Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement can today confirm that our Co-Convenor Tommy Sheridan, has been selected by the Glasgow membership to stand as our candidate in the forthcoming Glasgow North East by-election.

Tommy’s record as a representative and tribune of socialist ideas is second to none having served as both a councilor and two periods as an MSP. 

He was elected to Glasgow City Council in 1992 to represent Pollok from his prison cell having been jailed in his opposition to the hated Poll Tax. (click here) 

Tommy served as a Glasgow City Councilor between 1992 and 2003 and was elected to Holyrood in 1999 where he served the first of his two terms as an MSP.

During his time in Holyrood he successfully moved a bill to abolish warrant sales (click here) and introduced other bills to Renationlise the Railways (click here), for Free School Meals (click here) and to abolish the Council Tax (click here) and replace it with a fairer Service Tax. In 2001 he was awarded the title “Debater of the Year” at the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards. 

He has been jailed for taking part in demonstrations against nuclear weapons on the Clyde at the Faslane Naval Base (click here), has campaigned alongside parents in Glasgow for the abolition of air guns (click here) and against school closures (click here). 

During all his time in elected office, Tommy Sheridan took home only the pay of an average skilled worker and donated the rest of his MSP’s salary back to the cause of socialism. 

Tommy Sheridan said today,  

“It is a privilege and an honour to have been selected as Solidarity’s candidate in the Glasgow North East constituency. We will use this opportunity to put the ideas of socialism firmly back on the political agenda.” 

“All of the major parties in this election will be standing on a program of offering cuts, cuts and more cuts. Cuts in the public sector, cuts in benefits and cuts in schools all to pay for the economic crisis of their making.” 

“We reject the idea that it is the most vulnerable in society who should pick up the tab for the mismanagement of others. Our young people and students, our pensioners and our low paid have already suffered enough. It’s time that the bankers, the bosses and the politicians who got us into this mess paid their fair share.”

 “Solidarity stands shoulder to shoulder with those in the community of Glasgow North East opposed to cuts, fighting for jobs, decent affordable housing and a proper pension. We stand with the workers threatened with redundancy at Diageo’s port Dundas plant and we stand with striking postal workers defending jobs and services.”  

Solidarity has already been active in the constituency (click here) and will officially launch our campaign early next week.