News of the World to appeal Sheridan verdict

In news that's perhaps less than surprising, the News of the World is going to court in an attempt to have the verdict on the Tommy Sheridan case overturned.

The SSP website is saying nothing about the appeal at the time of writing, but the United Left (ex-Militant) majority on the executive clearly are gearing up for a fight over leadership of the SSP itself. In the Herald's article about the court appeal, McCombes is quoted as saying that a state of "total war" now exists between Sheridan and his old allies, and that:

"We are not going to be intimidated by thuggish insults or rants on the TV. We are not going to be silenced either. We are going to win this"

In the other corner, meanwhile, Sheridan is backed by a bizarre alliance of the SWP and CWI (Socialist Party) platforms.

This raises the obvious question as to who would be better for left politics? I'll freely concede that I don't find the prospect of a Sheridan-led SSP, where he acts as George Galloway figure to a bunch of SWP footsoldiers, with the CWI playing the role of left cover (much like the International Socialist Group do for the SWP in the UK), in the slightest bit appealing. It would effectively be a Scottish Respect, and would be very much led by a combination of Sheridan's public persona and the SWP's political model. I don't know what's going on in the CWI platform's heads, but how they can possibly think that such a model represents a step forward for progressive socialist politics in Scotland is just beyond me.

But then equally, suppose McCombes et al were to win. A United Left-led SSP where the SWP's coup attempt is crushed and its supporters forever marginalised, would be almost as unappealing as Scottish Respect, albeit for differerent reasons. Dominated even more than before by left nationalism, a UL-run SSP could well drift closer and closer to the SNP, to the point where the two need no longer be separate organisations.

So... what's a (Scottish Socialist) boy/girl to do? Sorry but on this one I really don't have much in the way of suggestions. Good luck, and it's very sad, is all I can say.