Former colleagues target men using call girls
THE bitterness between the SSP and their former leader Tommy Sheridan has taken a new twist after the left-wing party unveiled a raft of measures to punish men who use sexual services.
The policies are a response to last summer's high-profile court battle between Sheridan and the News Of The World - the Murdoch red-top which accused the former SSP leader of being a swinger who had sex with a call girl.
A copy of the SSP's draft Holyrood manifesto, which has been handed to the Sunday Herald, includes proposals to close saunas and massage parlours.
It also features a commitment to reform the practice of people in civil cases being able to cross-examine individuals with whom they have allegedly had sexual relations.
A jury rejected the tabloid's claims and awarded damages to the Glasgow MSP, who represented himself for part of the trial. The defamation case was given extra spice after nearly a dozen of Sheridan's SSP colleagues testified against him by claiming he had confessed to visiting a swingers' club in Manchester.
Sheridan left the SSP after his court victory and later formed a new socialist organisation, Solidarity.
But the fallout from the case has spilled over into the SSP's Holyrood manifesto, which has taken a hardline against what the party sees as the exploitation of women.
The "diversity and equality" section of the document slams the sex industry and calls for the punishment of those who use services from sex workers.
In particular, it calls for a clampdown on men who use prostitutes and backs the closure of saunas and massage parlours which act as a front for brothels.
The manifesto also wants reform of civil law so individuals who represent themselves in court are no longer allowed to quiz their alleged sexual partners.
This policy reflects the anger within the party over Sheridan's questioning in court of Katrine Trolle, who said she had a sexual relationship with the former SSP frontman. The jury rejected her claims.
The draft manifesto also contains dozens of new policies which the SSP hope will help win the party seats in May. Members involved in the policy process have backed the principle of a free public transport network, which would include the scrapping of fares on trains, buses and ferries.
They also want 100,000 new homes for rent and an £8-an-hour minimum wage for public sector workers.
In addition, the SSP is backing the introduction of a "desegregated" education system that is flexible enough to cater for religious observance.
The draft manifesto also floats several options for funding the left-wing policies. One idea is to introduce a transport "payroll tax" on all firms with more than 10 employees. The tax would be set as a percentage of the total wage bill and paid by employers.
Another idea is for the parliament to use its limited tax-varying power to increase income tax. Older policies which remain in place include support for free school meals, the abolition of prescription charges and the introduction of a Scottish service tax to fund local government.
Alan McCombes, the SSP's national policy co-ordinator, said: "The draft manifesto runs to 20,000 words and covers a vast array of territory. It'll go to our party conference for final decision."
