In Episode 12 of apolitical we speak with Tommy Sheridan, Co-convener of the Solidarity Party and a former MSP. We chat about his grounding in activist politics; his role in the anti-poll tax movement; Donald Dewar’s secret, last-ditch attempt to retain warrant sales; the rise and fall of socialist politics in the Scottish parliament; the fallout from his courtroom battles; and his hopes for the future.
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Amongst the topics we discuss with Tommy on the podcast are:
• The political example his mother set to him as a child;
• His early forays into activism at Stirling University;
• His favourite Miliband;
• Experiences from the anti-poll tax movement;
• His greatest achievement as a Parliamentarian;
• Donald Dewar’s secret efforts to retain warrant sales and poindings in Scotland;
• Concerns about swearing an oath to the crown;
• The reasons behind the SSP’s loss of all six MSPs at the 2007 Holyrood elections;
• The effect his court cases had on that decline;
• Why a public pharmaceutical service could make a big difference to Scotland;
• The platform Solidarity are standing on at next year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections;
• Trusting the Scottish electorate; and
• His hopes for the future of Scottish politics.
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Show Links:
Solidarity
Hope over Fear
Tommy Sheridan on Twitter
John Maclean
