Mullan launches attack on SSP

Mullan launches attack on SSP
ROBBIE DINWOODIE, Chief Scottish Political Correspondent August 24 2005
from The Herald
http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/45576.html

PETER Mullan, the actor, has launched a withering attack on the Scottish Socialist party.
The star, a high-profile supporter of the SSP, has claimed the party's treatment in forcing out Tommy Sheridan as convener was "disgraceful and disgusting".
In a TV interview, he added: "Their treatment of Tommy has as good as destroyed them for now."
The actor claimed that saying Mr Sheridan had resigned for family reasons, then leaking the fact that he had effectively been sacked, "smacked of Blairite tactics, of them playing politics. I was enraged."
He also castigated its MSPs' antics in the Holyrood chamber, when four brought business to a halt in the parliament before the summer recess, as "looking like the lunatics had taken over the bleeding asylum".
Mullan added: "Behave yourselves and start acting like grown-ups, because it's grown-ups who have voted for you. If you think growing up means selling out, you have personality issues and have yet to grow up and leave the student union.
"The parliament is a big enough joke . . . as it is, but you are the ones who stood up to get voted into it, so don't suddenly try and deny its protocol."
The SSP last night insisted it would go ahead with a legal battle over the punishment meted out to the four MSPs.
With no legal papers served and suggestions that the SSP was unable to finance a legal battle, it was widely believed yesterday that the party was about to drop its action.
However, a spokesman said: "There are many complex issues involved and cost is one.
"We have discussed that but, as things stand, we are still going ahead with our legal action."
Four of the party's six MSPs will be banned from the parliament when business resumes in two weeks, and the loss of pay will extend to the allowances used to pay their staff.