Tommy Sheridan
Tommy is a figure of surprise as he is currently fronting his own chat show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2007 and is a top radio presenter of a talk show on Talk 107.
In 2006 Tommy sued the News of the World and won the libel action receving the largest payment in Scottish history. That year Tommy also formed his own socialist political party ‘Solidarity’ in September 2006 after leaving the Scottish Socialist Party. In May 2007 Tommy lost his seat as an MSP in the midst of polarised election and historic Nationalist victory.
Tommy is no stranger to controversy for his political stance began when he missed his graduation ceremony in Economics and Politics at Stirling University in1985; this was to attend a demo against unemployment and council cutbacks in Liverpool. He had volunteered to drive the mini-bus!
Tommy joined the Labour Party in 1981 and was first arrested for political activity in 1987 for occupying Benetton clothing store against their links with apartheid South Africa. He founded the first anti-poll tax union and pledged to organise mass non-payment in 1988, he was then elected secretary of Pollok Anti-Poll Tax Federation and later of All Britain Anti-Poll Tax Union in 1989. Tommy was arrested on several further occasions for anti-poll tax activities including occupations of sheriff officer’s offices and human blockades to prevent sheriff’s entering non-payers homes.
On 31st March 1990 Tommy led and addressed mass demos against poll tax across Scotland and UK including 40,000 demonstrators in Glasgow and 100,000 demonstrators in Trafalgar Square; the event turned into a riot and on the same day on a flight from Glasgow to London Tommy met his wife to be, Gail.
Tommy’s hands on approach to politics led him to organise a physical blockade of the first attempted warrant sale against a single parent from Greenock who couldn’t afford poll tax. Tommy helped prevent public auction of her TV, display cabinet and coffee table on Oct 1st 1991. He defied a court injunction, an interdict, to attend the blockade and publicly ripped up the warrant. Tommy was later charged with Contempt of Court and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment in March 1992.
Tommy set up and led Scottish Militant Labour Party in 1992, Scottish Socialist Alliance in 1996 and Scottish Socialist Party in 1999.
On August 4th 2007 Tommy will return to Edinburgh to perform at the Gilded Balloon in ‘The Tommy Sheridan Chat Show’ exactly 1 year to the day that he won his historic libel case.