HOW MANY SSP/SOLIDARITY MEMBERS CAN DANCE ON THE HEAD OF A PIN ?

One of the saddest aspects of being on the political left in this country is the fragmentation which plagues us; if I can name drop for a second, I spent an hour in the company of Tony Benn at the Theatre Royal Glasgow before he did his lecture to a packed theatre, my companions were Cllrs. Burns and Williams and we had a fantastic conversation, we did a brief trawl trough his life history which was an incredible privilege for us. I remember vividly that he was never more animated than when he was talking about the number of left wing parties in Britain; the number at that time was 23, he damned the fact that we were unable to stick together and he also said as I do that there is no other credible vehicle for socialist change than the Labour Party. I’m not sure what the number is now but it still gives me grief that these divisions exist, I read that during the Glasgow East By Election ex Labour Party ex SSP and now Solidarity member Tommy Sheridan was saying that he knew he couldn’t win but was hoping that Labour got a kicking from the SNP, for a so called left wing socialist to find himself on a journey which brings him to a position where he wants the SNP to win is quite incredible, for the SSP to ally themselves with the SNP as happened in Renfrewshire Council is also quite incredible, this is where we are and it is a tragedy.

The overwhelming number of members of these parties started out as Labour members/voters but, sadly they all have one thing in common they are quitters; they have all given up, they are now happy to wring their hands on the sidelines safe in the knowledge that they will never have to get those hands dirty because they will never get anywhere near power; they talk a good game; they are quite rightly a rich seam of comic material for the likes of “Monty Python” and “Wolfie Smith”, a terrific folk singer from North East England Called Alex Glasgow used to bring the house down years ago by singing about them as follows ;-
As soon as this pub closes,
As soon as this pub closes,
As soon as this pub closes,
The revolution starts.

Not really funny I know but very true; some are genuine but misguided, a great many more are bitter because the Labour Party never recognised or rewarded their talents, more still; like the idea of political involvement but don’t fancy swimming with the big fish. In the case of the SSP and Solidarity we have so called left wingers who have moved from being Internationalists to Nationalists and now attach themselves to every popular cause there is. They take their lead from the capitalist media that they profess to hate, the American term “Ambulance Chasers” best describes them. Lots of these people are quite happy to see their mountain of lost deposits grow ever higher; this keeps their bogus claims and posturing safe from scrutiny, I still hope that some day they will come off the comfortable fence that they sit on and join the struggle in the only place where it is really taking place “The Labour Party” until they do, they will achieve nothing and the country will continue to laugh at them.

Comedians and script writers will continue to dip into that rich seam of ridicule and farce that they provide, fly by night actors and luvvies will continue to use them to bolster their rebellious images while, at the same time, making a good living at their expense, Rebels? Revolutionaries? My bloody 'Jim Royle.'