International Worker No 239, Saturday, September
13, 1997
Socialist Equality Party gives voice to workers and youth
in devolution debate
The Socialist Equality Party has fought for workers to adopt an internationalist
and socialist perspective against nationalism and separatism in both Scotland
and Wales.
Leading up to the referendum, the SEP campaigned throughout Wales in
Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Many were pleased that we were campaigning
and said they were very confused on the issues and were critical of the
fact that there had been very little debate on such an important issue.
Brian, an unemployed factory worker on Sickness Benefit, explained: "I
am against it. It is a con. The government claim that they know what the
Welsh people want. Well we don't want this. If it goes ahead travelling
in Britain will be like going to a foreign country. If we make Wales a separate
country it will be like a madhouse. They are not doing this for Wales but
doing it for money. As always the rich will get richer and the poor stay
ignorant."
A Cardiff postal worker explained that he was voting against: "Wales
is just a cheap labour region. We have all these new companies that have
invested here, using all these benefits and concessions that the Development
Agency and the government is offering them. Once the concessions are over
they leave or demand more concessions. It's the workers who lose out. Those
who say Wales will be better at competing as a region are not speaking for
the workers. They want to offer us off as cheap labour."
A Cardiff housewife commented: "I don't know why people are even
considering this proposal. Haven't we learnt anything from Yugoslavia? Where
I work in an office, about 30 of the 60 women employed there used to go
to Yugoslavia for our holidays in the 1970s and '80s. Look at the tragedy
there. This is where devolution will end up. We should have nothing to do
with it."
In Scotland, teams have campaigned in Glasgow, Greenock, East Kilbride
and Paisley, including factories such as IBM, JVC, Glaciers, Govan and Yarrow
shipyards.
Ewan, a student and part-time worker at a Glasgow newspaper distribution
centre, said, "I think I will be voting No-No. A Scottish parliament
won't reverse social inequality or change the economic structure of society.
It will only enhance nationalism.
"If Scotland splits from England, the big companies will use it
to play one region off against another to compete for inward investment.
It will also lead to the splitting up of social services. It will make it
harder to distribute the wealth of society as a whole, as the vast areas
will become more poverty stricken whilst wealth will be concentrated in
just a few pockets. The advances that were made in welfare will be reversed
and industry will be streamlined further for the forces of profit. It will
be more like the American version where there is no social safety net.
"Europe is being geared up as a free trade bloc to compete with
the Far East and North America. This will further facilitate the movement
of the transnationals from one region to another in search of the cheapest
labour. Wages in Scotland are incredibly cheap compared to the rest of Europe.
There is a lot of unemployment and people are in need of work.
"I have friends who work for the American computer manufacturing
company, Compaq, at their factory in Erskine. The day-time pay of an assembly
line worker at the factory is only around £3.50 to £4.00 an
hour. The work-force is largely casualised. They are hired by employment
agencies who call you when you are required to work. I work for a major
newspaper distributor and I am on similar conditions.
"I think if you put up a new border it will make it more difficult
to have a unified movement of workers. The real division is not along national
lines but class lines. Until you address that there won't be any social
improvements.
"It seems to me with Scottish Militant Labour's position that they
are saying you can't achieve the goal, so lets change the goal to something
which is seen as more possible. But socialism can't be carried out on a
national perspective. It has to be international otherwise it can't work."
Jane Cook, a housewife was born in England. She said, "I'm not in
favour of devolution, I think it is very divisive. It has not been a debate.
I find it very anti-English, all this flag waving. As someone who aspires
to live in a multi-cultural society, I find it offensive. It's all about
a nationalist idea of what it's like to be Scottish. All these blue and
white flags have emerged all over the place. The politicians are trying
to put ideas into peoples heads. Among the people there is not some big
outcry for nationalism.
"We are living in a time when everything is becoming integrated,
yet now it's all about everyone getting their own parliament. I fear for
what is going to happen not just to English people, but also what is going
to happen to ethnic minorities."
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