to the Greens.

    The other astonishing aspect of the result is the complete annihilation of the Tory vote, reduced down to just 706 votes out of an electorate of 76,000, and losing their deposit.

    There is little doubt that the traditional duopoly of power of Tory and Labour has been smashed, and the political landscape in this country has shifted irrevocably.

    Gorton and Denton by-election results

    There is little doubt that the traditional duopoly of power of Tory and Labour has been smashed, and the political landscape in this country has shifted irrevocably.

    The Conservatives are busily re-inventing themselves as Reform to avoid electoral oblivion and the electorate have called foul on Labour’s lies, austerity, war-mongering and its support for Zionist, ethno-supremacist regimes; the Epstein political class has been shown the red card.

    There is little doubt from the result in Gorton and Denton, that the Green’s progressive rhetoric has been very successful in capturing the leftist vote, which demonstrates that there is a real hunger in the electorate for left-wing policies. A real hunger for real change.

    The political position of both the Greens and Your Party, remains uncertain on key issues:

    • Are they anti-NATO or not?
    • Are they anti-EU?
    • Are they an anti-Zionist Party?
    • Are they fully committed to common ownership of key industries?
    • Do they have a close relationship to the Labour Movement and Trades Unions?

    The Socialist Labour Party as a long-standing Socialist party has clear answers to the questions left by others including the Greens and Your Party.

    It is a party that has a long and consistent history of advocating an avowedly socialist platform, it is a party founded by Trade Unionists for Trade Unionists, and it is the solidarity of the working people that can and will change this country for the better. This is what we stand for.

    Our manifesto is online at https://socialistlabourparty.org.uk/policies

    If you agree with our policies and are interested in standing as a Socialist Labour Party candidate in the forth-coming elections, please contact us via email at generalsecretary@socialistlabourparty.org.uk

    Socialist Labour Party

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  • Arthur Scargill’s Look North Interview, 2022

    Arthur Scargill’s Look North Interview, 2022

    In 1982, Arthur Scargill gave an interview to Ian White on his recollections on the Battle of Saltley Gate and the Miner’s Strike of 1984-85, for the Look North program.

    Arthur’s reflections on the events of 1972 and the Strike of ’84 should give us pause to reflect.

    His central message about the importance of solidarity among the working class, is just as vitally important as it ever was.

    When workers are united, they are unstoppable force, and that lesson should not be lost because we forgotten our history, particularly in these days of austerity and downward pressure on the pay and conditions of working people.

    By Allistair Lomax

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  • Cal Mac Ferries

    Cal Mac Ferries

    By David Jacobsen

    On Februrary 22nd 2026 ‘The Isle of Islay’ branded ferry pulled into Greenock harbour from Turkey.

    Steel produced abroad again as with the Germany produced tracks and coaches for Edinburgh Tram build. Too costly to taxpayer, recent examples of capitalist decisions to globalise theft of world resources at a cost to UK self sufficient re-industrialisation.

    The ‘inevitability’ of further poverty cost to the working class – after the 2008 economic crash – has to be justified by a ruling class to maintain its economic dominance. 

    Post 2008 and post 2020 Covid outbreak in Britain the political ‘inevitability’ of capitalism terminology is austere aka austerity. Pre 2008 capitalist cronies termed working class dire economic and social circumstances as Cost of Living Crisis for them to bear with stoicism and national pride. Post 2024 new terminology has entered the public arena. A Right to Die option for people expendable, surplus to requirements.

    The historical development of economic and political austerity since the end of the Second World War is explained in Socialist Labour Party Manifesto (pages 3-5) along with the way to develop a Socialist economic and political transformation that  consigns ruling class exploitation to the dustbin of history.

    We now experience a revitalised and more organised working class in a fight for life and peace in the world. 

    The Socialist Labour Party has a Constitution and political Manifesto to steer Britain towards Socialism.

    David Jacobsen
    Socialist Labour Party

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