Alex Miller
Since Tommy Sheridan resigned as national convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) for personal reasons in early November, New Labour-supporting tabloid newspapers have been predicting the end of the SSP's remarkable political rise. These rumours were decisively scotched by a special meeting of the SSP's National Council in Glasgow on November 27.
The meeting, which was attended by nearly 200 delegates and observers, voted overwhelmingly to support the decision made by the SSP's Executive Committee regarding Tommy Sheridan's recent resignation as national convenor and also its condemnation of the rumours in the media of a leadership coup.
The meeting also reaffirmed the SSP's unity around its aims of an independent, socialist and republican Scotland. The December 2 edition of the Scottish Socialist Voice said: "While Tommy Sheridan is no longer the SSP's national spokesperson, he is still part of our dynamic team of [members of the Scottish parliament] and will continue to work at the heart of the Scottish Socialist Party. He took part in Saturday's meeting, and afterwards issued a press release, 'wholeheartedly' supporting the agreed statement."
The same issue of the Voice quoted Sheridan: "The Scottish Socialist Party has today showed great maturity in reaching a unified position on the way forward. I would like to take this opportunity to confirm that my resignation as party convenor has nothing at all to do with internal power struggles. There is not and never has been any internal squabbles or back-biting about a leadership challenge. We are a party of principle and action. We have drawn a line under these internal deliberations. I will now work alongside the other party MSPs and the wider party membership to campaign for justice, equality, peace and socialism."
The Voice also reported on the ongoing debate in the SSP on whether the party should have a single national convenor, more than one national convenor, or no national convenor at all. A decision on this will be made at the next National Council meeting in mid-December, and any decisions have to be ratified by the SSP's conference in February. Colin Fox, one of the SSP's six members of the Scottish parliament, has announced that he is willing to stand as a candidate for the post of national convenor if the SSP decides to retain it.
The Voice quoted Fox as saying: "Since I made up my mind to stand last week, I have taken the opportunity to speak to all five of my fellow MSPs, the wider parliamentary team and the full Executive Committee. It was equally important for me to be able to inform the National Council, and through them the wider party ... I feel sure that the debate will be conducted in the open, democratic and fraternal traditions of this party."
From Green Left Weekly, December 15, 2004.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.