Solidarity (Scotland)

Solidarity (full name Solidarity - Scotland's Socialist Movement) is a political party in Scotland, launched on September 3, 2006 as a breakaway from the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in the aftermath of Tommy Sheridan's libel action. Formed by two of the Scottish Socialist Party's six MSPs, Tommy Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne, it has been backed by the Socialist Workers Platform and the Committee for a Workers' International; both Trotskyist former SSP platforms.

On its launch, the party described itself as being an open, democratic, bottom-up party as a response to the perceived lack of the same in the SSP, and because Sheridan claimed that due to the depth of division within the SSP between its leadership on the one hand and his supporters on the other that the SSP had "run out of breath" . The launch rally held in September 2006 in Glasgow featured several speakers and attracted around 600 people.

More than 1,000 people in total attended the ten public meetings Solidarity held in Scotland, with the largest meeting, in Dundee, attracting a crowd of 250. These public meetings attracted 600 members to the new party, of which 250 attended the founding conference on Saturday 5 November 2006.

The conference witnessed debates on the name of the new party and also its political orientation. During the conference the Socialist Workers Party argued that Solidarity should not be a socialist party; instead, it should be a "movement of movements" providing a political platform for various groups. The SWP also argued that Solidarity's name should not include a reference to socialism, as this would discourage people from joining. This motion was argued against by Ronnie Stevenson, Unison convenor for workers in Glasgow City Council and member of the International Socialists (CWI). It was eventually decided that the new party's name should contain a reference to socialism, and the full name of the party was declared as Solidarity - Scotland's Socialist Movement.

Defections of MSPs, party members and whole branches of the SSP to Solidarity has been acrimonious. There is an ongoing police investigation regarding the Highlands and Islands branch of Solidarity, allegations having been made by members of the SSP that a transfer of funds from the account of the regional SSP to Solidarity was fraudulent.

There is also an ongoing dispute about the impending redundancy of parliamentary staff formerly employed by Sheridan and Byrne, involving allegations by the NUJ and the IWW that Tommy Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne have ignored workers' rights of consultation prior to redundancy.

Solidarity have consistently appeared at 1% or less in opinion polls for the upcoming Holyrood elections, while the Scottish Socialist Party, from which they split, have polled between 4-6%. However a TNS System Three opinion poll in January 2007, which asked around 1000 people how likely they were to vote for a party founded by Mr Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne, suggests the party has the potential for electoral success.

The poll showed 7% of voters were 'quite likely' or 'very likely' to vote for Solidarity, putting the new party close to the performance of the Scottish Socialist Party, in the Scottish Parliamentary Elections of May 2003. At a regional level the TNS System Three opinion poll found 14% support for Solidarity in West of Scotland and 10% in Glasgow.

Based on the most recent polling evidence some national newspaper political commentators have suggested Mr Sheridan's Solidarity party can win up to win seven seats in the May 2007 Scottish parliamentary elections.

Solidarity intends to use it's Convenor Mr Tommy Sheridan's name on the ballot papers in seven electoral regions.

External link

• Party Website