Saturday, June 25, 2011

Scotland’s Nelson Mandela, Tommy Sheridan could be 'free by October', but what then, Solidarity needs a total revamp and name change, brand destroyed













Dear All

Scotland’s Nelson Mandela and former MSP Tommy Sheridan is heading towards the prison gates and to freedom.

He could be out of jail by October after just nine months into his three-year sentence.

The good news just keeps on coming for Tommy Sheridan who will leave the prison cell for the campaign trail.

His wife is expected to stand as a Council Candidate in the Glasgow City Council elections of 2012.

Although the press will be looking for an admission of wrongdoing from Sheridan, it won’t be coming, he is as far as he is concerned an ‘innocent’ man, although the evidence is overwhelming.

He is a political prisoner of ‘the man’.

So, when he comes out what should he be doing?

Well politically, he has to revamp the Solidarity Party, they need a name and image change.

Out should go ‘comrades’ and ‘brothers and sisters’ and in should come professionalism.

To be credible you have to be professional.

When he does that, he can specifically target locations to build up voter confidence in his party.

Solidarity is dead as a brand.

That’s politics.

When he is released, he will be wearing an electronic tag but he will get time to spend Christmas at home with his wife and daughter.

His lawyer also says that Tommy Sheridan could be permanently freed in January.

The 47-year-old was moved from Glasgow Barlinnie Prison to Castle Huntly open jail near Dundee on Tuesday.

He will be eligible for home visits of up to a week in a month's time.

Home cooked meals and plenty of love.

Through-out his imprisonment, Tommy Sheridan has been a model prisoner, as a political leader, he has certainly taken a huge knock.

But voters can be forgiving.

Can there be a political comeback of epic proportions?

That will depend on whether Sheridan has the ability to understand that radical change to him, his policies and his party is needed.

He needs George Laird radical type thinking.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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