Sheridan abandons hope for the SSP and tries to form new party

[nwnm]

As regards the ISG, on the ground in Scotland the ISG (all 6 of them) has actually supported wee Tommy, in contrast to the rest of the ISG in Britain. So unless the Scots ISG are doing the ol' Leninist quickstep ( not unimaginable) then there might be problems ahead for the ISG as a whole!!!

To paraphrase FIsherGate -

"maybe it's because the ISG comrades put the importance of retaining a single united socialist party above the interests of any narrow factional viewpoint"

so they've decided not to cosy up to the ISM unlike that other FI bloke who regularly contributes to their Frontline magazine. Time will tell....

 

[mutley]

Someone should open a poll about the predicted respective attendance at the two meetings..

(SSP Sept 2nd, Sheridanite Sept 3rd..)

I say.. er.. 300 at Sheridans, 200 at SSP. On basis of fuck all knowledge of situation on ground, but what the hell..

 

[Alan G]

Estimates ive seen for sheridanites is 250-300 SWP, 50max CWI, whatever along from the RMT and 300ish ayrshire miners as well as various non platform members. So youre talking 700 as an optimal figure.

Theyre saying if its 50-100 then theyll be seen as a one man band, 500+ and its a great start of a great movement. With 400 as really the minimum that will attend their self-imposed benchline target wont take much to achieve.

 

[cutandsplice]

Estimates ive seen for sheridanites is 250-300 SWP, 50max CWI, whatever along from the RMT and 300ish ayrshire miners as well as various non platform members. So youre talking 700 as an optimal figure.

Theyre saying if its 50-100 then theyll be seen as a one man band, 500+ and its a great start of a great movement. With 400 as really the minimum that will attend their self-imposed benchline target wont take much to achieve.

You don't really believe there's 250-300 SWP members in Scotland do you?

 

[Fullyplumped]

and 300ish ayrshire miners ...

This is interesting - tell us more. Are they Rosemary Byrne's family and friends that someone mentioned earlier?

 

[danny la rouge]

But around 5 million who'll watch on with a bitter-sweet mixture of amusement at inflated egos bursting, sadness at socialism once more being discredited, and disappointment at promise unfulfilled.

 

[tollbar]

You don't really believe there's 250-300 SWP members in Scotland do you?

Socialist Worker says they had 120 or so at their meeting in Glasgow at the weekend and being SW thats probably an overestimate. The SWP have never had 300 members in the SSP in the parties existence.

I reckon its probably about 150 SWP and sympathisers, 50 CWI (and thats being generous), the T&G ayrshire miners and an assortment of mainly rural branches with few members a very few medium sized branches and bits of branches that have split. They might manage 500.

Interestingly a number of those who signed the sspmajority statement are now saying that although they are opposed to the current leadership they are not leaving.

 

[tollbar]

This is interesting - tell us more. Are they Rosemary Byrne's family and friends that someone mentioned earlier?

No, they are the T&G coalfields group mainly based around Cumnock and East
Ayrshire. Ironically they were recruited a couple of months back by Sheridan, Byrne and the very same Richie Venton who Sheridan is now denouncing as a scab.

 

[Fullyplumped]

No, they are the T&G coalfields group mainly based around Cumnock and East
Ayrshire. Ironically they were recruited a couple of months back by Sheridan, Byrne and the very same Richie Venton who Sheridan is now denouncing as a scab.

That's really impressive, and I'm surprised they didn't publicise it.

 

[Streathamite]

But around 5 million who'll watch on with a bitter-sweet mixture of amusement at inflated egos bursting, sadness at socialism once more being discredited, and disappointment at promise unfulfilled.

and disillusionment, and (scuse pun) lost respect for TS. what a fucking nightmare

 

[danny la rouge]

and disillusionment, and (scuse pun) lost respect for TS. what a fucking nightmare

It's very sad indeed.

 

[Alan G]

You don't really believe there's 250-300 SWP members in Scotland do you?

I dont think they do but they claim 350. 300 would be my very top estimate if they contacted all their periphery - people who have signed up as interested in ANL/CAAC/STWC etc.

The miners shop steward has the membership applications for the miners but hasnt handed them in. As far as I understand they arent members of the SSP, but were collecting membership forms over the past couple of months.

 

[nwnm]

Any subplots are in your fantasies and irrelevant to the issue of whether the SSP continues, or the cause of left unity is put back by a decade by numbskulls.

[and by the way the FI hasn't been called the 'USec' for a couple of years]

Firstly here's the latest snippets from socialist worker -

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=9533

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=9534

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=9535


The DSP of Australia have their say here -

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/679/679p22.htm


Their article got this response from one of their readers in the UK -

"SSP crisis
I have just read your article about the crisis in the SSP (GLW #679). I don't agree with your approach or conclusions. You appear to have made up your mind before hearing Sheridan's response to the one-sided August 7 SSP bulletin reflecting the views of McCombes and Sheridan's other political opponents in the SSP. How can a one-viewpoint document of this kind possibly “set the record straight”? Any truly democratic party would present all viewpoints side by side — not just those of the apparatchiks.
Sheridan is a fighter whose willingness to struggle on behalf of the working class has seen him go to jail and made him an MSP and a well-known public figure. Public prominence brings vulnerability to attack by the right-wing gutter media.
The fact of the matter is that Sheridan had every right to go to the courts and defend himself. And Sheridan is more than a match for Murdoch — as we have just seen. It is not often that Murdoch loses, but he has lost badly on this occasion.
Sheridan had every right to expect the support of his comrades in this struggle. But they failed to support him at the critical moment.
I am not in the least bit interested in Sheridan's private life or whether he may or may not have lied to a capitalist court about it. Read Lenin's “Left Wing” Communism: an Infantile Disorder and see what it has to say about the need for socialists to lie, if necessary, to defeat the class enemy. This issue of whether Sherdian is lying is completely subordinate to the question of defeating a vicious representative of the class enemy and making the semi-fascist porno-comics pay dearly every time they take a pot shot at a socialist.
In my opinion, McCombes and his cronies are adopting a phony moralistic stance on this question — typical of the Calvinist hypocrisy that prevails in certain quarters of the Scottish petty bourgeoisie, including, evidently, in some sectors of the left intelligentsia.
The SSP “comrades” who failed to defend Sheridan should hang their heads in shame. They are indeed the “mothers of all backstabbers” and “scabs”. They have brought their own present misfortune on themselves.
Chris Edwards
Manchester, England [Abridged"


Now onto plots or the lack of them -

Murray Smith is a former leading member of French CWI section Gauche Revolutionnaire which was a split from the FI in France <LCR> and a former member of the CWI International Executive Committee. He then bounced back into the FI and holds a membership card for the LCR despite living in Scotland, <I think that’s called the ’Phil Hearse’ turn>, and has regularly contributed to the ISM’s journal Frontline; where the ISM seem to use him as their ‘theoretical’ attack dog against the SWP in print.

The author of the Green Left Weekly piece, Alex Miller, is a member of the SSP and the Australian Democratic Socialist Perspective. The DSP have also organised speaking tours for Colin Fox,

If Smith and Miller are not acting as advocates for their respective groupings, they would not need to retain their other party cards would they? There aren’t any LCR or DSP platforms in the SSP to my knowledge

 

[Fisher_Gate]

....
The DSP of Australia have their say here -

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/679/679p22.htm


Their article got this response from one of their readers in the UK -

"SSP crisis
I have just read your article about the crisis in the SSP (GLW #679). I don't agree with your approach or conclusions. You appear to have made up your mind before hearing Sheridan's response to the one-sided August 7 SSP bulletin reflecting the views of McCombes and Sheridan's other political opponents in the SSP. How can a one-viewpoint document of this kind possibly “set the record straight”? Any truly democratic party would present all viewpoints side by side — not just those of the apparatchiks.
Sheridan is a fighter whose willingness to struggle on behalf of the working class has seen him go to jail and made him an MSP and a well-known public figure. Public prominence brings vulnerability to attack by the right-wing gutter media.
The fact of the matter is that Sheridan had every right to go to the courts and defend himself. And Sheridan is more than a match for Murdoch — as we have just seen. It is not often that Murdoch loses, but he has lost badly on this occasion.
Sheridan had every right to expect the support of his comrades in this struggle. But they failed to support him at the critical moment.
I am not in the least bit interested in Sheridan's private life or whether he may or may not have lied to a capitalist court about it. Read Lenin's “Left Wing” Communism: an Infantile Disorder and see what it has to say about the need for socialists to lie, if necessary, to defeat the class enemy. This issue of whether Sherdian is lying is completely subordinate to the question of defeating a vicious representative of the class enemy and making the semi-fascist porno-comics pay dearly every time they take a pot shot at a socialist.
In my opinion, McCombes and his cronies are adopting a phony moralistic stance on this question — typical of the Calvinist hypocrisy that prevails in certain quarters of the Scottish petty bourgeoisie, including, evidently, in some sectors of the left intelligentsia.
The SSP “comrades” who failed to defend Sheridan should hang their heads in shame. They are indeed the “mothers of all backstabbers” and “scabs”. They have brought their own present misfortune on themselves.
Chris Edwards
Manchester, England [Abridged"

...

I believe you will find this is the same Chris Edwards who split from the Fourth International in the early 1990s to join an ultra-left sectarian grouplet and then joined Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party. His 'balance sheet' of the SLP said:

"I have not completely written off the party [ie the SLP]. Of course, this base is not big enough to swing real union affiliations and resources over to the SLP. But it is a real base.
http://home.igc.org/~itobr/idm4/a_balance_sheet_of_the_slp_experience.html
"

To quote him approvingly on Sheridan says legions about the trajectory the Sheridanistas are heading - instead of "Scargill's Little Party" it looks like we will have "Sheridan's Little Party". You would have thought genuine marxists would have drawn a sensible conclusion about Scargill's deranged attempt to build a party in the image of a "Great Leader" but it appears not, and history is about to repeat itself as farce.

 

[nwnm]

nice attempt at deflection. You still haven't explained what murray smith was up to or why he's still a member of LCR when he lives in Scotland. If anything, your discussion of the Scargill situation only emphasises what an amorphous lot the FI are. You had one group in, one group out and Phil Hearse doing an entry job on Militant Labour <and which way does he lean these days - FI or DSP?>. What was it you were saying earlier about having principled positions on a united socialist project? And is the person quoted above, which you describe as a sectarian still a member of Socialist Outlook?<apparently he re-joined after leaving the SLP>

There is also a good chance that Sheridan's new party might copy George Galloway's RESPECT and actually WIN a few elections rather than crash and burn. I would have thought that would be good news for socialists, unless of course you'd rather join the cast of the 'Life of Brian'

 

[DexterTCN]

It's very sad indeed.

Yes, your sadness that someone may have lost respect for TS is entirely convincing...as can be seen by your entire post history, it does you credit.

This from the guy who says TS actually grassed himself to the Murdoch Empire, which is so ridiculously one-sided that it actually defines 'beneath contempt'.

In fact, you could say Tommy was himself the leak

(that's called proof)

 

[danny la rouge]

You don't believe I'm sad that I've lost my respect for Tommy? That's up to you. But some people will remember me on here in times gone by when that respect was current.

But what I'm more sad about is the effect that Tommy's behaviour is having on the name of socialism, and on a working class movement in Scotland.

 

[danny la rouge]

Oh, and about "grassing himself up", you've missed the point as ever: the point is that he assured Keith Baldesara and Alan McCombs that his recreational activities would never be exposed as nobody had any proof. But knew all along that one of his partners was a News of the World journalist.

 

[Fisher_Gate]

nice attempt at deflection. You still haven't explained what murray smith was up to or why he's still a member of LCR when he lives in Scotland. If anything, your discussion of the Scargill situation only emphasises what an amorphous lot the FI are. You had one group in, one group out and Phil Hearse doing an entry job on Militant Labour <and which way does he lean these days - FI or DSP?>. What was it you were saying earlier about having principled positions on a united socialist project? And is the person quoted above, which you describe as a sectarian still a member of Socialist Outlook?<apparently he re-joined after leaving the SLP>

There is also a good chance that Sheridan's new party might copy George Galloway's RESPECT and actually WIN a few elections rather than crash and burn. I would have thought that would be good news for socialists, unless of course you'd rather join the cast of the 'Life of Brian'

This is all tittle tattle rather than serious debate.

I have no idea about the domestic arrangements of Murray Smith. It is obvious he spends a lot of time in France as he writes extensive and knowledgeable articles about what is happening there including 'eye-witness' style accounts. I am not a member of the ISG but I keep in touch with them and as far as I know Edwards is not a member. Hearse was not engaged in an entry operation on Militant. He resigned from the ISG because he genuinely agreed with Militant's trajectory out of the Labour Party at that time when the ISG was still engaged in entry. Although the self-styled 'FI Supporters Caucus' in the SLP used that name, they were not part of the FI and not subject to its influence. The ISG did not enter the SLP, rightly in my view.

The key question about Sheridan's attempt to create a party in his own mould is whether it is sustainable. The lesson of Scargill's attempt is that it is not. It was Sheridan who brought up the life of brian scenario by denouncing his fellow socialists as 'scabs'. The SWP and CWI are both participating in a demolition job on the most successful regroupment of socialists in Britain for several generations, entirely for their own sectarian reasons rather than any issues of principle.

 

[articul8]

The key question about Sheridan's attempt to create a party in his own mould is whether it is sustainable.

[/QUOTE]The SWP and CWI are both participating in a demolition job on the most successful regroupment of socialists in Britain [/QUOTE]

What is there still left to 'demolish' after this debacle? How is the SSP 'sustainable' when you have two permanent public factions so utterly hostile and contemptuous of each other?

It was Sheridan who brought up the life of brian scenario by denouncing his fellow socialists as 'scabs'.

After Sheridan's court victory (over News International - hardly the friend of socialism let us not forget) both Leckie And Kane declared that Tommy was not a socialist and they would not be able to work with him in the future. OK, the 'scab' reference was a mistaken over-reaction. But this has been a dog's breakfast on all sides.

 

[Fisher_Gate]

What is there still left to 'demolish' after this debacle? How is the SSP 'sustainable' when you have two permanent public factions so utterly hostile and contemptuous of each other?

After Sheridan's court victory (over News International - hardly the friend of socialism let us not forget) both Leckie And Kane declared that Tommy was not a socialist and they would not be able to work with him in the future. OK, the 'scab' reference was a mistaken over-reaction. But this has been a dog's breakfast on all sides.

I don't think Leckie and Kane took £30,000 from the Daily Record ('hardly the friend of socialism let us not forget'!) to publish 500,000 copies with photos of their erstwhile comrades with the word 'SCAB' printed across.... there is a question of degree and turning a blind eye here ....

 

[articul8]

there is a question of degree and turning a blind eye here ....

who is turning a blind eye to what? I certainly wouldn't deny that serious mistakes have been made by both ULers and Sheridanites throughout this whole dog's breakfast.

But where do we go from here? I don't see how any amount of FI unity-mongering is going to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

 

[Fisher_Gate]

who is turning a blind eye to what? I certainly wouldn't deny that serious mistakes have been made by both ULers and Sheridanites throughout this whole dog's breakfast.

But where do we go from here? I don't see how any amount of FI unity-mongering is going to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

The SWP, CWI et al are turning a blind eye to the fact that Sheridan willingly, and obscenely quickly, took a large amount of money from the Daily Record, which has a circulation of nearly 500,000, to attack his own party colleagues in public and call them scabs.

Those members of the SSP who appeared in court and gave evidence against Sheridan only did so under duress and as a result of Sheridan taking legal action - a legal action that they and the majority of the SSP leadership asked him to call off, precisely so that they would not have to appear in court.

Saying that both sides are equally to blame is a whitewash of Sheridan, who bears the vast bulk of the responsibility for the situation the SSP is in. In any case the SWP and CWI are not saying that - they are saying something far worse: that Sheridan was right every step of the way, including leaving the party.

As to where we go, that's simple - the SSP should be built on the basis of politics not personalities, and not be allowed to be destroyed to assuage one person's ego.

 

[nwnm]

This is all tittle tattle rather than serious debate.

I have no idea about the domestic arrangements of Murray Smith. It is obvious he spends a lot of time in France as he writes extensive and knowledgeable articles about what is happening there including 'eye-witness' style accounts. I am not a member of the ISG but I keep in touch with them and as far as I know Edwards is not a member. Hearse was not engaged in an entry operation on Militant. He resigned from the ISG because he genuinely agreed with Militant's trajectory out of the Labour Party at that time when the ISG was still engaged in entry. Although the self-styled 'FI Supporters Caucus' in the SLP used that name, they were not part of the FI and not subject to its influence. The ISG did not enter the SLP, rightly in my view.

The key question about Sheridan's attempt to create a party in his own mould is whether it is sustainable. The lesson of Scargill's attempt is that it is not. It was Sheridan who brought up the life of brian scenario by denouncing his fellow socialists as 'scabs'. The SWP and CWI are both participating in a demolition job on the most successful regroupment of socialists in Britain for several generations, entirely for their own sectarian reasons rather than any issues of principle.

Some of this reminds me of the anarchist retort to Ernest Mandel's 1968 comment "What we need is one, two, three, many Vietnams", to which the anarcho's would reply "What we need is one, two, three, many Fourth Internationals!" <Both sides, FISC and the ISG, attended FI conferences at the time BTW>
Whilst Hearse joined Militant Labour he also voiced political differences with them, built a small coterie around himself <and his co-joinee> and then promptly marched out with 'em to set up the Socialist Democracy Group.

Your comparison between Scargill and Sheridan is nonsense. One banned the involvement of other political tendencies from his party, whereas Sheridan seems to be welcoming all comers. This bares more resemblance to RESPECT, although not being exactly the same. <I think you'll find that RESPECT has won more first past the post elections than the SSP BTW, so that would make it slightly more successful than the SSP in electoral terms. And yes I know, elections aren't everything>

 

[articul8]

The SWP, CWI et al are turning a blind eye to the fact that Sheridan willingly, and obscenely quickly, took a large amount of money from the Daily Record, which has a circulation of nearly 500,000, to attack his own party colleagues in public and call them scabs.

As I understand it. Tommy Sheridan received no such payment. Gail gave her side of the story to the Daily Record - a paper which has historically been read by a not insignificant section of the left-leaning working class - for a sum which would not have got near what some of the more salacious tabloids would have paid. Still, I would argue any such payment would be transferred back to the movement.

Those members of the SSP who appeared in court and gave evidence against Sheridan only did so under duress and as a result of Sheridan taking legal action - a legal action that they and the majority of the SSP leadership asked him to call off, precisely so that they would not have to appear in court.

Why does Tommy "bear the vast bulk" of responsibility? So Murdoch's papers can rush into print with any manner of lewd allegations and TS doesn't have the right to defend his own name. The SSP leadership showed its remarkable ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and continue to support the NOTW's line of attack on scotland's highest profile socialist.

Yes, the "scabs" comment went too far, and was a mistake. But given the response he received from his erstwhile 'comrades' a degree of personal bitterness is understandable.

As to where we go, that's simple - the SSP should be built on the basis of politics not personalities, and not be allowed to be destroyed to assuage one person's ego.

Looks to me like a handful of personally envious and spiteful individuals have gone out of their way to undermine a figure with significant support in the scottish working class as a whole. Seems a funny way of building the party.

Still we'll see - remains to be seen what emerges out of all this.

 

[JoePolitix]

From the Scottish Daily Mirror today:

Wicker Tam - Sheridan SSP rivals throw effigy on fire

Tommy Sheridan's SSP rivals burned an effigy of their former leader
in a scene straight out of the Wicker Man.

Activists on a woodland retreat cheered as the life-sized model went
up in flames, echoing the climax of the 1973 cult movie.

A witness said "The event was supposed to be about learning more
about socialism. But it soon became clear that most people there only
wanted to bitch about Tommy Sheridan. There was a bonfire made up and
then this effigy of Tommy was brought out and thrown on. It was
bizarre" The training weekend called Camp Secret Squirrel, was
organised by the Scottish Socialist Youth (SSY) wing of the SSP.

 

[JoePolitix]

Trade Unionists ditch SSP

Leading trade unionists leave SSP to join Sheridan

SSPMajority said today that there is now a tidal wave of support
building up for a new socialist force in Scotland to replace the
politically bankrupt SSP.

Critically, key trade unionists who have played leading roles in the
Scottish Socialist Party have said today that they will welcome and
support the new socialist party called for by Tommy Sheridan.

Janice Godrich PCS president (personal capacity) said "I welcome the
initiative by Tommy Sheridan to organise a serious socialist party
that will tackle the issues being faced by the working people and
their families across Scotland. There is not the luxury of time for
in fighting and distraction. The public sector, services, jobs and
working conditions continue to be savaged by New Labour and whoever
becomes the next Prime Minister, this will continue. I would urge all
trade unionists, workers and those who want to resist these attacks on
our communities to join with us".

Alan Brown PCS DWP Group Vice President said "I believe that this is
an exciting time for trade unionists and socialists. We are at the
beginning of a new dawn, a new movement that offers hope to all who
have suffered and continue to suffer from low pay, bullying employers
and an anti-worker Government. Our aim is to build a society that
spells an end to poverty, intolerance and hatred. Join us".

Scottish miners back new party

Jim Walls T&GWU convenor for opencast miners in Scotland said "The
shop stewards and members of the Coal branch are not willing to
comment re the current state of the SSP. However, we will be
supporting Rosemary and Tommy and if they start anything new our
support will be unconditional.

Cheryl Gedling PCS NEC member and Scottish Executive Group Secretary,

"I want to be part of a socialist party that aims to deliver
progressive policies for workers and trade unionists throughout
Scotland. I believe that this new movement is the natural home for
those who want to campaign for an end to poverty and injustice, and
for fair pay and pensions for all workers in the face of disgraceful
government attacks. I would encourage all those who share these aims
to join.

Tommy Sheridan said "It is gratifying to know that while others seem
occupied with the

politics of name calling so many active trade unionists are committing
themselves to a new Socialist party in Scotland that will campaign on
the real issues facing ordinary working class people. I suspect many
more will follow".

The following trade unionists, most of whom are SSP activsts, have
already declared their intentions to join a new socialist party in
Scotland.

UNISON

Ronnie Stevenson – Shop stewards convenor for 4,500 UNISON members in
Glasgow City Council Social Work Department

Brian Smith – UNISON secretary Glasgow City Council Social Work Services

Ian Leech – UNISON steward Glasgow

Jim McFarlane – Chair of Dundee City Council UNISON branch

Michelle Clark – Nursery Nurse and UNISON steward Dundee

Jill McNaughton – Nursery Nurse and UNISON steward Dundee

Alison Hughes –UNISON steward Dundee

Alan Manley – NHS Nurse and UNISON steward

PCS

Janice Godrich – PCS National President

Danny Williamson - PCS National Executive Committee member and
National Scottish Liaison Officer

Alan Brown - PCS NEC and DWP Vice President

Cheryl Gedling - PCS NEC and Scottish Executive Group Secretary

Evelyn Ballie - PCS DWP Group Executive Committee

Stewart Daly - PCS DWP Scottish Regional Secretary and DWP Group
Executive Committee

Ian Fitzpatrick - Officer, PCS Commercial Sector

Tracy Edwards – Assistant branch secretary Glasgow EDS (ex-MoD) and
national EDS group organiser.

Dougie Brownlie – MoD group executive and PCS secretary for MoD West
of Scotland.

Neil Davidson – Branch secretary PCS Edinburgh Central.

Margaret Rose Garrity – Equal Opportunities Office Glasgow South DWP PCS

TGWU

Jim Walls – Convenor Scottish Opencast Miners

Dave Sherry TGWU 7/151 Scottish Housing Branch, Branch Secretary

Education

Lesley Atkins – EIS Glasgow LA, Edinburgh City Literary Institute

Sasha Callaghen, UCU National Executive, Edinburgh City Literary Institute

CWU (Communication Workers Union)

Gary Clark – Vice Chair Scotland No2 branch

(All named above in a personal capacity)

The SSPMajority also now believe that the big majority of branches and
members throughout the North East and the Highlands including the
cities of Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness will join the new formation.
This is in addition to Rosemary Byrne's South of Scotland which has
already declared for the new party, and the CWI (Militant) and
Socialist Worker platforms who have already said they will join a new
force if it is set up.

Note for editors – The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is
Britain's sixth largest trade union with 330,000 members. Last year
(2005) PCS members were responsible for 48% of all days lost through
strike action in Britain.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is the largest of the
government departments in the civil service with more than 90,000 PCS
members.

 

[tollbar]

It might be more impressive if virtually all the trade unionists mentioned were not members of the cwi.

 

[DexterTCN]

I don't think Leckie and Kane took £30,000 from the Daily Record ('hardly the friend of socialism let us not forget'!) to publish 500,000 copies with photos of their erstwhile comrades with the word 'SCAB' printed across.... there is a question of degree and turning a blind eye here ....

So the news of the screws can publish shit but TS can't use the newspapers to hit back?

Breathtaking.

 

[nwnm]

even more breathtaking when you consider the scab faction are using the ssp website, members bulletin, and scottish socialist yoof are burning effigies of Sheridan. FFS - the only effigy I've ever wanted to burn was one of Thatcher. Socialist unity my arse