Tommy Sheridan

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For other persons named Thomas Sheridan, see Thomas Sheridan (disambiguation).
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan

Tommy Sheridan addressing a meeting in February 2007.
Leader of Solidarity
Incumbent
Assumed office 
3 September, 2006
Preceded by New Position
In office
6 May 1999 – 3 May 2007
In office
1992 – 1 May 2003
Succeeded by Keith Baldassara
Born 7 March 1964 (1964-03-07) (age 44)
Glasgow, Scotland
Political party Solidarity
Residence Cardonald , Glasgow
Religion Roman Catholic (nominally)

Tommy Sheridan (born 7 March 1964, in Glasgow) is a Scottish socialist politician. He has had various prominent roles within the socialist movement in Scotland and is currently one of two co-convenors of the left-wing Scottish political party Solidarity.

He attended the Roman Catholic schools of St Monica's Primary and Lourdes Secondary before entering the University of Stirling, from which he graduated with an honours degree in Economics. He is currently (2007) studying for an MSc in Social Research at the University of Strathclyde.[1]

Sheridan was active in the Militant tendency inside the Labour Party, before leaving Labour as a member of Scottish Militant Labour (SML). He was a leading campaigner against the poll tax in Scotland, and was jailed for six months for trying to stop a warrant sale. He has also been jailed twice as a consequence of his activities campaigning against the presence of the nuclear fleet at Faslane Naval Base. In 2006 he won a libel action against the News of the World. In October 2006, Sheridan claimed that MI5 are behind some of the allegations made against him.[2] On Sunday 16 December 2007 Tommy Sheridan was charged with perjury [3] In the following weeks half a dozen of his relations and colleagues were charged.

Contents

[edit] Political career

[edit] Militant tendency

Sheridan was a prominent member of the Militant tendency whilst a student at Stirling University. After graduating he went to Cardonald College as a typing student as part of an (unsuccessful) effort on the part of Militant to recruit Scottish Labour Students in further-education colleges. The Labour Party leadership under Neil Kinnock was determined to remove any member of the Militant tendency and Sheridan himself was expelled from the Labour Party in 1989.

As the highest profile Militant member in Scotland, Sheridan was a leading figure in the group's split in the early 1990s. He was emboldened by the success of the campaign against the poll tax; many Militant members - particularly in Scotland - argued for the abandonment of entryism and for the creation of Scottish Militant Labour and Militant Labour in England and Wales as separate political parties.

The argument was resolved in favour of those who backed Sheridan's arguments and this led to a split in the Militant, with a minority supporting the opposition of Ted Grant to the "Scottish Turn". However, the momentum of the Scots was such that eventually Scottish Militant Labour argued in favour of founding a new, left-wing political party, known initially as the Scottish Socialist Alliance, with supporters of the Committee for a Workers International (the International founded by Militant) as a faction within it. The SSA was formed and in 1998 became the SSP, but the CWI faction led by Sheridan, the International Socialist Movement, ultimately broke with the CWI. A minority of the ISM decided to remain with the CWI and formed their own faction, the International Socialists, which remained as a small faction within the SSP until they broke from it to join Solidarity in August 2006.

Sheridan fought two elections while in prison. He took second place in the Pollok constituency at the 1992 General Election, finishing ahead of both the Conservatives and the Scottish National Party. A few weeks later he won the Pollok ward on Glasgow City Council. He contested the European Parliament election in 1994 as the SML candidate in Glasgow, and came third with 8%.

[edit] Scottish Socialist Party

Tommy Sheridan was a leading figure in the negotiations to establish the Scottish Socialist Alliance in 1996, which evolved into the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in 1998. He was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as a Glasgow representative.

He was the convenor of the SSP from its formation until November 11, 2004, when he resigned, citing as a prime reason his wife Gail expecting their first child.[4] The resignation was steeped in controversy. After his announcement that he was stepping down for family reasons, the News of the World ran a series of articles, among other allegations claiming that he had had an extramarital affair. Sheridan strenuously denied the accusations and quickly announced his intention to sue.

The minutes of the meeting which detailed the deliberations leading to his resignation were kept confidential until subpoenaed by News International as part of the subsequent court case and were then made public. The minutes included a discussion about a recent article in the News of the World which alleged that a married MSP had visited a swingers' club in Manchester, and also the admission by Sheridan "that he had in fact visited the club on two occasions, in 1996 and 2002 with close friends. He acknowledged that this had been reckless behaviour and had, with hindsight, been a mistake... his strategy was to deny the allegations". It recorded that Sheridan left the meeting early, but before leaving "he repeated that he did not believe there was any evidence which would prove him to be lying. He did not accept that he should admit the visits to the club and felt that no-one should comment on private lives". Sheridan claimed in court that the minute was not accurate and that he had denied visiting the swingers' club.

At the annual conference of the SSP in early 2005 Sheridan was elected to the SSP executive and at the March 2006 conference he was elected as co-chair, along with Morag Balfour. However Sheridan announced that he was leaving the SSP in August 2006, after his prominent court-case victory, accusing the SSP of being part of "the mother of all stitch ups" involving not only their leadership, but also MI5 and News International.[2].

[edit] Solidarity (Scotland)

In September 2006 Tommy Sheridan announced the formation of a new political party in Scotland named Solidarity, with fellow MSP Rosemary Byrne co-leading.[5] Sheridan failed to be re-elected in the 2007 Holyrood election.

[edit] Defamation action

See main article Sheridan v News International.

Hearings in Sheridan's defamation case against the publishers of the News of the World began in the Court of Session in Edinburgh on 4 July 2006.[6] Unusually in Scottish civil proceedings, the case was heard before a jury.

The jury heard allegations that Sheridan had visited a swingers' clubs in Manchester and had engaged in an adulterous affair with another woman.[7] Sheridan, who claims to be a teetotaller, reportedly drunk champagne and consumed cocaine during an extramarital liaison. [8] Sheridan denies drinking the champagne and the claim of substance abuse. Eleven members of the SSP's executive committee testified that he admitted in an Executive committee meeting to attending a swingers club with women,[9][10] but another four members of the SSP who were present at that Executive meeting backed Sheridan's claim that he made no such admission at that meeting.[11]

On 14 July 2006, Sheridan sacked his legal team and announced that he would represent himself following controversy over the source of a question over credit card fraud addressed to one of the witnesses.[12]

On 4 August 2006, Sheridan won his case with a majority verdict of 7 - 4 and maximum damages of £200,000.[13] The News of the World has appealed the verdict. In the Scottish Socialist Voice of August 8, a letter signed by a further six leading members of the SSP claimed that Sheridan had told them that he had admitted at an SSP Executive meeting to attending the Manchester swingers' club.

The News of the World announced its intention to appeal the "perverse" decision in the immediate aftermath of the trial, and a provisional date for the hearing is set for December 2007.[14]

[edit] Allegations of witness intimidation

On 10 October 2006, BBC News reported that Grampian police were investigating a claim by Fiona McGuire, who had been a witness in the trial for the News of the World, that she had received a death threat through the post. In a statement to the BBC, Mr Sheridan said: "I utterly condemn any threats to Fiona McGuire or any other individual".[15]

On 26 August 2007, the Sunday Herald reported that John Lynn, an associate of former Glasgow gangster Paul John Ferris, had been questioned by detectives about allegations of witness tampering. The report cited an allegation by witness Helen Allison, who claimed in court that she saw Sheridan have sex in a Glasgow hotel, that Lynn, who was once jailed for 17 years for shooting an Ulster barman, asked her not to give evidence against Sheridan.[16] Paul Ferris is a known associate and friend of Sheridan and the pair appeared together at Edinburgh's Festival of Scottish Writing in May 2006[17]

[edit] Hidden video

On 1 October 2006, the News of the World reignited controversy by publishing what it claimed to be new evidence in support of its accusation that Sheridan lied to the Court of Session. A transcript of what it claims is a video recording of Tommy Sheridan describes him confessing to SSP member George McNeilage, one of Sheridan's three best men at his wedding, that he visited a swingers club in Manchester twice, and that he had previously admitted this to an SSP Executive meeting, directly contradicting his and fellow MSP Rosemary Byrne's court testimonies. George McNeilage claims he secretly taped the meeting, prior to the defamation action, using a hidden camera at his home.

The transcript, and excerpts from the tape, can be found on the News of the World website.[18] The full legal implications of this evidence are not yet clear.

The newspaper has not been able to produce any images from the video showing Sheridan's face and Sheridan says the video is a fake. The News of the World claims it had four independent voice analysts confirm that the voice on the tape is that of Tommy Sheridan.[19] But in an interview for the BBC a forensic speech scientist, Peter French, said: "Experts should never say conclusively they have identified a person and this kind of evidence should never solely be used to bring a criminal trial". [20]

Sheridan then suggested that MI5, the Bush government, the SSP and Rupert Murdoch conspired to concoct the videotape to undermine his campaign for an independent socialist Scotland.[21]

Sheridan then admitted that his voice was on the tape, but that it had been 'spliced' with clips of someone else's voice. Crucially, this is far easier to prove or disprove than whether or not the entire tape is a fake. [1]

[edit] Perjury probe

The conflicting evidence given during the trial resulted in the judge warning several witnesses about the implications of perjuring themselves.

On 22 August 2006, the Crown Office said it had instructed the Edinburgh procurator fiscal to examine all of the evidence given in the defamation case to see if there were grounds for a criminal investigation. On 2 October 2006 prosecutors ordered police to carry out a criminal investigation into allegations of perjury.[22]

On 21 February 2007, The Herald reported that the Crown Office had asked Lothian and Borders Police to undertake a full inquiry after receiving a preliminary report.[23] Further information about the perjury investigation was reported in the Sunday Herald on 18 March 2007.[24]

In March 2007, Sheridan claimed that his car had been bugged. He said he didn't believe MI5 were responsible. He also denied that he had been responsible for planting the device as a diversion to the mounting perjury investigation.[25]

In May 2007, it was reported that staff at Cupids Swingers Club in Manchester had told police they had been offered bribes not to cooperate with the inquiry.[26] It has also been reported that the police are investigating the possibility of witness intimidation in the case. [27]

It is estimated that the costs of the perjury investigation may reach £500,000. [28]

On 16 December 2007, Sheridan was charged with perjury in relation to the News of the World case. [29] In a public statement outside the police station he attributed his arrest to the "powerful reach" of the Murdoch press.

[edit] Other information

With Joan McAlpine, he published A Time to Rage which chronicled the anti-poll tax movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Joan has since written about the young man she knew during that turbulent youthful period, with reference in particular to the libel case.

Together with Alan McCombes he published Imagine, an outline of the principles of socialism.

Tommy Sheridan had a weekly Sunday morning show on Talk 107 for 18 months, but was dropped by the station after appearing in court charged with committing perjury.[30] Sheridan often speaks at political rallies and public meetings throughout Scotland.[31]He is currently doing a Masters in Sociology at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.[1]

[edit] Trivia

  • A photograph of Tommy Sheridan can sometimes be seen in the house of Archie the Inventor in the popular children's TV series Balamory.[32]
  • In 2001, Tommy Sheridan provided vocals for "Daddy dog", a single and track on the album "Popartglory" by Scottish band Jasmine Minks, released on Alan McGee's label Poptones. [33]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Harper, Gareth. "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are", Strathclyde Telegraph, University of Strathclyde Student's Association, October 2007, pp. 6. Retrieved on 2007-10-17. 
  2. ^ a b Severin Carrell (4 October, 2006). Sheridan accuses MI5 and Murdoch over 'mother of stitch-ups'. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  3. ^ , and in February 2008 charges were made against six of his supporters Sheridan charged in perjury probe
  4. ^ "Sheridan resigns as SSP leader", BBC News, 11 November, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-07-14. 
  5. ^ Sheridan unveils Solidarity party. BBC News (3 September, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  6. ^ Sheridan starts defamation action. BBC News (4 July, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  7. ^ Call girl claims Sheridan affair. BBC News (5 July, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  8. ^ John Robertson (6 July, 2006). Sheridan had an affair with former prostitute, journalist tells court. The Scotsman. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  9. ^ Sheridan 'admitted' being in club. BBC News (7 July, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  10. ^ John Robertson (5 July, 2006). Sheridan 'admitted going to swingers' club'. The Scotsman. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  11. ^ Sheridan ready to 'take on fight'. BBC News (3 October, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  12. ^ Legal counsel sacked by Sheridan. BBC News (14 July, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  13. ^ Sheridan victory in court battle. BBC News (4 August, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  14. ^ Newspaper's Tommy appeal date set. BBC News (13 February, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  15. ^ "Sheridan witness 'threat' inquiry", BBC News, 2006-10-10. 
  16. ^ "Sheridan case police quiz ex-gunman", Sunday Herald, 2006-08-26. 
  17. ^ "Underworld king Ferris to hold court at festival", Scotsman.com, 2006-04-21. 
  18. ^ Some say it's too early... but Nicky was here for me. News of the World. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  19. ^ "Sheridan rubbishes video claims", BBC News, 2006-01-10. Retrieved on 2006-10-02. 
  20. ^ How accurate is voice identification?. BBC News Magazine (4 October, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  21. ^ Louise Gray (4 October, 2006). Sheridan claims to be 'victim of MI5 plot'. Scotsman. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  22. ^ Perjury probe over Sheridan trial. BBC News (2 October, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  23. ^ Tom Gordon (21 February, 2007). Sheridan perjury investigators given go-ahead for full inquiry. The Herald. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  24. ^ Paul Hutcheon. Police focus on Sheridan sex trial witness. Sunday Herald. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  25. ^ Police inquiry after ‘bug’ found in Sheridan’s car. The Herald. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  26. ^ Paul Hutcheon "Police investigate ‘bribery’ allegation in Sheridan case", Sunday Herald, c.18 March 2007. Retrieved on 3 August 2007.
  27. ^ Sheridan Case Police Quiz Exgunman (from Sunday Herald)
  28. ^ Sheridan probe to cost taxpayer £500,000
  29. ^ BBC NEWS | Scotland | Sheridan charged in perjury probe
  30. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7323369.stm | title=Sheridan dropped from radio show | date=1 April, 2008
  31. ^ Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan Speaking at IF Rally. YouTube (4 October, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  32. ^ Peter Ross (19 December 2004). Fantasy Island. Sunday Herald. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
  33. ^ jasmine minks Popartglory

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