Interview with Wayne Scott, Scottish TUSC candidate in Coldside, Dundee

 Interview with Wayne Scott, Scottish TUSC candidate in Coldside, Dundee

Why a socialist candidate in Coldside?

This is my third time standing in the ward as a socialist candidate, having stood in 2012 and 2017, as well as standing as a candidate in Dundee East in the last Scottish Parliament election. I have lived my entire life in Coldside, in the hilltown area to be more precise, and since I was a child, I have witnessed poverty and deprivation in the ward under both Labour and SNP councils. I've never seen politicians of any party take real action to improve the living standards of working class people in the ward. This was why I first stood as a candidate at the age of 19. Since 2010, we have experienced over 120 million in cuts to our council services, whilst the main parties only argue over how best to implement the cuts. In contrast, Scottish TUSC demands that councils set no-cuts needs based budgets. That means that not only should councils not make any further Tory cuts, that they should defy the governments of both Westminster and Holyrood and invest in schools, communities and public services by using borrowing powers and reserves, whilst a mass campaign is built to win back the money stolen from the city since 2010.

What are the main issue that you want to prioritise in your campaign?

As previously mentioned, the main policy of Scottish TUSC in this election is to demand an end to cuts to public services and a return of all money that has been stolen by the Tories from councils across the country.

However we are also campaigning in the ongoing cost of living crisis. Whilst energy companies make massive profits to line the pockets of shareholders, working class people are being expected to pay extortionate bills. This along with inflation more generally is pushing working class people in Coldside and beyond further into poverty. We were out campaigning today in Coldside demanding the nationalisation of the energy companies, in order to take these companies out of the hands of private profiteers and into democratic public ownership, in order to provide affordable energy for all. We also received enthusiastic support for our demand for wage rises that match or exceed the rate of inflation. However to achieve this, trade unions must be prepared to take on the bosses and fight for real pay rises for their members. Scottish TUSC will support all workers taking action over pay and other attacks on terms and conditions. 

 

We have seen the split between the SNP and ALBA, and despite the various tactical differences that exist between the two on independence, they both fundamentally agree that independence should be on a capitalist basis to allow big business in Scotland to thrive. We are raising the need for a second referendum and independence, however we don't think it's enough just to change the flag, we want to change the system. We fight for an independent socialist Scotland where the vast wealth that exists in the hands of a few at the top is used to invest in schools hospitals and the eradication of poverty.

 

Why is Scottish TUSC the best alternative to other parties in your area? 

Scottish TUSC is a coalition of different socialists groups, community campaigners, and trade unions such as the RMT. We are not career politicians, all of us are ordinary working class people who live and work in the communities we want to represent in the council. I myself am a painter and a former shop steward for the GMB union in a Coldside based shop fitting company. I have also taken part in many campaigns in the ward over the last ten years. Labour, the SNP, the Greens and others all fundamentally accept the logic of the cuts, that the working class must be made to pay for the crisis of the capitalist system. Scottish TUSC - and the Socialist Party to which I belong - is the only choice in this election for those who want an end to cuts, and who want an alternative to the misery of capitalism. For those who are sick of the main parties get involved with our campaign and fight for socialist change.