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Tommy Sheridan Resigns


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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4001489.stm

Opinions?

My personal opinion (having voted SSP at the last two elections where possible..) is that the party will undoubtably suffer without Tommy leading the way - I know a fair few people who voted for him in 2003 on the basis of showing very, very strongly in his TV appearances. I suppose also, instead of pushing ahead and attempting to take yet more out of Labour, in Glasgow in particular - they're going to have to consolidate their seats at the next election, which is going to be tricky given the fact that their support is all over the country rather than in one particular area.

I do have a sneaking feeling that he'll be back however - heck, if Salmond can come back, then anyone can :)

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Guest allsystemsfail
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4001489.stm

Opinions?

My personal opinion (having voted SSP at the last two elections where possible..) is that the party will undoubtably suffer without Tommy leading the way - I know a fair few people who voted for him in 2003 on the basis of showing very' date=' very strongly in his TV appearances. I suppose also, instead of pushing ahead and attempting to take yet more out of Labour, in Glasgow in particular - they're going to have to consolidate their seats at the next election, which is going to be tricky given the fact that their support is all over the country rather than in one particular area.

I do have a sneaking feeling that he'll be back however - heck, if Salmond can come back, then anyone can :)[/quote']

I gotta say that I'm surprised, considering how you view the left, that you voted twice for the SSP. Not forgetting how the SSP were involved in opposing the NF. Sheridan was gonna attend the counter-protest. You know, the one that you were so vociferously against.

Anyway, anyone who knows me knows I ain't a fan of the left.

I remember Sheridan was asked to attend an anti-war march in Aberdeen 2001. He declined. Said he had to go to the football. Nice to see the man has got his priorities in order.

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I gotta say that I'm surprised' date=' considering how you view the left, that you voted twice for the SSP. Not forgetting how the SSP were involved in opposing the NF. [/quote']

It's not really that surprising - having looked at what all the parties wanted and compared it to what I wanted, the SSP were closest at the end of the day. There wasn't much of a choice though - I wasn't going to vote for Labour on the grounds that well...I don't agree with much of what Scottish Labour does, I'm not going to vote Lib Dem for the way they've consistently failed to follow through on their pledges (remove the tolls from the Skye Bridge, anyone?..it's still 4.70 to get on and off the island, something that's nothing short of extortion), I wouldn't vote for the Tories on the grounds that they're a unionist party, so the choice was down to the SSP and SNP - I voted SNP in 2003 for the local and constituency seats, SSP for the regional, and voted SSP in the European elections. As much as I view the left with suspicion, some of the SSP's policies were brilliant ideas - the realisation that kids would rather go hungry than claim free school dinners due to peer pressure, for instance.

Now that Tommy's gone, it'll be very, very interesting to see if the rest of the party can come up new and novel solutions that would win votes, rather than following blindly the "socialist" line every time.

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I think its a very astute political move. On the one hand he gets to be with his wife during the birth and early period of the childs life, while on the other hand it dispells the myth that the ssp is tommy and friends. To be fair I don't really think there was much he could do, he comes across as a politician that actually cares passionatly about things, this reputation would be shattered if he didn't take time off to be with his family. I see him back in the fold in a few years time, though not neccesarily as leader. The ssp is a growing party, but it needs to shed this image of the one man band, it must be seen as the stooges and not iggy and the stooges. I hope the new leader does not attempt to fill sheridans shoes because that would be a big mistake. Left wing parties have enough problems without having to deal with allegations of personality cults.

Also, asf, did you ask Mr Sheridan himself? or was it some of your oh so politically active and morally superior friends? I am anti-war yet I don't consider anti-war marches to be the be all and end all of political resistance. Considering how many anti-war marches have been championed by the ssp and in many cases publisized by them, I should think you and your radical friends should be pleased with them. But no, you're not left, you're not even left, you transcend the poiltical spectrum right into "Too fucking stupid to know left from right"

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Guest allsystemsfail

Also' date=' asf, did you ask Mr Sheridan himself? or was it some of your oh so politically active and morally superior friends? I am anti-war yet I don't consider anti-war marches to be the be all and end all of political resistance. Considering how many anti-war marches have been championed by the ssp and in many cases publisized by them, I should think you and your radical friends should be pleased with them. But no, you're not left, you're not even left, you transcend the poiltical spectrum right into "Too fucking stupid to know left from right"[/quote']

From where did I obtain that piece of information regarding Mr Sheridan? From the SSP - the local membership.

And I'm sorry, but did I say that I believed marching the only real method of resistance? No I did not. Marches, while important, are just one of many options.

No, I don not believe myself morally and politically superior. Such a thing would rather contradict my politics would it not?

You're right I ain't left. Sure, anarchists and socialists do indeed share much common ground. Where we differ is in terms of means, of forms of organisation. Anarchists have no interest in control, in the building of parties as the socialists do.

My problem with the SSP and other leftist parties is that many have sought to control and manipulate political and social struggles. The anti-fascist and anti-globalisation movements are but two.

Can I finally say, that while I have issues with the left, I do admire and respect the commitment of many individual SSP/SWP members. You know, those on the ground. I got no beef with these people. There are good people involved. Hell, a couple of my friends are members. We disagree, but there you go.

Oh, and why so abusive?

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As long as they don't make Rosie Kane their convener the SSP should carry on as normal I reckon. They've made fantastic progress since their inception, and much of this is down to Sheridan. I think he's left them in a good position (regardless of debt) to build from and grow as a party.

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Guest Jake Wifebeater

I've been an SSP member for about 4 years now, and I reckon it'll do us good in the long run. The media mostly chose to focus on Tommy's tan, whoopty fuck. If that's all they could slag him about, he was doing bloody well. But yeah, most folks saw the SSP as a one-man band so here's the chance to knock that one on the head. Mind you, how many Lib-Dem and SNP politicians can you name? I'm struggling for 3! I reckon the SSP needs a further shift to the left.

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I've been an SSP member for about 4 years now' date=' and I reckon it'll do us good in the long run. The media mostly chose to focus on Tommy's tan, whoopty fuck. If that's all they could slag him about, he was doing bloody well. But yeah, most folks saw the SSP as a one-man band so here's the chance to knock that one on the head. Mind you, how many Lib-Dem and SNP politicians can you name? I'm struggling for 3! I reckon the SSP needs a further shift to the left.[/quote']

While being an admirer of tommy sheridan, I reckon scotland would prefer armageddon than the plans the SSP had for the country.

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