Statement from Alan McCombes, jailed policy co-ordinator of the SSP
Mhairi McAlpine | 27.05.2006 22:35
Alan McCombes, yesterday jailed for refusing to hand over confidential internal minutes of the Scottish Socialist Party has released the following statement.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Alan McCombes statement
Alan McCombes, press and policy coordinator of the Scottish Socialist
Party made the following statement :
"My decision, which I took with the full support of the SSP, not to
hand over the documents demanded by the court was not one taken
lightly but in the full understanding of the possible serious
consequences that could follow."
"However I took my stand on the clear position that the Scottish
Socialist Party, like all democratic organisations, has the right to
hold private discussions on sensitive matters and for those
discussions to remain confidential."
"That is not only my view but also the view taken by both the SSP's
executive and our National Council composed of rank and file delegates
from across Scotland"
" Scottish Executive has argued precisely this view on such sensitive
matter as the Shirley McKie case, the handling of the scandals around
Hepatitis C and many PFI contracts which are paid for by public money"
"We now face the grotesque position that a small party is being
pressed by the state to hand over its internal records while the
Executive is allowed to keep policy decisions and other matters of
vital public interest under lock and key."
"To comply with the demand to hand over the documents would endanger
the right of free debate inside political parties and mean that out
rights of free association would be threatened."
" In such discussions the keeping of records and minutes is a vital
part of ensuring that elected officers are accountable to their
members and meeting the court's demand to hand over internal records
threatens that right."
"My legal team Paul Cullen and Fred Tyler presented a powerful case
for my position and I pay tribute their skills is so doing and thank
them for their work."
Further info:
The Scottish Socialist Party head offices was searched last night and this afternoon by Messengers at Arms (Court Officials) as was Alan's home, searching for the minutes which have been demanded by News International defending a libel action taken out by Tommy Sheridan, the former convenor of the SSP.
Three other members of the SSP were cited alongside Alan McCombes and a further 13 were cited after Alan appeared in court.
Court costs of £10K have been awarded to News International.
Alan McCombes statement
Alan McCombes, press and policy coordinator of the Scottish Socialist
Party made the following statement :
"My decision, which I took with the full support of the SSP, not to
hand over the documents demanded by the court was not one taken
lightly but in the full understanding of the possible serious
consequences that could follow."
"However I took my stand on the clear position that the Scottish
Socialist Party, like all democratic organisations, has the right to
hold private discussions on sensitive matters and for those
discussions to remain confidential."
"That is not only my view but also the view taken by both the SSP's
executive and our National Council composed of rank and file delegates
from across Scotland"
" Scottish Executive has argued precisely this view on such sensitive
matter as the Shirley McKie case, the handling of the scandals around
Hepatitis C and many PFI contracts which are paid for by public money"
"We now face the grotesque position that a small party is being
pressed by the state to hand over its internal records while the
Executive is allowed to keep policy decisions and other matters of
vital public interest under lock and key."
"To comply with the demand to hand over the documents would endanger
the right of free debate inside political parties and mean that out
rights of free association would be threatened."
" In such discussions the keeping of records and minutes is a vital
part of ensuring that elected officers are accountable to their
members and meeting the court's demand to hand over internal records
threatens that right."
"My legal team Paul Cullen and Fred Tyler presented a powerful case
for my position and I pay tribute their skills is so doing and thank
them for their work."
Further info:
The Scottish Socialist Party head offices was searched last night and this afternoon by Messengers at Arms (Court Officials) as was Alan's home, searching for the minutes which have been demanded by News International defending a libel action taken out by Tommy Sheridan, the former convenor of the SSP.
Three other members of the SSP were cited alongside Alan McCombes and a further 13 were cited after Alan appeared in court.
Court costs of £10K have been awarded to News International.
Mhairi McAlpine
e-mail:
mhairi_mcalpine@yahoo.co.uk
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
Atrocious
28.05.2006 11:37
Larry O'Hara
e-mail:
contactnfb@tiscali.co.uk
Homepage:
http://www.borderland.co.uk
Mainstream coverage
28.05.2006 16:02
At a critical meeting of the party's national council this morning, members are expected to call on him to abandon his lawsuit against the News of the World. Sheridan is unlikely to do that, which would make a split in the country's 'trail-blazing, anti-establishment' left-wing party inevitable.
Court officials have failed to find documents at the centre of a legal row during a search of the Scottish Socialist Party's offices on Saturday.
SSP official Alan McCombes was jailed on Friday for 12 days for refusing to release minutes on the resignation of former leader Tommy Sheridan in 2004.
Judge Lady Smith said he had put party loyalty "above his duty" to the court.
The News of the World had requested the internal party documents to defend a libel case brought by Mr Sheridan.
ALAN McCombes, the ideological driving force behind the far-left Scottish Socialist Party, was jailed yesterday for refusing to hand over internal party documents to the Court of Session.
Mr McCombes, the SSP's press and policy co-ordinator, gave a clenched-fist salute before he was taken away to begin more than a week in jail for defying orders to surrender papers relating to a defamation case involving Tommy Sheridan, the party's former leader.
Cheered by party colleagues, including Colin Fox, MSP, the SSP leader, Mr McCombes was warned by the judge, Lady Smith, that he had flouted an order of the court. She said he would be held in contempt if he continued his refusal to hand over the documents when he was brought back before the court on Tuesday, 6 June.
sunspot
Collapse of the SSP
30.05.2006 19:46
Vile radical feminists and state infiltrators in the SSP are showing their true colours by opposing Tommy's quest for justice.
In fact it is these same vile people who are the origin of much of the slander, and are lining themselves up with the establishment and Rupert Murdoch's press.
The sad fact in all of this is that a popular SSP leader has been tainted and removed, with corresponding decline in support and faith in the SSP.
It is now likely as the saga drags on that the SSP will suffer in next year's Scot Parl elections. The unfortunate truth is that this may be a good thing in that the SSP is interminably corrupted by radical feminist freaks, police spies and other assorted politically correct, middle class wankers.
An SSP collapse by the next Gen Elec is now a distinct possibility.
Uncle Joe
Re: Uncloe Joe
01.06.2006 12:55
Dave
Meltdown
05.06.2006 20:17
I've been an active SSP Member but have recently come out of the surroundings. Just now they are a complete joke, whoring themselves to the red topped big business brigade.
"McCoombes" can't string two words together without the hand of one of the "socialist burds" up his arse.
They are fast becoming a bigger joke than the tartan tinpot Nationalists.
Desperate Dan