Scottish Resistance consign manifestos '˜to bin of history'

PRO-INDEPENDENCE campaigners symbolically binned the Holyrood manifestos of Unionist parties today in a protest against cuts to welfare payments.

Scottish Resistance members Sean Clarkin, Piers Doughty-Brown, James Scott and Gwen Sinclair outside the Maximus offices in Glasgow. Picture and video: John Devlin/TSPL

The Scottish Resistance held a short demonstration outside the offices of health assessment firm Maximus in Glasgow’s Cadogan Street.

The group, led by veteran anti-austerity protestor Sean Clerkin, claimed each policy document was “false” and accused the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP of supporting “£12bn worth of cuts” last year.

He singled out Labour’s decision in July 2015 not to oppose a Westminster vote on child tax credit restrictions as having an adverse impact on people’s lives.

Scottish Resistance members Sean Clarkin, Piers Doughty-Brown, James Scott and Gwen Sinclair outside the Maximus offices in Glasgow. Picture and video: John Devlin/TSPL

“Today we are going to bin these manifestos,” said Clerkin. “We are going to rip them up and put them in the dustbin of history.

“Scotland’s history will change after May 5 when the Yes parties are elected and we go for independence.”

The Scottish Resistance have staged several public demonstrations in Glasgow in recent weeks, as well as issuing a ‘declaration of Glasgow’ based on the famous Declaration of Arbroath.

None of the events have made the same impact as Clerkin’s one-man demonstration during the 2011 Holyrood election campaign, which saw then Labour leader Ian Gray seek refuge in a sandwich shop near Glasgow Central station.