In
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) is a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
. The party was formed in 1998 from an alliance of left-wing organisations in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. In 1999, it saw its first MSP returned to
Holyrood, with five more MSPs elected in 2003. It lost all MSPs in the
2007 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2007.
* Electoral calendar 2007
* Elections in 2007
* 2007 United Nations Security Council election
Africa
* 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress
* 2007 Algerian legislative el ...
and has lacked representation in the Scottish Parliament ever since.
Early years (1996–1998)
The forerunner of the SSP was the Scottish Socialist Alliance (SSA), a coalition of left-wing bodies in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
formed in 1996. Around 400 people attended the SSA's launch rally in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in February 1996, which attracted
socialists
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...
and
communists
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
from various party backgrounds. The largest group involved was
Scottish Militant Labour
Scottish Militant Labour (SML) was a TrotskyistDave avidOsle"The Tribune interview: Tommy Sheridan – Tartan Trot"''Tribune'', 30 July 1993 political party operating in Scotland for most of the 1990s and was part of the Committee for a Workers' ...
.
The first election fought by the SSA was the
Toryglen
Toryglen is a district in southern Glasgow, Scotland, falling within the Langside ward under Glasgow City Council. It is approximately two miles south of the city centre, bounded to the west by Mount Florida, the north-west by Polmadie, to the n ...
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
for
Glasgow City Council
Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...
in August 1996, with
Rosie Kane
Rosemary "Rosie" Kane (née McGarvey) (born on 5 June 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Socialist Party politician. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow Region from 2003 to 2007.
Political history
Introduction to pol ...
as the candidate, where it won a respectable 18% of the vote. The SSA went on to contest 16 seats in Scotland at the
1997 United Kingdom general election
The 1997 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 1 May 1997. The governing Conservative Party led by Prime Minister John Major was defeated in a landslide by the Labour Party led by Tony Blair, achieving a 179 seat majority.
Th ...
, including all ten Glasgow seats,
Edinburgh North and Leith, and both
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
seats.
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan (born 7 March 1966) is a Scottish politician who served as convenor of Solidarity from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 1998 to 2004 and as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2 ...
saved his deposit in
Glasgow Pollok, and Jim McVicar and
Alan McCombes
Alan William McCombes (born 1955) has been a leading member of the Scottish Socialist Party for several years, and was the editor of the ''Scottish Socialist Voice'' until 2003. With Tommy Sheridan, he was also author of Imagine: A Socialist Visi ...
picked up a significant vote in
Glasgow Baillieston and
Glasgow Govan respectively.
The SSA's electoral stance was that there needed to be a left-wing alternative to
New Labour
New Labour was a period in the history of the British Labour Party from the mid to late 1990s until 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The name dates from a conference slogan first used by the party in 1994, later seen ...
and the
SNP, and the SSA felt that the experience had been enough of a success to go on to form the
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland.
The party was founded in 1998. It c ...
(SSP) in 1998, with
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan (born 7 March 1966) is a Scottish politician who served as convenor of Solidarity from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 1998 to 2004 and as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2 ...
as its convenor, in advance of the
1999 Scottish Parliament election
The first election to the devolved Scottish Parliament, to fill 129 seats, took place on 6 May 1999. Following the election, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats formed the Scottish Executive, with Labour Member of the Scottish Parliam ...
.
Formation and growth of the SSP
The SSP contested the by-election for the European Parliament constituent of
North East Scotland that took place in November 1998.
1999 Scottish Parliament election
In April 1999 the SSP announced their manifesto for the first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament. Despite only having a party membership of around 1,200 the SSP contested all the regions, with the party's National Convenor
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan (born 7 March 1966) is a Scottish politician who served as convenor of Solidarity from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 1998 to 2004 and as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2 ...
the top-placed on their
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
regional list. Sheridan was elected, becoming their first MSP.
The period following the election of Scotland's only socialist MSP saw sustained growth for the SSP. During this period of sustained and rapid growth, it recruited extensively from former members of the
Labour Party and the
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
, in addition to trade unionists, environmentalists, and community campaigners. It also achieved what was, for a minor party, a respectable vote at the
2001 United Kingdom general election
The 2001 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 7 June 2001, four years after the previous election on 1 May 1997, to elect 659 members to the House of Commons. The governing Labour Party was re-elected to serve a second term ...
and a series of by-elections for the UK and Scottish parliaments (
Hamilton South,
Ayr
Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...
,
Glasgow Anniesland, and
Falkirk West).
2003 Scottish Parliament election
The 2003 elections to the Scottish Parliament took place shortly after the decision of the
UK parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremac ...
to invade
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and the
UK firefighter dispute 2002–2003. The SSP had been active in the anti-war movement and the firefighters' dispute, and fielded candidates in all seats. They gained five additional regional list MSPs across Scotland:
Frances Curran
Frances Curran (born 21 May 1961) is a former co-chair of the Scottish Socialist Party. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West of Scotland region from 2003 to 2007.
Political career
A former member of the Labour Party ...
;
Rosie Kane
Rosemary "Rosie" Kane (née McGarvey) (born on 5 June 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Socialist Party politician. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow Region from 2003 to 2007.
Political history
Introduction to pol ...
;
Carolyn Leckie;
Colin Fox; and
Rosemary Byrne
Rosemary Byrne (born 3 March 1948, Irvine, North Ayrshire) is a Scottish politician who served as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2006 to 2019.
Byrne was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South of Scotland region from 2003 ...
.
The party had a boost when the Scottish section of the
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is Alex Gordon and its current General Secretary is Mick Lynch.
The RMT is on ...
(RMT) affiliated with them, breaking their historical association with Labour.
Campbell Martin, a former SNP MSP who had become an independent, came fairly close to joining the SSP. The party did, however, recruit
John McAllion
John McAllion (born 13 February 1948) is a campaigner for the Scottish Socialist Party, as well as a former Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), and convenor of Tayside Regional Council. He is also co ...
, a former Labour MSP who lost his seat at the 2003 election. He stood for the SSP in the
2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election
The Dunfermline and West Fife by-election was held on 9 February 2006, following the death of the sitting Labour MP Rachel Squire, on 6 January. The by-election was the first seat to change hands in the 2005 Parliament, when Willie Rennie won ...
, but gained only 537 votes (1.6%).
Crisis and split
On 11 November 2004,
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan (born 7 March 1966) is a Scottish politician who served as convenor of Solidarity from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 1998 to 2004 and as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2 ...
resigned as convener of the Scottish Socialist Party, citing personal reasons. It later emerged that he had been pressured into resignation by the party's National Executive because he intended to sue a national tabloid newspaper over stories he knew to be true.
Colin Fox was elected to replace him at the party's
2005 leadership election.
By early August 2006, Sheridan was looking to become leader of the Scottish Socialist Party again but on 29 August 2006, before the election had taken place, Sheridan announced his intention to leave and found a new political party which he called
Solidarity
''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...
. His move was supported by
Rosemary Byrne
Rosemary Byrne (born 3 March 1948, Irvine, North Ayrshire) is a Scottish politician who served as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2006 to 2019.
Byrne was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South of Scotland region from 2003 ...
MSP. Sheridan hoped his splinter group would attract as many as 700 SSP members.
The SSP met immediately before the split at a national rally on 2 September 2006, at which Fox said "the vast majority of SSP members" had not been persuaded of the need for a new party.
As a result of the split, the party's national conference was brought forward from the following Spring to that October, and all of the party positions went up for election. All of the incumbents were re-elected, including Colin Fox as National Convener.
In October 2006 the RMT withdrew their support.
At the
2007 Scottish Parliament election
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. Local elections in Scotland fe ...
, the SSP hemorrhaged votes while Solidarity failed to win a seat. At the local elections that year, the SSP retained one councillor,
Jim Bollan
Jim Bollan (born c. 1950) is a councillor in West Dunbartonshire, representing the West Dunbartonshire Community Party. Until 2016 he was a member of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), having been the only elected representative from that party ...
, who was re-elected in
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire ( sco, Wast Dunbairtonshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann an Iar, ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the west of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's commuter town ...
.
Scottish referendum campaign
Following the 2011 elections to the Scottish Parliament and the resulting SNP majority, the Scottish Government announced its intent to hold an
independence referendum in 2014. In May 2012, a cross-party organisation called
Yes Scotland
Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...
was established to campaign for a Yes vote. The SSP's national co-spokesperson, Colin Fox, was invited to sit on its advisory board, reflecting the party's crucial support for independence over the past fifteen years. This was done at the insistence of Yes Scotland's non-partisan chief executive,
Blair Jenkins
Blair Jenkins (born 1957 in Elgin, Scotland) is a Scottish former journalist who served as chief executive of Yes Scotland in the campaign for a "Yes" vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Previously, he was Director of Broadcasting ...
, in the face of SNP opposition.
During the referendum campaign, the party continued to campaign on other issues including the
bedroom tax
The under-occupancy penalty (also known as the under occupation penalty, under-occupancy charge, under-occupation charge or size criteria) results from a provision of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012 whereby tenants living in public housing (a ...
,
fuel poverty A household is said to be in fuel poverty when its members cannot afford to keep adequately warm at a reasonable cost, given their income. The term is mainly used in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, although discussions on fuel poverty are increas ...
,
equal marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
, and the latest
Israel-Gaza conflict.
On 11 September 2013, the SSP launched a pamphlet called ''
The Case for an Independent Socialist Scotland'',
the publication of which has been welcomed by MSPs.
It has become the party's fastest-selling pamphlet ever. A launch event was held in the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
, hosted by Independent MSP
John Finnie
John Bradford Finnie (born 31 December 1956) is a Scottish Greens politician. He was the Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region from 2016 up until 2021, having previously sat as a Scottish National P ...
, and subsequent launch events took place in
Paisley and
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
. In June 2014, the party published another pamphlet outlining its case for "a modern democratic republic". In response to the publication of ''
Scotland's Future
''Scotland's Future'' is a government white paper published on 26 November 2013 by the Scottish Government under First Minister Alex Salmond. It lays out the case for Scottish independence and the means through which Scotland would become an in ...
'', the party issued a statement which said the Scottish Government's document had set out a vision that represents "very significant advance for the people of Scotland", but reaffirmed the SSP's commitment to a socialist Scotland.
As part of the party's campaign for independence, it held dozens of public meetings across Scotland with a range of speakers. The party's final meeting, scheduled to take place in Drumchapel Community Centre, was cancelled after unionist protests. In the aftermath,
Richie Venton
Richie Venton (born 1953) is a Scottish trade unionist and political activist. As of 2018, he is one of two Scottish representatives on the National Executive Council of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) and the national ...
said: "Those demonstrating may have learned that their support for a Westminster regime was impoverishing themselves and their communities. But what they should know is we shall continue to fight against austerity and the tyranny of the Tories over communities like Drumchapel, Govan, Easterhouse and indeed, Scotland."
In an interview with the ''Sunday Herald'' in late August 2014, Colin Fox said: "The SSP has brought a proletarian sense to Yes Scotland and reminded people the decisive issue is whether people think they're going to be better off. It's not the currency, it's not the EU, it's not those highfalutin' chattering class issues." He said that the party brought "a sense of the schemes, the workplaces, the unions" to the campaign.
The SSP after the referendum
![Richie Venton TUC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Richie_Venton_TUC.jpg)
After the announcement of the referendum result, the SSP was amongst the political parties that reported significant increases in the size of their membership. As of 23 September, more than 2,100 people had joined the party since the referendum result was declared. As a result, new branches were established across the country.
When the make-up of the
Smith Commission
The Smith Commission was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron on 19 September 2014 in the wake of the 'No' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The establishment of the commission was part of the process of fulfilling The Vow ...
was announced, Colin Fox protested the decision to "uniquely exclude" the SSP from proceedings. He wrote to the Smith Commission: "The argument some use to justify our exclusion on the grounds that we currently have no 'parliamentary representation' fails to appreciate that the referendum was not a parliamentary process but an unprecedented public debate that resulted in an extraordinary level of engagement from all sections of society. To exclude the SSP is to exclude an important constituency of opinion in Scottish society."
The SSP's 2014 National Conference took place in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
on 25 October and the party reported it had been better attended than the preceding several years and that their membership had trebled during the weeks following the referendum. It was the first SSP conference to be
streamed live over the Internet.
References
{{Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
Political history of Scotland
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland.
The party was founded in 1998. It c ...
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland.
The party was founded in 1998. It c ...