...any convincing last time lads.

Come on, remind everyone why the SSP were suspended. Be sure to mention how they shafted the family of the Hep sufferers.......

What are you talking about? I'm not from the UK so I wouldn't know.

As far as I know The SSP parlemnt Workers were dcked pay becase they protested the fact that the rest of Scottish Parlement mostly Labor and SNP members would not allow the G8 protest or give them a Permit.

Whats this thing about the hep families?

Boab is moaning about the fact that some vote or other about Hepatitis sufferers fell 'cos the SSP MSPs had caused a kerfuffle and were banned from the chamber, or some such.

Never mind that the ban was hardly their decision, that their "punishment" (for not being nice polite politician-drones) was wildly OTT or that their protest was justified, given that the parliament had previously declared its support for the G8 demonstrations.

Frankly Boab's plaints are a sneaky politico's trick (if you support A then you must oppose B) and shouldn't be given any credit.

"Boab is moaning about the fact that some vote or other about Hepatitis sufferers fell 'cos the SSP MSPs had caused a kerfuffle and were banned from the chamber, or some such"


Now Wullie, put doon wee Jeemy and face it. That's not quite the truth, now, is it?

See what happened was that the SNP and others had managed to organise a solid back-bench rebellion which would have seen the family of dead Hep sufferers receive sensible financial compensation from the Executive. But then our four friends in the SSP come down with their wee protest. Disrupt procedings for over an hour. Delay the debate. Get themselves banned. And what happens?

The rebellion fails by 3 votes. The Hep C families get bugger all. Game over.

Now even if we'd applied Westminster rules, the SSP would have been banned for at least a week or two. So no matter what they scuppered the debate and vote.

But they never thought of that, did they? More interested in their own wee protest. Like kids that threw the snowball and then said "oops" as the ensuing avalanche engulfed the village.

I just thinks its interesting that they don't mention this collateral damage, eh? Standing up for the downtrodden masses, eh?

......as the SSP were doing their 'protest' the local council, MP & MSP's were negotiating with the authorites to get the march & demo to go ahead at Gleneagles anyway, so at the end of the day it was a publicity stunt that went wrong, The march went ahead not because of the SSP.

Seems to be a certain lack of snappy, cogent response from the folk over in the SSP on this one. Damned pesky facts getting in the way of a good political moan, perhaps?

The criticisms of the SSP's protests make no sense. You blame them for shafting the familys of hepititis victims because they stood on principle against the banning of a protest march, but who is really to blame in the first place. Why arn't you attacking the other members who voted down the bill presumably because they actually disagreed with it and not because they were banned. Further, why don't you fight against the system in which these people are forced to beg a parliament to meet their basic human needs instead of fighting against a political group that is standing up for true democratic rights and against the neo liberal consensus. This is just a political attack mascarading as a concern for hepititis sufferers. Why don't you show genuine concern and join with the SSP and other groups who are actually fighting for a better world in which people come before profits.

Two big boys did it and ran away, eh Steve?


Fact: the SSP new the vote was coming up, what was at stake, and how essential their votes were.

Fact: the SSP would have been banned from the vote ever under a lesser Westminster type punishment - the level of punishment is a red herring when considering the Hep C issue

Fact: the Hep C sufferers families lost their compensation because the vote was lost.

All the huffing and puffing in the world can't get away from the fact that the SSP blew it for our most vulnerable, just when they were needed. As if firing their only real election asset, Tommy Sheridan, wasn't enough of a shot in the foot....

...and now we're meant to be sympathetic?

At the end of the day the only people in this argument who are actually going to suffer is the Haemophiliacs infected with the Hep C virus and their families. From personal experience having a haemotologist asking how you are managing your Hepatitus infection - when you hadn't been told you had it - really ruins your day!! There is still a stigma which surrounds HCV and/or HIV infection - regardless of what the uninfected would wish you to believe. At the end of the day the SSP protested and were barred, the vote was lost and the political points scoring of who was to blame began. If the energies of the politicians were channelled more into actually resolving issues, than sniping between themselves, the country as a whole would be a better place to live. The point is, the State should take responsibility for the situation (as they did in Eire - although they refused to admit liability) and sort it out once and for all. It would seem there is money available for some things eg the scheme for subsidising the purchasing of a 2nd property in Edinburgh for MSP's (and not having to pay it back!!), the Parliament building itself etc. etc. Tha Haemophiliacs who were infected, had no choice but to take Factor VIII, as there were no other effective treatments. By taking the treatment they were infected, by not taking the treatment they end up crippled or DEAD. Thankfully with genetically engineered factor VIII hopefully this will put an end to infection although we will wait on the timebomb of vCJD to go off - then who will be to blame - the cows??!!

An assurance has been given that the salaries of the workers employed by the SSP protestors will be paid in full by the Assembly. Some of them are IWW members. The IWW had a duty to protect its members interest, and if that assurance holds, have done so.

If there's one thing that any movements claiming to be concerned for ordinary people and against exploited work, should have nothing to do with and stop mentioning in their Indymedia posts, it's Wikipedia. Here's why:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/08/322087.html

 http://mail.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2005-July/025921.html

 http://mail.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2005-June/024230.html

http:mail.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2005-September/028139.html