Tommy Sheridan's jailing has 'helped his party's chances' for Holyrood

Published on Friday 22 April 2011 19:09

The party of the jailed politician Tommy Sheridan yesterday launched its manifesto for the Scottish election.

Solidarity, led jointly by Rosemary Byrne and Sheridan, will promise to vote against all public spending cuts if elected to Holyrood on 5 May.

Solidarity candidates are standing in every region in Scotland, while in Glasgow they are part of the George Galloway Coalition Against Cuts.

The top candidate for the Central Scotland regional list is Sheridan's sister Lynn.

The party pledged to set budgets specifically to protect jobs and services, scrap Trident and to "stand up and fight" for people across Scotland.

Ms Sheridan claimed that the jailing of her brother had had a positive effect on his party's chances to enter Holyrood.

The party pledged that Solidarity MSPs would vote against cuts to public spending in the next parliament.

Speaking at the manifesto launch in Motherwell, Ms Sheridan said: "I think it is going to have a positive impact on us.

"In this area, Motherwell, Wishaw and Hamilton, we have gained new members.

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"A lot of women who weren't known to Solidarity before the trial went along every day, and felt it was a total injustice, and are now coming out and campaigning for me every week on the stalls, so that's absolutely fantastic."

Hugh Kerr, a former Labour MEP and list candidate for South Scotland, said Mr Galloway would be "a giant of a voice amongst the many pygmies" in the Scottish Parliament.

Sheridan formed Solidarity in 2006 after splitting from the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP).

He was jailed in January after being found guilty of lying under oath during his defamation case against the News of the World.

The former MSP was sentenced to three years in jail.

Sheridan had sent a message of support to his comrades attending the launch.

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