“That eejit is toast!”

As they say in Glasgow. I can’t bring myself to put up the link to the News of the World but Sheridan lied to the class and now he’s looking at jail time. Channel 4 covered the story too.
http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=3451
A lawyer writes:
“For what it’s worth in my view Sheridan will be in gaol doing a two to three year stretch within 12 months, possibly accompanied by Rosemary Byrne and others (doing perhaps slightly less). The idea that the NOTW would not be working round the clock to obtain such evidence subsequent to their court defeat is laughable. If it wasn’t this tape it would be some fake sheikh standing next to Tommy at a party or on a street corner – miked up to pick up his confessions. The brazen way in which the NOTW have repeated this “libel” on its front page with the words “Guilty” and a two page spread inside means that they are absolutely certain as to this tape’s authenticity. It is very rare for media outlets to repeat libels when they have just lost in court. Certainly not with an appeal possibly pending.

One of those open to perjury investigation by these new revelations is Pat Smith. If I am correct in thinking she was the SW rep on the SSP EC it could even open up the SWP to allegations of criminal conspiracy (organising around a line that people should lie on oath on the issue). Despite our profound differences with them and the fact that their stance richly deserves the international contempt it will bring upon them, including the annhilation of their Scottish operation and severe discrediting in England – we would need to defend them as a party (not necessarily the individuals concerned) against any court action. Not on the basis that they were right or that they weren’t involved in such a conspiracy. But because it is for the left, the labour movement and the working class to settle this issue and not the police, the courts and the bourgeois state.”

10 responses to “That eejit is toast!”

  1. I had thought that the SSP UL grouping had sunk pretty low when they leaked the existence of a supposed minute to the newspapers. Before giving evidence for the NotW. I then, naively, thought that they couldn’t sink any lower when their leading members started demanding perjury investigations. Even then it would have taken an imagination greater than mine to have forseen them arranging media stunts where they hand over what they claim is evidence to the police.This though takes the biscuit. By their own account a UL member sold tapes to the NotW to help them nail Sheridan. These tapes, again by their own account, were supposedly secretly recorded by this UL member who was then a friend of Sheridan.Are their any depths to which these people won’t stoop?

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  2. The respsonsibility for this mess is Sheridan’s alone. He should have followed the party’s advice and not gone to court. It’s his fault that people face jail for perjury.You can’t have a political culture in which the leaders can hide the truth from the members. Sheridan had no right to ask people to lie.

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  3. It is so nice to see that your lawyer colleague is the only other person in the UK apart from myself to still spell gaol correctly.

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  4. You either published this musing on prosecuting the SWP itself (and others) out of deep ineptitude or deep malevolence To raise that question – when you can’t know what the Crown lawyers are thinking about – is very wrong and you should delete this post ASAP.

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  5. Southpaw, do you really think that this blog is going to influence the decision to prosecute? It has never influenced anything else much. The trial judge asked for a perjry enqiury to be started as soon as the verdict was reached. This was because two groups of people were telling two stories which suggested one group was telling the truth and one group had conspired to perjure. The comments are those of a lawyer who has taken a political interest in the case. It’s Sheridan’s mess. If you want to be cross with someone take it out on him

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  6. No, I think it unlikely that it will – but the point is that it could possibly.I have not seen any speculation elsewhere on prosecuting a party. If you flag this up and it is taken up – however unlikely that is – you will be responsible.

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  7. “I have not seen any speculation elsewhere on prosecuting a party.”The cops have their ten best men on it full time according to the Scotsman. I’m thinking their findings and the News of the World will probably influence the decision as to whether to prosecute a touch more than Liam’s blog – although obviously I’m not saying that Glasgow police are not avid readers of the left blogosphere… although, well, actually, yes, I am saying that.

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  8. I am not disagreeing that the likelihood of this blog making any difference is very small. But it exisits.And so to correct my previous post very slightly, Liam Mac Uaid COULD be responsible for making them think along these lines. Something that is criminal is not removing this post.

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  9. Southpaw, you are starting to sound bit ridiculous. This idea of conspiracy to perjure is screamingly obvious to anyone who know anything about the law. That probably includes the Scottish political police and the prosecuting authorities. In my political culture it’s not acceptable for leaderships to lie or hide unpleasant facts and I prefer it that way.As for criminal? Compared to a one in ten million hypothetical possibility that some Special Branch officer might decide to put my report of pub gossip into action Sheridan’s very real bullying of someone to tears in court, denying that you had a relationship with them, obliging them to leave their home and their job, asking comrades to perjure themselves and risk prison to protect your public image and wrecking the SSP it weighs pretty lightly in the scale. Wise up!

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  10. Douthpaw,Given that there is a very real possibility of prosecution then it is extremely responsible of Liam, and myslef and others who have commented on it to discuss the political process that led the SSP into that mess, and try to work out why it happened.This is actualy minimising the political damage.

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