Alex Miller
On June 15, the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) lodged a bill in the Scottish Parliament to require councils to provide free, nutritious meals to every Scottish schoolchild. The bill, lodged by SSP member of the Scottish parliament Frances Curran, has the support of One Parent Families Scotland, the Scottish Social Inclusion Network, and the teacher-based Educational Institute of Scotland. The June 15 Guardian quoted Curran explaining: "There has been a revolution in people's attitudes to the need to provide our school children with nutritional school meals over the past year."
A similar bill, lodged by then SSP leader Tommy Sheridan in 2002, was voted down by the ruling Labour/Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive, despite winning widespread public support.
Scottish National Party spokesperson Jim Towers wrote in the June 15 Scotsman: "I offer unreserved support for Frances Curran's Free School Meals Bill. Apart from the obvious benefit this would have in helping to combat the increasing problem of obesity in our children ... this would be one of the most positive and effective steps that could be taken to reduce poverty ... It is unthinkable that this bill should be allowed to meet the same fate that Tommy Sheridan's first bill did two years ago.
"The health of our children should never be allowed to become a political football. The fact that the British Medical Council, the Child Poverty Action Group, various trade unions and community groups have offered their support makes it absolutely essential that MSPs of all parties fall into line with what could prove to be the most important piece of legislation so far in the history of the Scottish Parliament."
From Green Left Weekly, June 29, 2005.
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