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All around Scotland, the Labour Govern- bulletin- which contains articles from But such arguments, which have been
ment's latest rounds of cuts are beginning to bite. And as the wocks go by, the full implications in terms of lost johs and services ate dawning on working people.
In Edinburgh, the rocent announcement by the Lothian Regional Health Board that Leith General Hospital might be axed has followed hard on the heels of Scottish Office proposais to close two local Teacher Training cofleges. Local Scottish Socialist supporters and SEP Left members have been prominent in attempting to organise a broad labour movement action committee to light these attacks.
Meanwhile, at a meeting on February 15th, Lothian Regional Council confirmed their plans to cur services in 1977-8. The old Age Pensioners' free travel concession is to end: the Citizen's Rights Office, which provides advice and legal services for the increasing numbers forced to live on Social Security, has had its grant withdrawn and will have to close; and the Crimillar Festival Society, which provides services ranging from pre-school playgroups to OAP's lunch clubs, has been refused any further subsidy putting these essential services in jeopardy in an arca with an estimated 30% adult male unemployment.
In all three cases the cuts were proposed by SNP councillors and pushed through by a united effort of the 17 Tories, 4 SNP members and 4 Independents on the council. They were all unanimously opposed by the 23-strong Labour group.
In Stirling 300 trade untonists and students lobbied a mecting of the Central Regional Council on February 16th. The lobby, which had been organised by Stirling Trades Council's Action Committee apainst the cuts, made little impression on the council: it decided to dispense with all of the 231 full-time school auxiliaries employed in the repion, 22 other local government employees were also to lose their jobs.
A proposal from SNP councillors that a skeleton force of school auxthanes be maintained was also defeated by the majority Labour group in a 19 to 8 vote. Angry school auxiliaries, who had participated in the lobby. shouted at Labour Councillors as they lel! the meeting that they would never apain vote Labour: particular venom was rescrved for Councillor Tom Simpson, who had referred to them, both in the debate and previously, as trills on the cducation system.
Although, the SNP amendment would only bave saved a small minority of the auxiliaries jobs - the SNP councillors reaped the benefits of distancing themselves From the cuts, receiving congratulations for their stand from some of the pickets as they emerged.
In Aberdeen a new Trades Council subcommittee on the cuts was recently sot up. In conjunction with the Aberdeen Campain Against Cuts a broud united front body in which local Scottish Socialist supporters and SEP Left members play an active part it has sponsored a local "Save our Services" bulletin. 6.000 copies of this free 8-pape
every major public sector union as well as NUS and community groups - have already been circulated.
Meanwhile, a committee of women in the outlying Bridge of Don area are organising against a council decision not to staff their newly built nursery, This is just part of a wide range of austerity measures imposed overrecent weeks by the Grampiin Regonal Council. An interview with one of the women involved appears in the Aberdeen "Save our Services" bulletin, which is available from ACAC, s/o Aberdeen Trades Council, The Adelphi, Aberdeen.
In Avrshire, the campaign against the closure of Cripic College of Education is still gathering momentum. At a public meeting held at the college on February 25th, The Principal, Mr. McNaught, pointed to Craigie's pioneering in new fields — adult literacy, job creation schemes, and a large degree of involvement in the local community.
The other speakers, MPs G. Younger. D. Lambrie and Jim Sillars, also argued Craigie's merits as a 'special case" deserving to be spared the government's axe.
put forward by cach of the four Scottish Education colleges facing closure, only serve to set each of them against the others and prevent the development of an effective united campaiyn. As Harry Reid of the Scotsman has noted "Craiglockhart College invoke the might of the Catholic Church, Dunfermline concentrate on their uniqueness, Craigie College deploy an essentially geographic argument and Callendar Park look to the projected population growth in their catchment area', It has even been reported that when delegations from each college met on the steps of St. Andrew's House on the way to picad their respective "special cases", they argued heatedly over whose petitions had the most signatures.
Particularism is not an adequate basis Tar an effective campatien against the cuts. If the colleges are to be saved, it will have to be through the sort of united labour movement activity which has already begun to develop in Aberdeen and Stiring where, incidentally, students from Callendar Park had a big presence on the cuts committee picket of council.