Book description
From prison cell to the political limelight, and back again, there is
no doubt that Tommy Sheridan - tanned, handsome and armed with a
soundbite for every occasion - was one of the most colourful figures in
the drab, dusty world of party politics. Yet behind the charismatic
exterior of the man who first came to public notice during the anti-Poll
Tax movement and later led the Scottish Socialist Party to become a
strong voice in the new Scottish parliament was a deeply flawed,
manipulative individual whose own actions led to one of the most
spectacular political downfalls in recent history. Written by his
closest political associate for over twenty years, and based on a raft
of documentary and eyewitness information, much of it appearing in print
for the first time, this is the no-holds barred inside story of the rise
and fall of one of the most fascinating figures in recent Scottish
politics. Combining elements of tragedy, thriller and farce, it presents
the stark, ugly truth behind Sheridan's victorious defamation action
against the News of the World in 2006 and subsequent perjury trial in
2010, which contained some of the most dramatic courtroom scenes in
Scottish legal history. Yet despite the lurid and sensationalist aspects
of Sheridan's life and career, this is also a serious exploration of
wider political and psychological themes which offers some salutary
lessons at a time when public confidence in politicians has seldom been
lower. Alan McCombes is a freelance writer and journalist and
previously editor of the Scottish Socialist Voice. A founder member of
the Scottish Socialist Party, he was an executive member of the party
and also its national press and policy co-ordinator. He lives in
Glasgow.
