Scottish Socialist Party United Left

by Mustafa Tubevis Thu Jun 22, 2006 16:40

In the immediate aftermath of attempts to form a new factional network (SSP United Left) within the party, a progressive counter call for peace and unity within the party has been made in a grassroots letter.
This SSP Members Open Letter, which is calling for signatories, continues to garner substantive, countrywide, grassroots support, including many leading party heavyweights, thinkers and academics.

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/sspmajority/myhomepage/newsle....html
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/sspmajority/index.html

by Wallace Thu Jun 22, 2006 18:27

This isn't a call for peace and unity, its an open declaration of war by the unholy alliance of London based sects and the regional organiser fiefdoms against the new platform. Note their failure to make any serious into Glasgow, which has always been at the heart of the socialist struggle in Scotland, where the most radical and class conscious elements of the SSP are found.

by Grommit Thu Jun 22, 2006 18:30

No. This is a broad movement which has significant support within the party including 3 MSPs. It would be wrong to see it as manipulation from London or anywhere else.

by Wallace Thu Jun 22, 2006 19:56

I did'nt say it was a London based initiative, I said it was an unholy alliance between the London based sects (SWP and CWI) and regional fiefdoms led by opportunistic local bosses. This explains why hardly any of the signatories are based in Glasgow other than a tiny bunch of middle class SWP apparatchiks. The sects would ditch Tommy in an instance if they felt it was to their advantage but they see this split as an oppurtunity to strengthen their influence and, in the case of the SWP, to prepare the ground for a RESPECT takeover of either the whole SSP or its 'Tommy Sheridan' faction.

by Grommit Thu Jun 22, 2006 20:06

I detest the SWP but have some respect for the SP. There is no way that the SWP could take over the SSP through RESPECT. The "politics" of RESPECT would be laughed at in Scotland. Hate the SWP all you want, its healthy. But do credit the CWI with having some cop on. Now if only they would ditch Taafe...

by Eamon Sun Jun 25, 2006 12:53

Wallace is correct regarding the sects and their attempts to boost their position in the SSP. If they are successful, it will be the end of the road for the party. Anyone who believes that a movement headed by Sheridan and guided politically by the SWP will achieve anything worthwhile is deluding themselves. Sheridan is an effective propagandist, but can't think for himself; McCombes did that for him for years. It was a set-up that worked ok, because McCombes is not a middle-class, died-in-the-wool sectarian, in the fashion of people like Mike Gonzalez. With these types guiding Tommy Sheridan--who will be more than happy to go along with this as long as his ego is regularly massaged, in the fashion that the SWP do with Galloway--the results will be disastrous for socialism in Scotland.

by Saoirse Sun Jun 25, 2006 18:08

Don't know who the people posting here are, but I reckon they are right wing trolls because they obviously know NOTHING about Scotland. Wallace says there are very few signatories from Glasgow to the "Members Open Letter". I had a look at the letter (which seems perfectly reasonable to me) and at the signatories to it. It is true that only 3 or 4 people put their location as Glasgow. But Wallace and others do not seem to realise that Dennistoun, Pollockshaws, Cathcart, Anniesland and many of the other locations listed for signatories are all part of Glasgow! So, stop spouting about things about which you know nothing. And let's hope the SSP manage to stay unified.

by Topper Sun Jun 25, 2006 23:51

Yeah Saoirse, I reckon people need to keep their eye on the big picture here, it doesn't matter which faction wins if the whole organisation collapses. Socialists outside Scotland should probably be doing their best to encourage a bit of calm. I made the point on another thread and I'll repeat it, it's very unlikely that one camp in this dispute is entirely right and one camp entirely wrong. And it doesn't seem to have much of a political basis - it seems more like the row the PDs have been having lately.

by bsto - sp Tue Jun 27, 2006 00:28

This whole situation is disastrous. The more the story comes out the more it seems that Tommy did not do anything wrong. He may or may not have had an affair but that is not the point. The SSP or Tommy never claimed to be a family values party. Unfortunately it is this kind of personal shenanigans that is bringing the party into disrepute.

There are real issues of policy that do inhibit the SSP's development namely the slogan for independence in which independence is held to be a principle. Further it is unfortunate that only a slight swing of .5% which may have happened anyway without the split, could leave the SSP without an MSP.

It is very difficult to see how they can recover. The issue is dominating the party internally and externally.

by D'other Tue Jun 27, 2006 02:32

When I read the name above I was left a little startled as I'd come across Rebel Inc publishing years ago, when Hot Press gave away a free sampler the publishing house did containing many short extracts from classics of contemporary Scottish literature to Bukowski and Jack London. Never realised the head honcho behind it all was a socialist. The article the above author refers to about contextualising the News of the World shit stirring can be read here: http://rebelinkcolumns.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_rebelink....html