Tommy's back - despite the court case

TOMMY Sheridan is to stage a surprise return to frontline politics by standing in the general election under the banner of a new socialist coalition led by militant trade union leader Bob Crow.

The former golden boy of the Scottish Left will stand in the Glasgow South West seat, which includes the Pollok ward where he was elected as a councillor while serving a six-month prison term for his fight against the Poll Tax 20 years ago.

Sheridan will stand despite facing perjury charges, with his wife Gail, over his defamation court victory after sex claims in a Sunday tabloid.

Insisting the case will not get in the way of his bid for a new parliamentary platform, to be officially announced on Wednesday, Sheridan said: "I have had this case hanging over me for a very long time now, but life goes on."

Sheridan intends to highlight his glory days during the campaign in a bid to snatch the Labour seat. He will also stand against public services cuts, a new generation of Trident nuclear missiles, and in support of striking workers.

The Solidarity Party, which Sheridan leads, has agreed to stand candidates in ten seats across Scotland as part of the new TUSC (Trade Union and Socialist Coalition) group

to be launched officially this week by Crow, leader of the RMT union which will lead Britain's first national rail strike for 16 years next month, and former Labour MP Dave Nellist.

They claim Labour no longer represents workers' interests.

Worryingly for Labour, individual candidates are being backed financially by trades unions including the postal workers' CWU, Fire Brigades Union, the RMT and the Prison Officers Association.

Sheridan said: "I am going to stand in Glasgow South West, as it includes a lot of areas that are going to be badly hit by cuts to public services."

He said he intended to highlight his role in fighting the Poll Tax 20 years ago.

"Of course, there were thousands of people across the country that stood up and defeated Thatcher's hated tax. What we need now is that same fighting spirit against these Tory and Labour cuts to public services, which will damage communities more than the Poll Tax ever could."

The far left in Scotland has been in disarray since a major split emerged in Sheridan's former party, the Scottish Socialists, over his court action against the News of the World.

Leading SSP figures, including fellow MSPs Colin Fox, Frances Curran and Carolyn Leckie, gave evidence against Sheridan in the 2006 court case, in which he won 200,000 in damages over claims that he had cheated on his wife and attended swingers clubs. No money has been handed over by the News of the World after the Rupert-Murdoch-owned newspaper launched an appeal. Sheridan was subsequently charged with committing perjury during the case.

Other TUSC candidates in Scotland include Brian Smith, the secretary of Glasgow City Unison branch, who will stand in Glasgow South. In Edinburgh East, Gary Clark, a senior member of the CWU, will stand, while the chairman of Dundee Unison, Jim McFarlane, will stand in Dundee West.