THE leadership of the Scottish Socialists will today present their members with a sanitised version of the night Tommy Sheridan was ousted as the party's national convener.
In a move that could backfire on the party hierarchy, Allan Green, SSP secretary, will give an oral report about the controversial events of November 9 to around 100 delegates at an emergency national council in Glasgow, but is expected to withhold the official minute of the meeting.
He is also expected to skate over the intense discussion of Mr Sheridan's private life that night which preceded the SSP's ruling executive council voting 16-0 to end his leadership.
Today's meeting, called after a crisis meeting of the SSP executive on Wednesday, was supposed to clear the air after the internal turmoil.
The party executive will ask delegates to endorse their vote of November 9, and so stave off a proposed motion of no confidence in their actions. However, refusal to disclose the minute of the meeting could antagonise delegates. On Wednesday, copies of the minute were shown to members of the SSP executive, but returned to Mr Green to prevent a leak.
Mr Sheridan is expected to address today's meeting, at Glasgow Caledonian University. Colin Fox, SSP MSP for Lothian, will also speak, possibly as a prelude to announcing his candidacy for the leadership.
After the November 9 executive meeting, Mr Sheridan said he had quit as leader of the party he helped found to spend more time with his pregnant wife. But within days he said he was suing a tabloid newspaper that had made claims about his private life.
He has received patchy support from the party's five other MSPs, but has told friends he has been getting increasing backing from ordinary members.
Mr Fox said he would ''take soundings'' at the meeting, but denied he would use the occasion as a platform for a leadership bid. Mr Sheridan was unavailable.
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