Scottish Militant Labour (SML) was a minor Trotskyist political party operating in Scotland in the 1990s and was part of the Committee for a Workers' International.
It played a major role in the formation of the Scottish Socialist Alliance and the Scottish Socialist Party, changing its name to the International Socialist Movement, now dissolved. It was formed when Militant tendency split after abandoning its entryist strategy towards the Labour Party. Its best known member was Tommy Sheridan, although Alan McCombes played an important role behind the scenes. The party had six councillors in Glasgow during 1993-95.
In 1996 it led the formation of the Scottish Socialist Alliance, the precursor of the modern Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), formed in 1998. As part of the SSA and SSP it changed its name to the International Socialist Movement. Many of its leading members were leading members of the SSP. A split occurred after years of debate centred around questions such as what the SSP should be, what the nature of a revolutionary party is and the relationship of the ISM to the CWI. The majority of ISM members broke with the CWI while a minority stayed part of the CWI and created the International Socialists (Scotland). Both claimed to be the descendents of SML.
Former members of SML form a large part of the leadership of the SSP today, while Tommy Sheridan is now co-convenor of Solidarity (Scotland), and the International Socialists are a platform within it.
Famous quotes containing the words scottish, militant and/or labour:
“Better wear out shoes than sheets.”
—18th-century Scottish proverb, collected in J. Kelly, Complete Collection of Scottish Proverbs (1721)
“Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church Militant here in earth.”
—Book Of Common Prayer, The. Holy Communion, “Prayer for the Church Militant,” (1662)
“Are we aware of our obligations to a mob? It is the mob that labour in your fields and serve in your houses—that man your navy, and recruit your army—that have enabled you to defy the world, and can also defy you when neglect and calamity have driven them to despair. You may call the people a mob; but do not forget that a mob too often speaks the sentiments of the people.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)