Sixty people turned out to hear Tommy Sheridan speak in Belfast on 2 November despite the meeting being held at 5pm on a working day. 

Tommy Sheridan first came to prominence as a leader of the anti-Poll Tax movement in the late 1980s. He is now one of the leaders of the Solidarity - Scotland’s Socialist Movement. In his speech Tommy outlined recent developments in the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) and the prospects for Solidarity.

Solidarity was launched at the beginning of September by Tommy Sheridan, his fellow MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) Rosemary Byrne, and by hundreds of socialists who broke with the SSP in disgust at the actions of the Party leadership who sided with the News of the World against Tommy during his defamation court case. The International Socialists (the Scottish section of the CWI to which the Socialist Party is affiliated) were founding members of Solidarity. 

During October more than 1,000 people attended ten Solidarity public meetings across Scotland. This enthusiastic response shows the potential to build Solidarity in the run-up to the Scottish parliament elections next May.

The Socialist Party organised the meeting because we believe there are important lessons to be learnt from the experience of the SSP. Tommy finished a rousing speech by calling on those present to join the Socialist Party in Ireland.

The latest issue of Socialist View, the political journal of the Socialist Party, has an extensive article on the background to the launching of Solidarity. Contact the Socialist Party office to get your copy.