Scottish Political Junkie blogs about the Scottish Socialist Party, who haven’t exactly been having the best of years.
It would be no surprise if the SSP imploded before the next Scottish Parliament election and Tommy Sheridan stood for Respect, the party started by George Galloway MP.
Well things certainly sound bad for the SSP at the moment. The SSP may be troubled, but I wouldn’t know if it was on the brink of implosion. Whatever, though, Scotland’s socialist movement won’t be going anywhere. Support for the SSP seems to me to be higher than that for similar left-wing parties in Europe (the SSP got 7% of the second votes in 2003 compared, for instance, to 4% for the PDS in Germany in 2002).
Post-SSP, if such a period were to exist in the near future, Tommy Sheridan would still be a figurehead. And I certainly don’t see him joining up with Respect given that Sheridan is in favour of Scottish independence whilst George Galloway is equally against it, so much so that it was the major barrier to Galloway joining the SSP following his expulsion from Labour.
Imagine, though, Sheridan and Galloway in the same party. Both are (now) sharp dressers and, whether or not you agree with them (or even if they agree with each other!), they are both undoubtedly great speakers. I certainly wouldn’t like to try being in a debate opposing the pair!