| Tommy Sheridan |
Article Index for Tommy |
Website Links For Tommy |
Information AboutTommy Sheridan |
|
Tommy Sheridan is a Scottish Socialist Politician . Born in Glasgow , Scotland , on March 7 , 1964 , he attended Roman Catholic schools before attending the University Of Stirling , from which he graduated. He was active in the Militant Tendency faction inside the Labour Party , before leaving Labour as a member of Scottish Militant Labour (SML). He was a leading campaigner against the Poll Tax in Scotland, and was jailed for six months for trying to stop a warrant sale taking place. Sheridan fought two elections while in prison. In the Pollok constituency at the 1992 General Election he won one of the best votes for a left candidate for many years, and a few weeks later he won the Pollok ward on Glasgow City Council . He also contested the European Parliament election in 1994 as an SML candidate. He was a leading figure in the negotiations to establish the Scottish Socialist Alliance in 1996, which evolved into the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in 1998 . He was the convenor of the SSP from its formation until November 11 2004 when he resigned as convenor for personal reasons. He was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as a Glasgow representative. He has been jailed twice as a consequence of his activities campaigning against the presence of the nuclear fleet at Faslane Naval Base . Sheridan is known as an articulate and able orator. In his period as convenor of the SSP he has seen his party's representation in the Scottish Parliament increase from just himself to six members after the 2003 Election . On November 11 , 2004 , he announced his resignation as convenor of the SSP to concentrate on spending more time with his family. At the time of his announcement his wife, Gail, was expecting their first child, and this was the reason Sheridan cited as being his primary motivation for resigning. The resignation was followed by allegations in the '' News Of The World '' that Sheridan had been conducting an extra-marital affair. Sheridan denies the allegations and has announced his intention to sue the Tabloid . The Executive Committee of the SSP recommended that Sheridan pursue a political response to the allegations and argue that they are designed to undermine the SSP and Sheridan. At the annual conference of the SSP in early 2005 Sheridan was elected to the SSP executive. At the March 2006 conference he was elected as co-chair, along with Morag Balfour . Sheridan comes from a well-known family of Catholic Trotskyists from Glasgow , and was a prominent member of the Militant/RSL whilst a student at Stirling University. After graduating he went to Cardonald College as a typing student as part of the Militant/RSL (unsuccessful) drive to take-over Scottish Labour Students through building a presence in further education colleges. As the highest profile Militant/RSL member in Scotland Sheridan was a leading figure in the split in that party in the early 1990s. Faced with a Labour Party leadership under Neil Kinnock that was determined to expel the Trotskyists and emboldened by the success of the campaign against the poll tax, many Militant/RSL members - particularly in Scotland - argued for the abandonment of Entryism and the creation of Scottish Militant Labour , and Militant Labour in England and Wales as open political parties. The argument was resolved in favour of those who backed Sheridan's arguments and Ted Grant was expelled from Militant. However the momentum of the Scots was such that eventually Scottish Militant Labour argued in favour of founding a new, broad left political party, known initially as the Scottish Socialist Alliance, with supporters of the Committee For A Workers International (the International founded by Militant) as a faction within it. The SSA was formed and, in 1998, bec ame the SSP, but the CWI faction led by Sheridan, the International Socialist Movement ulitmately broke with the CWI with a minority deciding to remain with the CWI and forming their own faction, the International Socialists which remains as a small faction within the SSP. In the late 1990s, Sheridan juggled his political career with another of his passions, Football , playing for Junior teams East Kilbride Thistle F.C. , and St Anthony's F.C. in the Abercorn Central District League. EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|