FOX'S UNDEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION WON'T WASH WITH THE PUBLIC

While I think most members of the Scottish Socialist Party (and more importantly most of their voters) are genuine in their support for independence there remains a substantial minority who do not. Why has Lloyd Quinan never been properly utilised by the SSP? Why were deliberate obstacles put in the way of independent MSP Campbell Martin joining the party?

I think the SSP is still ran by Militants who don't trust anyone from a traditional nationalist background, this has hindered the SSP's expansion and recruitment. Colin Fox as leader may well have come round to the idea of supporting independence as a tactic however he seems to lack respect for the cultural side of the pro-independence argument.

Without a clear understanding and respect for the history and unique cultural identity of Scotland, which Sheridan had or had at least acquired the pro-independence argument lacks bite.Without some passion for the cause it won't happen.

The union flag debate exposed Brown as a careerist par excellence and for Fox to let him off the hook and attack our own flag showed a total lack of political common sense. Fox seems to believe in some kind of revolutionary socialism where everyone wakes up one day to a red flag flying and a world wide revolution! This is politically absurd and does not represent the view of either McCombes or Sheridan and their excellent visionary book 'Imagine'.

For most people a red dawn would represent their worst nightmare and the establishment of totalitarianism. In fact socialism needs to be acheived gradually from the ground up and through a consistent rejection of false right wing arguments.

He is quoted in Gregor Gall's book: Revolutionary Witticisms of Colin Fox, Rosie Kane and Carolyn Leckie MSPs as saying "I've found the parliamentary route to socialism, it's right next to the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."

This joke isn't particularly funny. If Fox says there is no parliamentary route to socialism then he does not believe in democracy and does not believe the SSP is capable of convincing the people of Scotland of the benefits of democratic socialism.

Sheridan does, and that's the difference. I think the British establishment with the help of particular ambitious journalists and certain key British orientated figures in the SSP (possibly by playing on their known prejudices, after all while the allegations of sexual impropriety probably hold little interest to most ordinary people they are guaranteed to irritate ardent feminists in the SSP) have set out to get Sheridan and to eliminate him as a political threat to the status quo.