Media statement 25/2/26
Members of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) have selected candidates to stand in all eight regions for the Holyrood elections, seeking people’s so-called ‘second vote’.
SSP Election Campaign Organiser, Richie Venton, said:
“For the past 12 months we have publicly announced our aim of standing SSP candidates in all eight regional lists, for the so-called ‘second vote’. We have agreed to stand aside in the 73 local constituencies.
“We are a national party, with a long-established record of standing up for the working-class majority, building solidarity with workers’ struggles, opposing genocide and defending the rights of the Palestinian people, advocating genuine socialism – a Scotland based on people not profit, democratic public ownership not privatised profiteering, for a Socialist Green New Deal that would create 350,000 new, sustainable jobs. We feel duty bound to give everyone in Scotland the chance to vote socialist.
“Our members in the eight regions have now chosen candidates, and two things stand out about those representing the SSP.
“Firstly, they are all working-class people, without exception; men and women from a wide variety of occupations, including the NHS, retail, housing services, fire and rescue, local government, print industry, customer services, further education, railways, etc.
Secondly, every single one of the SSP candidates is publicly pledged to the SSP’s built-in principle that if elected they will be socialist MSPs who live on the average skilled worker’s wage.
“They will do so to combat careerism and corruption; to remain accountable, in touch with reality, uncorrupted and incorruptible. That’s a rare thing in this age of grotesque corruption and self-enrichment amongst politicians from other parties, all gladly pocketing the MSP’s £75,000 salary – and in some cases taking huge donations off big business and the capitalist rich.
“Our candidates are principled socialists, and representative of the population they seek to represent.
“In Glasgow region, our list is headed by Liam McLaughlan, an NHS worker who joined the SSP while still at school during the 2014 independence referendum, attracted by our goal of an independent socialist Scotland.
“In West Scotland region, our candidates include Veronica Edgely, a customer services worker and mother of two children with additional support needs, whose life experience makes her all the more determined to fight for vastly improved public services.
“And the Edinburgh and Lothians East SSP list is headed up by Colin Fox, the former Lothians MSP who spearheaded the SSP’s parliamentary Bill which led to the introduction of free NHS prescriptions in Scotland, removing the tax on sickness.
“We are proud to have such a talented, principled team of working-class socialists and we’re determined to fight to get them elected as socialist MSPs on a skilled worker’s wage. We need that as an antidote to the poverty, inequality and rising far-right that blights our lives.”
