The SSP

Hello,

Yes I know I should leave it alone. I know I left the party ages ago but I can't help it. I'm referring to the recent spot of bother the SSP has found itself in. I'm particularly horrified at the truly bizarre behaviour of the female members of the party. Though I must say I'm not surprised by it.

Tommy Sheridan has written an open letter to the SSP membership which alleges that he and several other members have been the victims of a frankly deranged and very personal vendetta. Specifically he refers to an incident involving a female MSP during which he was publicly accused of people trafficking.

'In the Brel(?) Bar in Ashton Lane just over 12 months ago one of the three female MSPcomrades who have consistently sought to undermine me and discredit me, accused me of "being involved in woman trafficking". "Eastern European women" to be precise.'

I presume this woman considers herself to be a feminist. If she believes that these allegations are true then why has she not gone to the police? Why has she not spoken out publicly? Is she more concerned with keeping her cushy job as an MSP than the suffering of trafficked women?
Or is she lying? Call me suspicious but I have serious doubts about the validity of her claims.

There have also been rumours spread by party members about his involvement in drug dealing. Again if there is any truth in these claims go to the police who I'm sure would be delighted with such a high profile arrest.

Further allegations have been made that he visits prostitutes and lap dancing clubs. Neither of which bother me particularly, but again if the people making these allegations are so sure of their validity then stand up and say so publicly.

Similarly the comments over here contain more allegations , this time of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Once again I must ask why no-one is standing up and putting their name to these allegations? After all if relatively senior female party members are out to get Tommy Sheridan then anyone coming forward with stories likely to discredit him wouldn't be short of support.

I'm also puzzled as why so many feminist women were willing to remain members of a political party apparently complicit in covering up sexual crimes by one of it's members. I realise that victims of sexual crimes find it difficult to speak out, however it strikes me as cowardly to either experience or witness sexual harassment and stay silent until the alleged perpetrator is in a disadvantaged position. Let's also remember that these are adult women, not children. If any of these allegations are true then in my opinion they should be ashamed that not one of them has had the courage to take a public stand.

I'm sure the excuse for their failure to speak out will be that they wouldn't be believed. Well I tend not to believe whispered allegations of this sort. If someone is willing to stand up in public and take the consequences like an adult then I'm more inclined to conclude that they're telling the truth. I would also point out that this whispering in corners and total failure of anyone to stand by their allegations does women an enormous disservice and adds to the perception that women make these stories up to get at men. If this is typical of the feminist defence of women's rights then God help me because my sisters are a fucking liability.

Whatever the truth of the matter the SSP have rendered themselves totally unelectable. Either they have been guilty of covering up crime or engaged in a vicious smear campaign against an innocent individual, both of which render them unfit to hold office.

Cheerio