Congratulations

Congratulations to Tommy and Gail from Anne Macleod and Steve George. A brilliant result for socialism, justice and solidarity.

Inverness

Comments

[Norma Anderson]

I've come down from the ceiling now and recovered from the pain in my joints incurred in jumping out of my chair when the news came in. What can I say except pure dead brilliant!!! I thought the day could get no better but then I heard confirmation on the Grampian News that Tommy is to contest the leadership at the conference in October. Instead of the 'former leader of the SSP' we can now call him the 'future leader'! Let's get going comrades. Let's take our party back!
Solidarity
Norma

[Hugh Kerr]

Just rung Gail to give her and Tommy my congrats and just opened a bottle of bubbly and celebrated with 6 Danish socialists.This blog is a good idea and we should use it in the runup to the conference to make sure we get the party back on the right lines Hugh Kerr ps if anybody wants to debate with the forces of darkness they should join the SSP Debate site on the other hand you may have better things to do !

[Steve G]

Thanks Norma and Hugh i feel there will be lots of celebrations tonight.

[Anne MacLeod]

About time we started to get discussions about the way forward with other socialists. We are taking our party back Hugh. Celebrating here, lots of laughts and lots of tears.

[Sofie Macleod]

Congratulations to Tommy and Gail!!!!!!!!!

[tracey guy]

im a champane socialist tonight, so sue me!!. What a feeling.Im being swept along on a strong feeling of belief in the ssp, by former sceptics. I love to say i told you so! WELL DONE TOMMY.

[Ian Hood]

Not only is Tommy's victory great so was his speech afterwards. He's entitled to have a weekend off but as he said he'll be back on the streets on Monday campaigning to get the Israeli troops out of Lebanon. For the rest of us, there's no excuse we need to be out there this weekend!
All the best to Tommy, Gail and the rest of the family

[Alistair Hulett]

This is wonderful news and we are absolutely delighted for Tommy and Gail!!! Well done Tommy!!
In solidarity,
Alistair Hulett and Fatima Uygun.

[Norma Anderson]

I'm a sad git I know - I watch the news almost non-stop - so here is an up-to-date report. Just saw Reporting Scotland which featured Tommy's historic win - but also gave a platform to those well-known faces of the left (otherwise known as scabs) Carolyn Leckie and Alan McCombes. Leckie, in her usual gentle manner, continued to call Tommy a liar and a hypocrite and maintained that she was speaking on behalf of the SSP!!! (Well, not this member of the SSP she ain't)! McCombes came on a bit later and likened Tommy to J K Rowling saying he had produced a fantastic story!
I think we can take it from that that they are not going down without a fight! In the words of Dubya 'Bring it on'!
Solidarity
Norma

[Isla Alvey]

AS expected the Murdoch rag got a doing,and it has to be said with such style!!Well done Tommy You never let us down.
We will endure what is to come and await the day in October when the Party will be back in safe hands!
In Solidarity
I>R> ALvey Clydedale Branch

[Shug Falconer]

Cannae put into word how I feel since verdict came through. Tommy/Gail heartfelt congratulations to both of you, youve been utmost in my thoughts and hopes over the testing last few weeks and tonight I hope you dont mind me sharing your relief and joy along with the many of us out there true to our principles/convictions and together we savour todays battle and move forward together to win the war ahead for the heart,soul & mind of our Party and more importantly a movement which will connect, engage, motivate and represent the true desires/needs of the people of Scotland.

[Ken Glass]

I may now live 400 miles south of the border, but I still rushed home from work to check my emails. Reading the first sentence of Tommy's statement was enough to send me in to a Highland jig. I have not felt this good since Man U won the treble in 1999. well done Tommy and Gail.
SSP member in Exile

[Ian Drummond]

Was at the court today; it was like a scene from a 1960s epic with the thronging crowd waiting for the fate of its hero to be decided. When we found out we were all ecstatic, even a lot of the journos were happy. I could be here all night talking about the last couple of weeks I've been in court but I can't do it now; I'll be back. Just like to say I was shocked and disgusted by the UL giving their anti-Tommy filth to the press; John Aberdein is right to call them failed comrades.

[Emma Miller]

What an achievement - particularly against the lowest of the low NoW!
I am in Cape Town just now and watched the coverage on Sky News earlier this evening, which actually referred to a victory for the Scottish working class!
We are going on an anti-war demo here tomorrow and this will put a spring into our step.
Sky News were still talking this evening about the disintegration of the SSP. They will soon see how wrong they are about that!

[tracey guy]

doing the conga around the garden, im sponsored by smirnoff. hope you all had a fantastic night. street stall tomorrow.

[Steve G]

Suggest you save some conga for the conference Tracy

[Norma Anderson]

Could I suggest that comrades mention where they live at the end of each post. It would give us all a better idea of how widespread the support for Tommy is. Sorry to introduce a serious note to the proceedings - but I can't do the conga - and as I'm teetotal I can't even get the assistance of vodka! Mind you, I've been high enough today without the aid of artificial stimulants - with them I'd be bloody dangerous.
Solidarity
Norma (Moray)

[Mark Walker]

Just to add my good wishes and pledge to work to take the party forward under our rightfull future leader
Mark(Dundee)

[Jim Barlow (Dundee)]

What a victory! Now let's take the struggle forward and build a party that really wants to fight with Tommy Sheridan in the leadership. He has undoubtedly shown tremendous courage in the face of the most viscious anti-working class newspaper rags in the world. Now we can get on with job of taking on the capitalists who would like to destroy our world. Let's really build the demonstrations against war and demonstrate against Blair on September 23rd in Manchester. See you all there!!

[Marion Snee ( Dundee )]

Well done Tommy, what a victory for the working class. Onwards and Upwards now.

[Iain Ferguson, Dennistoun]

AS well as adding my congratulations to Tommy, I'd also draw comrades' attention to the excellent article by Ian Bell in Saturday's Herald - well worth circulating around.
Iain Ferguson, Dennistoun

[Gordon West]

Can I suggest that from now on we refer to the 11 SSP members who gave evidence on behalf of the NOW as 'the gang of 11' - not very original but sums up that they are only a small group that in no way represents the majority of the party.

Gordon West (Buchan branch)

[steve arnott]

Comrades,

I am delighted at the result, not just for Gail and Tommy, but for the future of the party. My friends say its a great result, my family say its a great result, my neighbour - who is not particularly political - thinks it is a great result. Colin Fox thinks it's a great result and he testified against Tommy. However, I am reading in today's press MSPs and others claiming to speak for 'the integrity' of the SSP, giving the impression that the German Revolution of 1923 had just failed. Does anybody have any ideas regarding this?

Steve Arnott

[morag robertson (edinburgh)]

Tommy Sheridan has just had 5 weeks' front page news coverage, has beaten News International with their half million pound legal budget DEFENDING HIMSELF and most of Scotland seems to be delighted for him.This has to be the strongest position the SSP has been in since we returned 6 MSPs.We have so much potential to build the party.
So I find it incredible that any member of this party would go to the Sun or the News of the World and give them all the quotes they need to support their preferred story; namely that Tommy's a liar and the SSP's finished.
Lothians had a meetiing yesterday to discuss how we carry the SSP forward. The meeting had to be terminated because some UL members attempted to physically attack a comrade.Two UL members claimed the SSP is "rotten to the core" and exhorted us to "keep your rotten little party."
I hope they do let us keep our party. My worry is that they intend to destroy the party instead. October seems like a long time away and we need to minimise damage so we can start moving on.
Maybe some of you already have concrete ideas about this, it might be better to hear about it by word-of-mouth.
Sorry about the length of this rant, I'm just really angry.
In Solidarity
Morag Robertson (Edinburgh)

[Sean Robertson]

So glad all of this trouble is over with and can't wait until October so that we can getTommy- and the SSP Majority- back at the top table. Tommy should never have resigned in the first place.