Education: St Monica's Primary School and Lourdes Secondary in Glasgow. Stirling University - BA (Hons) in economics and politics, 1985.

Personal details: Married, no children

Party: Scottish Socialist Party

Political career: Between 1986 and 1992, campaigned against the poll tax in Scotland and became president of the Anti-Poll Tax Federation. Elected to Glasgow City Council to represent Pollok ward. Became national convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party when it was set up in early 1999 and was elected as the first socialist MSP to the Scottish Parliament for the region of Glasgow.

Interests: Plays for Baillieston Juniors and supports Motherwell Football Club.

Tommy Sheridan has always been politically outspoken.

He was the face and the voice of the anti-poll tax demos in Scotland in the 1980s.

The socialist rebel has been jailed three times in the name of various campaigns.

His first term was for six months in 1992 for attempting to stop a warrant sale. His next spell inside was 1994 when he spent two-and-a-half days locked up in Barlinnie Prison.

On that occasion, he was punished for his role in trying to prevent a poinding.

And in December 2000 he served five days of a 14-day sentence after an anti-nuclear weapons protest at Faslane Nuclear Base.

When he became an MSP in 1999 he was the sole elected representative of the Scottish Socialist Party.

His motto at that time was: "Sometimes you have to join the establishment in order to change it."

Mr Sheridan caused a stir from the start, when he swore the oath of allegiance to the Queen, required of all MSPs, with a clenched fist raised in order to signal his protest.

And he did that only after declaring that "supreme sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland rather than an unelected monarchy."

At the end of 2000 his campaign to have warrant sales and poindings abolished paid off when his members' bill made it through parliament.

'Spectacular' election gains

But other parliamentary efforts have failed. In June last year, Mr Sheridan was "furious" after MSPs on the all-party education committee rejected his plans for free school meals for every pupil in Scotland.

On the issues of the day he makes his views clearly known. Mr Sheridan is against war on Iraq, describing it as the "unleashing of mass murder on the innocent civilians of Iraq".

The former Labour Party member hopes not to be the single voice of the Scottish Socialist Party in the parliament after the election.

He has predicted "spectacular" election gains to give his party eight Holyrood seats.

Mr Sheridan forecast widespread support from voters who want "an honest, principled and visionary party".

In a speech to his party's conference earlier this year, he described his party as Scotland's "anti-war and pro-war party" - in favour of peace and disarmament, but also in favour of a war on poverty.

He has pledged that in the next parliament his party will abolish council tax, provide free school meals and give all public sector workers a minimum wage of �7.32 per hour.