Anger as SNP council votes through millions in cuts for Scotland’s Yes city

Dundee City UNISON, Unite and Dundee Trades Council held a lobby at the Council budget setting meeting on Thursday. The SNP Council are putting forward proposals to make cuts of £33 million over the next 3 years. The lobby was joined by a number of parents and pupils fighting to stop the closure of Menzieshill High School and the reduction in jobs at the Young Mum’s unit currently based at that school.

Jim McFarlane, Dundee City UNISON Branch Secretary (and TUSC candidate for Dundee West) welcomed those fighting the closure of Menzieshill High School to the event. The closure of the school is part of savage cuts agenda put forward by the SNP Council. He called for opposition to all the cuts and for a campaign involving the trade unions and local communities to organise a campaign of action to stop the cuts. Further cuts will have long terms effects on some of the most deprived communities in the country.

Adele Dick, a parent of a 12 year old pupil of the school, told us that she was there fighting to stop the closure. Her son has ADHD and she has genuine fears that a move to a much larger school miles away from where they live will have a big impact on his education and well being. Adele was interviewed for television and put the voice of working class parents forward against the politicians. She said she was previously a fervent SNP voter and was bitterly disappointed that the SNP run council were cutting services. Dundee returned the biggest Yes vote in Scotland in the referendum last year. 

Alex Jardine, a 3rd year pupil at the school, spoke to the crowd about the need to fight for their school and their community. She had attended the protest with her friends Cara Lafferty and Louize Whitelaw who explained why they thought the plans for closure were wrong. All three were in favour of young people like themselves organising a campaign to prevent closure. They valued the presence of the Young Mum’s Unit at Menzieshill and felt its service reduction and move to another school would not be good for either the young mums or their children.

It was clear from the angry mood that trade unionists and local communities have had enough. The need for a fighting challenge to the cuts agenda of all of the big business parties is needed urgently. If those councillors, MP’s and MSP’s won’t stand up for those jobs, services and communities by refusing to make the cuts then they need to be replaced by fighting socialist representatives.