TALKS are under way to create a new left-wing party in the wake of the independence referendum.
Figures in the Radical Independence Campaign (RIC) and the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) have discussed uniting left-wing groups divided by nearly a decade of turmoil. Until 2004, the SSP had brought together disparate elements of the Left under a pro-independence and anti-capitalist banner.
The party's high point was the 2003 Holyrood election, in which it got six MSPs returned and polled 15.2% of the List vote in Glasgow.
However, following ex-SSP leader Tommy Sheridan's decision to sue a tabloid newspaper over allegations relating to his private life, the party split and faded away electorally.
Despite the lack of electoral success north of the border recently, the referendum campaign has given the broader Left a shot in the arm.
The wider Yes campaign is dominated by left-wing groups and individuals, including RIC, the Jimmy Reid Foundation, the SSP and the Greens.
Other than the Greens, which has two MSPs, no electoral vehicle exists to bring all the groups together.
The informal talks - involving key players in a variety of organisations - have centred around creating a new Left party or umbrella group.
The discussions are at the exploratory stage and are likely to be stepped up after September 18.
A red line for many of those involved is that Sheridan, who is seen as a divisive and toxic figure, plays no part in any new group.
Another obstacle is that the RIC contains individuals previously involved with the Socialist Workers Party, an outfit mistrusted by the SSP.
Colin Fox, the SSP co-convener, confirmed "informal" discussions had taken place but restated his commitment to the SSP. He added any umbrella group would have to have a clear focus on the working class.
Robin McAlpine, the director of the Jimmy Reid Foundation, said the creation of a new vehicle would depend on whether the SNP and Labour left open the space for such a new entity.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article