RADICAL independence alliance Rise is to launch a fundraising appeal for £100,000 to help get candidates elected across Scotland at next year’s Holyrood elections.
The left-wing pro-independence group is planning to run campaigns in all eight of the country’s regions in a bid to get seats via the proportional representation list section of the ballot, and needs money for promotional material, including a television election broadcast.
It is due to publish candidates’ names by the end of the month, but leading activists Cat Boyd, co-founder of the Radical Independence campaign, and a columnist for The National, and the former Scottish Socialist Party MSP Colin Fox are expected to be among its lead candidates. The independent MSP Jean Urquhart may also stand.
Fox, the former SSP MSP, said: “John Swinney’s budget yesterday underlines the need for a strong left-wing presence in the Scottish Parliament rather than that offered by the SNP, which is just a pale shade of pink. Holyrood needs a voice to say there doesn’t have to be cuts. The Scottish Parliament needs an authentic left-wing presence.”
A Rise spokesman told The National: “We will shortly be launching our £100,000 Holyrood appeal.”
“We are going to run an election campaign across the whole of Scotland. We need money to publish campaign leaflets and posters, to make a television election broadcast, to pay for halls to have public meetings, as well as to pay for the candidates’ deposits.”
Rise’s policies include the abolition of council tax in favour of a Scottish services’ tax that is income-based, the abolition of charitable status for private schools, the introduction of free public transport during the lifetime of the next parliament and severing all links with the monarchy.
The alliance will not be fielding candidates in constituency seats.
Rise is hoping to pick up votes from disenchanted and pro-independence Labour voters – some of whom have switched to the SNP or the Scottish Greens.
Elections expert Professor John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, said he believed there was a market for a radical left party in Scotland, but the challenge Rise faced was whether it could reach those voters.
“There is a market. There are some people who will argue that neither Labour nor the SNP are left wing enough.
“The question is does Rise have someone who can grab media attention and public attention, and give their project a degree of credibility and interest. Parties only need 5 per cent or 6 per cent of the vote to pick up seats,” he said.
“The challenge facing parties is to persuade voters that they can offer something that the SNP can’t.”
The announcement of the £100,000 election appeal comes weeks after former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars promised to vote for Rise on the list section of next year’s ballot.
The SNP grandee and former deputy leader, who was a key figure in the Yes campaign, said he wanted there to be a “strong socialist” voice in the next Scottish Parliament to help drive up in the political agenda the need to tackle poverty and inequality in today’s Scotland.
He said he believed a vote for the SNP on the list system was “wasted” given that so many SNP MSPs were expected to be elected in the first-past-the-post constituency section of the ballot.
A dedicated section of the Rise website is due to go live over the coming days and will indicate how people can make donations to its election campaign.
A spokesman for the Scottish Greens said: “Our values of equality and sustainability are evident in our track record. In the past year, we’ve got rent controls into the draft housing bill, energy efficient housing designated a national infrastructure priority, right-to-buy for football fans, and a moratorium on fracking and coal gasification.
“Our membership has surged to over 9,000 and polling has been consistent, suggesting Green MSPs will be elected from each of the eight regions.”
He added: “Our two MSPs are as trusted to hold the SNP to account as Labour are with their 38, and Patrick Harvie is the most popular Holyrood opposition leader. We’re looking forward to 2016 and our biggest and best election campaign to date.”
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