Global InformationDemocratic Left Scotland information
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Democratic Left Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Na Deamocrataich Chli na Alba) is a non-party political organisation, membership of which is open to both those who belong to political parties and those who do not. DLS has members and supporters in the Scottish Green Party, the Scottish National Party and the Labour Party,
DLS members are active in a range of trade unions, community groups, networks and campaigns.
Democratic Left Scotland does not stand in elections, though several Scottish left democrats are elected representatives through the political parties of which they are members, including Maggie Chapman, Scottish Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland, and a number of local councillors. When he served as Scottish Green Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothians, Mark Ballard was active in DLS. The organisation currently has a particular profile in Dundee, and also has members and supporters in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Fife, southwest Scotland, and other parts of the country.
One of DLS's key understandings is that "there is more to politics than parties". It aims to offer spaces for people to come together to discuss ideas and policies and to support them in their campaigning work. The organisation "promotes collaboration and alliances around values and possibilities" rather than "positions" and "programmes". It aims to "engage in practical activities that help push forward a transformational politics that reflects the reality of people's experience and their hopes for a different kind of society based on radical, feminist and green principles".