The court resumed after lunch to hear from Felicity Garvie, Tommy Sheridan's former parliamentary assistant and another of the witnesses recalled to the court after Mr Sheridan dispensed with the services of his previous advocate Maggie Scott QC. Mr Sheridan began by asking Ms Garvie about her political background, she had been a member of the Militant's sister organisation in Germany, which she agreed was an "entryist party" within the German SPD much like the Militant had been inside the UK Labour party.
He then asked her about bills he had sponsored in the Scottish parliament between 1999 and 2003 (when he was the only SSP MSP) such as the Scottish Service Tax and the Free School meals Bill. The witness was asked if Mr Sheridan's mobile phone number was widely known, to which she replied that "everyone seemed to have it." and then put to the witness that it have even been published in a magazine produced by Glasgow City council. Mr Sheridan then Ms Garvie about his former press secretary Hugh Kerr and if he had been "driven from the parliament by tensions between Mr Kerr on one side and Francis Curran and Carolyn Leckie on the other. Ms Garvie said she had been aware of tensions but disagreed with that version of events. He then showed the witness his diary and pointed to various pages where entries had been scored out and asked of this was usual. Ms Garvie said she did not have access to Mr Sheridan's diary and could not say either way.
Mr Sheridan then read out a number of his diary entries that appear to refer to scrabble scores and asked the witness if she was aware he was a keen scrabble player? she replied "apparently With that Mr Sheridan ended his cross examination and returned to the dock. The Advocate depute having no questions Ms Garvie was allowed to step down from the witness box.
20 comments:
Seeing as the comments on this post might be a little slow I'd like to ask a question.
Does anyone know why the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) has not commented on the criminal trial? They were by far the largest group to leave the SSP with Tommy and form Solidarity.
I couldn't see any mention of the trial from their online sites or blogs. Not even a "we're not going to comment as it's a live trial".
Despite the title, the SWP (Socialist Workers Party) is not a political party; it's a Movement.
A Movement can make a comment, just as a Party can.
I'd guess, in their usual manner, they're hedging their bets.
Opportunistic chancers.
Thanks.
Any ideas why it's completely silent on the issue of Tommy being at court just now? Unless I'm mistaken they are the largest faction within Solidarity, Tommy's party.
Just did a quick google and found this article
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=22586
I guess you could call them "a party within a party" ...
Thanks Anon,
I completely missed that. I swear that I had a right good search. I didn't google it though. I just went on their main sites.
I even remember doing a search within one of them.
Aw, man, the scrabble scores. How could I forget to mention the scrabble scores when I did my blog entry last Thursday after Tommy took us on a grand tour of his diary?
Now that we've all had intimate knowledge of Tommy's diary, the one thing that strikes me is how incredibly busy he was. I take it in part as testament to him being a non-drinker. So much more time available when you don't lose evenings in the pub and mornings with a hangover.
Does anyone know why the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) has not commented on the criminal trial?
I think its more strange that you canna find any comments on the web from the SSP about the case.Or is the case that all SSP members are going to appear in the courts to testify against TS.:)
"I think its more strange that you canna find any comments on the web from the SSP about the case.Or is the case that all SSP members are going to appear in the courts to testify against TS.:)"
Really, comments like this just show how ignorant people are of the legal process.
"I think its more strange that you canna find any comments on the web from the SSP about the case.Or is the case that all SSP members are going to appear in the courts to testify against TS.:)"
Really, comments like this just show how ignorant people are of the legal process.
But Shug dont you think if you was in the SSP you would feel left out if yer dinna get to testify.More than half of the SSP have trooped through the dock already & kept us all entertained.I so wish it was like the states & you could watch it on TV....beat any comedy show.
"I think its more strange that you canna find any comments on the web from the SSP about the case."
Well it's funny, but it's not really strange is it?
I'd imagine they will just want the whole thing to vanish into a passing black hole.
I always thought Militant were newspaper sellers, oh well not often I'm right but I'm wrong again. Now lets have some pity for the SWP, they are in a place they don't want to be, the SWP's decision to overturn their original support of the SSP Executive seems to have been under the watch Rees, German and Bambery, say no more.
Well if they want it to disappear into a black hole then they seem to have a strange way in helping it happen. Most of the SSP witness's, (mostly still leading members of the organisation), seemed to have relished appearing in court so they could have a go at TS. Kind of guaranteed to get the headlines.
How do they seem to relish it? They've seemed angry and upset to me, emotion doesn't mean you're enjoying it.
And no Jim that's not enough said, I think groups have to be responsible instead of giving it "a big boy did it and ran away".
Shug, maybe your right, one reason I could never rejoin Labour is the fact that as a party they refuse to accept responsibility for the illegal war and hundreds and thousands of deaths that was the outcome of those wars. Blame Blair, Brown, no blame every member of Labour who did not speak out. Reconciliation in Scotland will be hard for the left and perhaps some form of armed neutrality for the next elections will be the best outcome, and if there is not a single left slate why play a game that will give succour to the politics of the far right as they beat a divided left at a time when the Left should be on the rise.
jim Mclean 10:43, you sure that you are not getting Militant mixed up with the Big Issue?
anon 2.09
you sure that you are not getting Militant mixed up with the Big Issue?
naw most Big Issue sellers have had real jobs at times.
> Despite the title, the SWP (Socialist Workers Party) is not a political party; it's a Movement.
Heck, what are they then? For they surely are not Socialists or Workers either...
Exactly Christian Schmidt, no-one in the Socialist Worker's Party is a Socialist and none of them have ever down a day's work in their lives; very dodgy organisation, load of middle-class hammy actors, they'll turn up with a dug on a string handing out Socialist Workers Party for the environment leaflets with a dug on a string lol, then you'll spot them driving in a 4x4 wearing a hand-knitted cashmere suit driving their kids to private school lol , who the hell are these people?, must be infiltrated to the ceiling that Movement.
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