{"id":56366,"date":"2025-04-28T03:02:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T03:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/56366\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T03:02:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T03:02:15","slug":"join-the-welfare-not-warfare-demonstration-in-glasgow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/56366\/","title":{"rendered":"Join the ‘Welfare not warfare’ demonstration in Glasgow"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tScotland<\/a><\/p>\n

The demonstration is called by Stop The War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament<\/p>\n

By Tom\u00e1\u0161 Tengely-Evans<\/b><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDownloading PDF. Please wait…<\/p>\n

Sunday 27 April 2025<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tIssue <\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"Starmer<\/p>\n

Amid attacks on the working class, Starmer has consistently backed Israel\u2019s genocide (Photo: Alisdare Hickson)<\/p>\n

A mass mobilisation in Scotland on Saturday 10 May will demand, \u201cWelfare not warfare<\/a>.\u201d The national demonstration, called by Stop The War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, will take place in Glasgow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its demands include for Labour to stop arming Israel and to scrap Trident nuclear weapons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jade Eckhaus, Stop The War Scotland co-chair, told Socialist Worker, \u201cThe Starmer government is waging war on all of us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Keir Starmer \u201chas said Labour will spend \u00a36 billion more each year on the military because he wants to suck up to Donald Trump\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut every penny spent on arms is money that is being taken away from our hospitals, schools, public services and the welfare state<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re building an anti-war movement that makes the links. Starmer\u2019s support for Israel\u2019s genocide and never-ending war in Ukraine and the attacks on working class people are two sides of the same coin.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cThe wars that are going on have been distastrous and spending more on arms will will make the world an even more dangerous place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The demonstration is supported by the RMT, PCS and UCU unions and Disabled People Against Cuts, We Demand Change<\/a> and others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gordon Martin, the RMT transport union\u2019s Scotland organiser, is one of the trade unionists backing the demonstration. He told Socialist Worker, \u201cIt\u2019s vitally important that working class communities don\u2019t face further devastation and I don\u2019t say devastation lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe housing stock is dreadful, the community centres, libraries and other things that make a community have been ripped out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe simply cannot and should not tolerate any more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Scottish first minister John Swinney has devolved powers over welfare spending\u2014and will try to soften the blow while failing to put a challenge to austerity.<\/p>\n

Gordon said, \u201cWe have multiple layers of governance in Scotland and all of them just pass on austerity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes we get the semi-skimmed cut rather than the full-fat cut\u2014but a cut is a cut.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sections of the trade union movement argue that \u201cdefence\u201d spending<\/a> will boost jobs and line up behind the Labour government.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But billions of investment into the arms industry could go to public services and green jobs as part of a just transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And workers in those industries have skills that could be used to meet social needs without loss of pay or jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gordon added, \u201cWe\u2019ve been listening to that argument for years that says let\u2019s spend million or billions on war rather than on making a better society.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s spend it on hospitals, schools, housing and decent jobs for working class people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n