Scargill party makes wages pledge

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/6585807.stm

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The Socialist Labour Party has launched its manifesto with a commitments to increasing the minimum wage to £10 an hour and complete withdraw from the EU.

The party, led by former National Union of Mineworkers boss, Arthur Scargill, is fielding candidates on all of the regional lists for the Holyrood poll.

Louise McDaid is secretary of the party in Scotland.

She said she wanted to see troops out of Iraq and a national health service freely available to all.

Ms McDaid added: "We would have decent pensions, we would not spend billions and billions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction.

'Inequality and injustice'

"We would be using that money to improve the quality of life rather than destroy it."

One of the party's well-known backers is the Liverpudlian actor Ricky Tomlinson.

He starred in the party's political broadcast alongside Mr Scargill.

In his forward to the manifesto, Mr Scargill said: "We believe that unemployment, poverty, homelessness, racism, sexism, ageism and all the social evils surrounding us have been caused not just by years of Tory and New Labour government misrule, but by capitalism - a system that creates inequality and injustice.

"In Scotland, New Labour, the Tories, Liberal Democrats and SNP not only support the capitalist system and the concept of the 'free market' but have implemented the economic strategy, and continue to pursue these."

The party's commitments include;

<ul class="bulletList"><li>a National Health Service available to all at the time of need, on demand and free of all charges - including prescriptions, dental care and eye care</li>

<li> restoration of the pensions "link" at a cost of £10bn</li>

<li> free, high-quality education from infancy through to old age including free crèche, play group and nursery provision for all children</li>

<li> to provide and regulate housing on the basis of need</li>

<li>to put into public ownership all transport systems and industries - on land, sea, rail, inland waterways and air</li>

<li>a long term integrated energy policy based on a deep mine coal industry which is publicly owned and controlled, plus the development of all forms of renewable energy such as wind, wave, tide, geothermal and solar power</li>

<li> and the scrapping of trade union laws and a policy of full employment.</ul>