Tommy Sheridan

Bio:

Sheridan was a prominent member of the Militant Tendency/Revolutionary Socialist League (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. The Labour Party leadership under Neil Kinnock was determined to remove any member of Militant and Sheridan himself was expelled from the Labour Party in 1989.

As the highest profile Militant/RSL member in Scotland Sheridan was a leading figure in the split in that organisation in the early 1990s, but 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, became 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 remained as a small faction within the SSP until its dissolution in early 2006.

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.

Hearings in Sheridan's defamation case against the publishers of the News of the World began in the Court of Session in Edinburgh on 4 July 2006. Unusually in Scottish civil proceedings, the case was heard before a jury.

The jury heard allegations that Sheridan had visited "swingers" clubs in Manchester and had engaged in an adulterous affair with another woman. Sheridan, who claims to be teetotal was also alleged to have drunk champagne during an extra-marital liaison. Sheridan denied these allegations.

On 14th July, Sheridan sacked his legal team and announced that he would represent himself following controversy over the source of a question over credit card fraud addressed to one of the witnesses.

On 4 August 2006, Sheridan won his case with a majority verdict of 7 - 4 and maximum damages of £200,000. However, this verdict has caused much controversy within the party and many senior figures maintain their positions adopted during the trial.

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Member Since:

August 03, 2006