Re: [OPE-L] Scottish election

[Anders Ekeland <anders.ekeland@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear all,

The split in the SSP a sad thing, and the most 
problematic as I see it here from afar, is that 
there are very trustworthy people on both sides. 
From what I know of the affair, it seems strange 
to me that a majority of the old leadership 
should witness against Sheridan, if there was not 
a grain of truth in the question of Sheridan 
frequenting a swingers club, which in itself is 
no sin, it was Sheridan's denial of the facts 
that made the conflict so bitter.

But let's not discuss this here. I just wanted to 
state that to make a real judgement in this case 
one would have to study the evidence very 
carefully. Both sides have credentials as 
dedicated militants to the good cause for decade 
after decade - and everybody agree that the split 
was a very unfortunate one. Which means that 
genral confidence in this or that person is not 
enough, one would have to study the facts in detail.

Regards
Anders

At 23:53 05.05.2007, you wrote:
> I know Tommy personally. I met him many times in 
> Glasgow ind Edinburgh. Though I do not agree 
> with everything  what he believes, thinks and 
> does, I must admit he is one of the most 
> impressive socialist leaders Scotland has ever 
> had on the left. He is in my view one of the few 
> charismatic and revolutionary candidates to 
> unite the left. I do not believe a single word 
> of this rubbish. It is a campagn to split the 
> left so that it does not become a serious factor 
> in Scotland and Britain. Pity that bourgeosie 
> could find allies within the left.
>
> Dogan
>
>
> -----Ursprüngliche Mitteilung-----
> Von: wpc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> An: OPE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Verschickt: Sa., 5. Mai. 2007, 21:22
> Thema: Re: [OPE-L] Scottish election
>
>
> The SSP split at the end of last year into the SSP and Solidarity, the latter
> headed by Sherridan.
>
> The reasons was a court case which had the whole nation gripped for a month
> in which Tommy defended himself against libels put out in Maxwells papers to
> the effect that he was a drinker, drug user, and frequenter of Swingers clubs.
>
> He conducted his own defence, won the case and was awarded £100,000 damages
> against Maxwells papers, but several SSP members of parliament appeared
> as witnesses for the papers and against Tommy. After his victory in the court
> case this caused so much bad blood between the MPs that they split. It
> also polarised the membership between those who believed him, and those
> who believed the allegations against him in the press.
>
> Prior to the court case some of the MSPs had been spreading even more lurid
> tales to blacken his name : that he dealt in drugs, that he was involved in
> smuggling Ukranian prostitutes into the country etc. From what I know of him
> as a leader of struggles going back years, these allegations seem unlikely -
> he makes a point of being a non-smoker, non-drinker etc.
>
> Prior to the split there did not appear to be any pressing ideological
> issues at stake. I put it down to personal rivalries among the new MSPs
> agravated by interference by the yellow press and perhaps agent provocateurs.
>
> Bugs were found in Tommy's car, secret tapes of his discussions with
> executive members were released to the TV etc.
>
> Paul Cockshott
>
> <http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/%7Ewpc>www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~wpc
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OPE-L on behalf of Dogan Goecmen
> Sent: Sat 5/5/2007 7:31 PM
> To: OPE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [OPE-L] Scottish election
>
>
>
>
>
> "1. The socialists had split into two parties competing for the same votes"
>
>   Paul,
>
>  who were these two socialist parties and what was the reason that they had
> split?
>
>  Dogan
>
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