SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: THE STUC LEADER SAID MAINSTREAM PARTIES DON'T HAVE STRONG ENOUGH POVERTY POLICIES 16:52, 22 Apr 2025 One of Scotland’s most powerful union leaders has warned the

far right is weaponising legitimate poverty fears because main stream parties don’t have policies to redistribute wealth. STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer has spoken out as John Swinney

prepares to hold a summit on "democracy and respect” in Glasgow tomorrow which will be attended by churches, trade unions, charities and political leaders. She has challenged the First

Minister to make sure the event is not just a “talking shop“ by confronting policy choices like nationalisation of key industries she believes would shift power out of the hands of

“No-one is more concerned about poverty, homelessness or the safety of women and children on the streets than we are. The difference is, we know who is really to blame. “This summit must not

just be a business-as-usual gathering of groups who, no doubt, mean well but aren’t prepared to roll their sleeves up and tackle head on the threat we are facing. “The Scottish Government

knows this. We’ve made it clear to them. We take them at their word that this summit will mean hearing from those at the heart of our communities - unions, community groups, anti-racist

campaigners and more – who are best placed to counteract the poison of the far-right. “But we also know that there’s a job of work to be done by all those involved to look in their own

backyards too. Any organisation who turns up at this event thinking they and their members are immune from all this should stay at home. “And yes, this includes unions too. We’re seeing some

folks within our ranks falling prey to the illusionary, false pledges offered by the populists and far-right who promise salvation to their ills but will deliver nothing but division and

rancour. “We know that centrist policies that prioritise the economic status quo has played a critical role in the rise of the far-right. The lack of hope and optimism for the future that

working class people feel, with unaffordable energy bills, skyrocketing food prices and housing costs still stupidly expensive, means they’re searching for an answer. “That answer has not

yet been adequately addressed within mainstream political parties.” JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp

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Privacy Notice. Foyer believes a new age of nationalised industry is the only way to spread wealth more equally rather than allowing power and money to be increasingly centralised in the

hands of a small number of billionaires. She added: “The answer is to begin to shift power so that the wealth and assets are owned by the many. It means public ownership of our utilities to

stop the billionaire energy giants ripping off members and public intervention to protect decent jobs. “It means ensuring everyone has a decent standard of living. It means organising folk

within our spaces to ensure that their valid and legitimate fears for the future are addressed and better, kinder and more collective solutions are found. “So, let’s be one hundred percent

clear, migrants aren’t to blame. It’s a failure of our state, the failure of our political class, that has members within our community turning to the populist right and far-right for

answers.” Foyer insisted the STUC was the first organisation to welcome the announcement of Swinney’s summit to fight the rise of the far right and that it would also be a key theme of the

STUC’s upcoming Congress in Dundee next week. Article continues below She added: “We need to be ready to have hard conversations about how we got here and be ready to work on solutions that

can build working class unity in our communities founded on hope not hatred. “That hope comes from the brilliant individuals and organisations who campaign together collectively for

healthier communities, to tackle poverty, campaign for better housing and celebrate the richness of our culture.”