Another strike on the way as firefighters reject deal

It emerged yesterday that two firemen are to fight for the right to be MSPs under the banner of Tommy Sheridan's Scottish Socialist Party. The SSP said 60 firefighters had joined in the run up to the May elections, and that six firefighters have agreed to stand as SSP candidates in the local council elections.

Jimmy Scott, 42, a firefighter for 16 years, based at Maryhill station, and Steve Oram, 48, the station officer at Clarkston, will stand for the SSP. Mr Scott, who was a Labour member for a year in 1997, but only attended two party meetings, said he joined the SSP because it had provided moral and financial support during the dispute. The Herald