Return to Scotland

Many loyal readers have continued to take our paper, even when it arrives late, and some have regularly taken on heroic feats such as driving down to England to pick up supplies to sell at conferences or on the streets.

We will look to that level of dedication in the months to come as we seek to rebuild readership in a country whose labour movement has always been well disposed to the Star's message.

And, in discussions with Scottish trade unionists, we have been pleased to learn that such support will continue.

For many people in Scotland, the nightmare feared by all our readers of not having a daily socialist newspaper has been a reality, having to depend on a mixture of, at best, bourgeois liberal dailies and weekly, fortnightly or monthly left-wing party publications.

The fact is that there is no alternative to the Morning Star. It is unique as the only daily English-language socialist newspaper in the world.

Former Labour MP Tony Benn, who stepped down from Parliament to spend more time with his politics, makes no secret of the fact that he would be lost without our paper, which he reads first every morning.

He is not alone in that view, but there are not enough people holding that opinion.

Too many people, perhaps giving in to a prejudice or stereotype from another era, state, without evidence, that the Morning Star is a narrow, rigid, boring party rag.

Regular readers will know that this is a travesty of reality.

How could anyone who reads the regular pieces by, among others, John Pilger, Ken Livingstone, Jon Cruddas, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Liz Davies, Robert Griffiths and George Galloway or laps up the savage humour of cartoonist Martin Rowson make such a judgement?

What kind of narrow mouthpiece would feature articles by members of the Labour Party, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Communist Party of Britain, Greens, Scottish Socialist Party, Respect, most trade unions and campaigners on peace, gender, sexual orientation and race equality, pensions, environmental concerns and much more?

Our hard-hitting letters columns are unique in providing a forum for every progressive group and individual to debate the issues of the day and work out a path of common endeavour.

And was such debate and unity in struggle ever more necessary than today?

The supposed Brown bounce, in the aftermath of Tony Blair stepping down, has, in the words of Tommy Jackson, proved to be less a bright dawn than "the miasma over a foetid swamp."

With hard-faced new Labour ministers singling out refugees, council tenants and the low-paid for special treatment and reneging on pre-election pledges on workplace rights, agency workers, public services and manufacturing, the situation for working people throughout Britain is precarious.

The Morning Star will continue to spotlight daily struggles and campaigns within the context of its long-term goals of peace and socialism.

The success of these struggles and long-term goals will be assisted by a higher daily Morning Star circulation.