Tommy Sheridan is co-convenor of his new party, Solidarity

Tommy Sheridan, who left the Scottish Socialist Party after a bitter feud, said that based on current polls, Solidarity would do well.

He delivered that message to party activists who gathered at a conference at Glasgow's Caledonian University.

"Solidarity has done wonders in establishing itself as the leading socialist force," said Mr Sheridan.

The MSP for Glasgow believes good fortune in the election will come his way once voters are aware that Solidarity is the party of Tommy Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne.

Mr Sheridan said: "In the next two months we have to connect to the people of Scotland and I believe we can do it.

It will take more than public debates on TV to save wee Jack now Tommy Sheridan Solidarity co-convenor

"The latest System 3 poll suggests we can win seven seats across Scotland once people know Solidarity is the party of Tommy Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne.

"We will then use that base in the Scottish Parliament to help build an independent socialist Scotland."

Last year, Mr Sheridan, who was the SSP's co-founder, won a �200,000 defamation case against the News of the World only to later walk away from it to establish Solidarity.

In the 2003 Holyrood elections, the SSP won just under 7% of the vote, returning six members to Holyrood.

Decent wage

Mr Sheridan told the Glasgow gathering on Saturday: "Gordon Brown this week put the final nail in the coffin of Jack McConnell's election campaign with his wage cuts for the public sector.

"The Labour campaign which was already lagging behind the SNP will now go into freefall.

"It will take more than public debates on TV to save wee Jack now and he can thank his friends in London - Tony Blair, with his illegal war on Iraq, and Gordon Brown, that great British bulldog who prefers to spend �100bn on wars and trident rather than paying public service workers a decent wage.