Solidarity (Scotland)

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Solidarity – Scotland's Socialist Movement
Leader	Tommy Sheridan MSP and Rosemary Byrne MSP
Founded	2006
Headquarters	Glasgow, G42 2DN
Political Ideology	Democratic Socialism, Scottish independence
Political Position	Left-wing
Parent Party	{{{parent}}}
International Affiliation	none
European Affiliation	none
European Parliament Group	n/a
Colours	Red, Green, White
Website	www.solidarityscotland.org
See also	Politics of Scotland Political parties Elections in 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)^[1] 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^[2]; both Trotskyist former SSP platforms.

The party has registered 9 combinations of "Solidarity" and Tommy Sheridan" with the Electoral Commission^{[3] [4]}, as well as "Solidarity".

Contents 1 Launch 2 Controversy 3 References 4 External link

[edit] Launch

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" ^[5]. The launch rally held in September 2006 in Glasgow featured several speakers and attracted around 600 people^[6].

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.^[7]

The conference witnessed debates on the name of the new party and its political orientation. During the conference the Socialist Workers Party argued that Solidarity had the potential to develop into a natural home for all anti-establishment protest movements (including anti-nuclear, anti-war, environmental, refugee and asylum seeker, housing, pension, anti-poverty, lesbian and gay rights campaigns as well as the growing movement against Islamophobia and reach out to minority ethnic and religious communities). The SWP whist recognising the key role socialists could play within the new party argued that Solidarity's name should not include a reference to socialism, as this could potentially discourage people who are active in left-oriented political campaigns but who do not consider perceive themselves as socialists 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). After a close vote the interim title of "Solidarity - Scotland's Socialist Movement" was adopted as the name of the party. The party's draft constitution was adopted by a unanimous vote and Rosemary Byrne and Tommy Sheridan, the party's two MSPs, were unanimously endorsed as Co-Convenors.^{[8] [9]}

[edit] Controversy

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.^{[10][11][12][13]}

There is also an ongoing dispute about the impending redundancy of parliamentary staff formerly employed by Sheridan and Byrne, involving allegations by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ)^[14] and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)^{[15] [16]}that Tommy Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne have ignored workers' rights of consultation prior to redundancy.

The Scottish Parliament has made clear it will not fund salaries to staff who do not work for elected parliamentary representatives and has advised the SSP that if they rejected an offer from Solidarity to employ and redeploy two more parliamentary staff they should take some other action to prevent job losses. Solidarity representatives take the view that the SSP parliamentary group have failed to do this and instead have allowed a crisis to be created by their inaction ^[17], an argument that the unions representing the workers reject, maintaining that the workers contract is with Sheridan and Byrne as part of a collective, not with the Scottish Parliament or the SSP.^[18]. The NUJ recently moved to negotiate with the two Solidarity MSPs, the four SSP MSPs, the parliamentary staff (11 who work with SSP and 3 with Solidarity) and with the parliamentary corporate body, with a view to securing a settlement.

[edit] References

1. ^ BBC News Online - New socialist party for Sheridan
2. ^ Socialist Party website - New socialist party launched in Scotland
3. ^ Sheridan's name is 'key to success' as Solidarity aims for six seats, The Herald, January 18th 2007
4. ^ Electoral Commission Site
5. ^ BBC News Online - Sheridan unveils Solidarity party
6. ^ The Herald - Solidarity wins on decibel count
7. ^ Socialist Worker Online - Solidarity founding conference
8. ^ Socialist World - Solidarity conference agrees to build a socialist party
9. ^ Solidarity Website - Solidarity Conference Elects Co-Convenors, Tommy Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne 04 November 2006
10. ^ The Herald - Transfer of funds to Sheridan’s party probed
11. ^ The Shetland News - Shetland socialists call in cops
12. ^ The Herald - Solidarity is cleared over funds ‘smear’
13. ^ The Shetland News - Party fraud probe still ongoing
14. ^ Letter from NUJ Rep published in Scottish Socialist Voice
15. ^ IWW website - Sheridan betrays his own workers
16. ^ IWW Website - NUJ backs dispute with Sheridan
17. ^ Weekly Worker 4th Jan 2007 - Solidarity Press team statement on SSP dispute over parliamentary staffing arrangements
18. ^ IWW website - Sheridan betrays his own workers

[edit] External link

• Party Website

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Scottish Parliament (129):	Labour (50) | SNP (27) | Conservative and Unionists (17) | Liberal Democrats (17) | Scottish Greens (7) | SSP (4) | Solidarity (2) | SSCUP (1) | Independent (5)
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