Scottish Socialist Party
National Office
Press Release: 31/05/04: 17.15

STV failure to agree SSP broadcast triggers legal action

The Scottish Socialist Party tonight announced that it was starting legal proceedings after Scottish Television failed to give an undertaking to broadcast an uncut version of the SSP’s European election broadcast.
The BBC will show the broadcast on Tuesday night on BBC1 and BBC2 after saying over the weekend that it was unhappy with the accusation that Blair was a liar but then climbing down.
SSP national convenor Tommy Sheridan said that the party has had to instruct its legal advisors tonight (Monday) to seek a hearing tomorrow in pursuit of a judicial review overturning the decision of Scottish and Grampian Television not to show the European Election broadcast.
Mr Sheridan said that the party was aware that the courts had not been favourable ground for socialists and the left but that in the circumstances there was absolutely no alternative left if the party was to seek the uphold the right to freedom of speech.
Mr Sheridan pointed to the incredible situation that had now arisen ahead of polling day on Thursday 10th June with the BBC agreeing to show the broadcast and STV / Grampian blacking it out.

Tommy said;
“The SSP has been left with no alternative other than to begin to initiate legal action.
“STV and Grampian appear to be acting as an arm of the government, refusing to air our democratic right of a broadcast prior to an election.
“We stand by our right to call Tony Blair a liar in relation the Iraq war.
“We will not edit that out of our broadcast on the orders of a commercial television company.
“The incredible situation now exists of the BBC showing our broadcast and STV refusing to do so.
“The demand of a broadcasting company to remove political content from a broadcast strikes at the very heart of freedom of speech and is a clear attack on democratic rights
“Democracy is threatened when the people are gagged.
“We will fight for our democratic right to call Tony Blair a liar over the Iraq war.
“The SSP is asking everyone in Scotland who rose up in anger against the Iraq war to demand that their voice be heard and demand that Scottish Television screen the broadcast uncut.”
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