Members of the Scottish Parliament is FRANCES CURRAN. She spoke to Resistance about the party's breakthrough. "The six seats are a huge triumph, but our share of the vote across the working-class central belt and our council seat results, speaks volumes about the roots the party has built. Although the Greens won seven seats on the list, it was our results which were most significant. We stood in all of the elections, first-past-the-post, the list and the council elections. This was no protest vote. We came within one percent of displacing the SNP as the main opposition to Labour in Glasgow. ground. In our area, on election day, we were out campaigning before 7 o'clock in the morning. We campaigned all day (in the pouring rain!), but it was impossible to know what was coming.
Tommy and Rosie's result came through quite early; cheering, dancing - you get the picture.
Then it was a long wait. 4 o'clock came and went and it wasn't clear. I heard about 4.30 a.m. that Carolyn Leckie had won on the BBC and texted her congratulations. She sent back, 'not over - because of a recount in Kilmarnock between Labour and SP'.
Comrades from Lothian had phoned to say it was unlikely that Colin was going to win. But the Tories and Liberals took seats from Labour leaving spaces on the list. That's why he was so happy! Our nerves were wrecked.
Then my result came through, we took sixth place out of seven on the a.m. and was broadcast live on the BBC. I know because a barrage of text messages arrived at 5.40/41/42 etc. And although my phone went mad, I had to give it away as the BBC kidnapped me for interviews for 30 minutes.
I got home at 7am, couldn't sleep, and put the telly on to find out Colin had won and Carolyn also. We were the story of the election, including Colin's celebrations! ing photos and quotes, so was everyone else's. My life had just exploded: press conferences, seeing the other candidates, proving the pundits wrong - absolutely fantastic. we were told that we had won another seat in the South and that Keith Baldassara had held Tommy's old Glasgow council seat, more celebrations. My phone was going mad, demandnationalist. During our midday press conference
forward to it." Friday night. None of us had been to bed for over 36 hours but we were still on adrenalin, a few drinks and we were swinging from the chandeliers, the whole party was on a huge high. It hasn't stopped, the demand for press and media coverage is enormous. Some papers are beginning to have a go. There has been some sober analysis including the editorial of the rightwing Scotland on Sunday which raised whether we have displaced the SP permanently in the Central belt and whether the SNP will be forced to retreat into the Tory areas who vote Now the reality of our success is sinking in, together with the need to use this to transform the SSP into a mass party and root the ideas of socialism in the working class. There is much to do. But it is a fantastic opportunity and we are looking
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10 socla • • If Freddie Scappaticci is indeed the mole called "Steak-knife', then it is old news. The allegations about a highly placed informer in the IRA have been around for several years. A much more interesting question is why British Intelligence has nce June 2003 ARMED