The SNP has tonight selected its candidate for the Glenrothes by election. He is Peter Grant, the leader of Fife Council.
Labour is having difficulty finding a candidate to fight this by-election. So far, three leading candidates have said thanks, but no thanks.
* Henry McLeish (ex-MP and MSP in Fife and First Minister).
* Christine May (ex-MSP for the area, lost her seat in 2007).
* Alex Rowley (Labour leader on Fife Council, ex-Secretary of the Labour Party in Scotland, and a Brown protege - think Douglas Alexander and add an extra "Fife" dimension).
It shows just how desperate things have become when Labour can't find a candidate for a seat with a five figure majority.
UPDATE: Just for your info, the BBC finally reported this story at 9.31, over an hour after I posted it. Is that really the best it can do? I know it's August, but even so.
31 comments:
Put a fiver on John Park, Broon's some-time driver and now a list MSP. He had a pop at Salmond today after that "unfortunate" interview - just by way of positioning.
It is true what you say, Iain, about things being so desperate for Labour.
A colleague at work (literally a card-carrying member of the Labour party) has already shrugged this one off and says that the result won't do any damage to GB because everyone knows that Labour will lose.
From a professional perspective (I work in public affairs), the Tories (and I am no fan of the Tories) are eager and engaged, whilst Labour is disengaged and disinterested.
There is just no fight in them. They have literally given up. They don't care any longer.
I suspect that they are not going to finish Gordon off or be nasty to him, in good Labour tradition, but equally they are not going to fight to win. We are just in for a long wait until 2010, when an election will be called at the last possible moment and Labour will be trounced... as sure as eggs is eggs.
Clever manipulation of the Scottish Press to sell your mag Iain!
You say 4 have turned this down but only identify 3?
Peter Grant is an impressive candidate - very good public speaker (without notes) and with an engaging manner which will play well across all sections of the electorate. Some other interesting snippets - since May 07, Labour have been all-but invisible in the council due to the clear-out of Labour councillors. They are largely absent from civic events and have a very low public profile (interesting in a multi member ward system) - this will really hamper their grassroots campaigning. SNP have a very strong presence in the seat, with committed and experienced activists. I'm certain that the by-election will not be called until after 13 September (and after the conference the next week) as this is when the Scottish Labour leader is due to be elected so any talk of a spot by-election is bluster or disinformation. You won't see Brown in Glenrothes and someone has to be there! Labour are going to lose this seat big time and the SNP have placed themselves ahead of the game already, leaving Labour struggling to find someone in a seat where once upon a time you could pin a red rosette on a dog...
Im one of those card carrying active members of the Labour party in one of the safest seats in country(One of the 20 odd we would not lose even with a glasgow east swing)
Its completley true that there is a malaise that has gripped even the party membership, I always wondered what it would be like to be a Tory in the mid 90's with the electorate as a whole having nothing but apathy for you. now I know.
Blimey! It's Glasgow East all over again. At this rate, we're going to get a hung parliament BEFORE a general election can be called!
I do not know Glenrothes, and presume it is a bit more affluent than Parkhead, Baillieston, etc., but can we actually use this by-election to show up Labour's neglect of those who rely on them most?
This was not pushed hard enough for national consumption at Glasgow East - IDS going up and pontificating a bit does not a damning indictment make.
On August 9th, the Scottish Government announced that it was pumping £29 million pounds into the fishing industry to mitigate the rise in fuel costs. (The cost of marine diesel has doubled since October 2007)
Now, you can argue all you like about the pros and cons of subsidies and allied issues, but the fact remains that the Scottish Government are coming to the aid of Scottish industries in a very desperate period - and the London Government is not.
Buckhaven is a small ex-fishing port in the constituency of Glenrothes. There may be no fishing any longer, but people remember and people know. They remember their fathers and their fathers' fathers fishing and earning a living by fishing, just as mine did. They see it like this: they see the London Government allowing honest working men to go to the wall. They see the SNP trying to help.
Perhaps now, you can see, from this one example, why nobody is betting against the SNP in the by-election and why Gordon Brown will be wise to keep his face away from Glenrothes.
(re-posted from a longer piece on my blog)
£ngland rid of the Scotch EU Region ASAP!!!!!!
When Labour lost Glasgow East, we were told it was their 3rd safest seat. So mathematically, Labour can only win 2 seats at the next gen election. Congratulations in advance to SNP at Glenrothes.
Come on Iain! You still haven't told us who ex-candidate No 4 was.
Is it a secret?
I understand that Labour were telephone canvassing the day Gordon Brown visited John MacDougall on his death bed.
Has a date been posted for this election. Labour were very quick after Mrs Dunwoodys death, Are they putting it off.
Johnny Norfolk
This time Labour will wait till they can find someone willing to stand - could be a very long wait!
Scottish Politics,
I don't know what date Brown visited but I received a call from them two Saturdays ago and the Labour party NEVER canvasses our area.
Got a call this afternoon from the Nats, who never canvass here either.
Both parties were assured that they
couldn't count on my support as there is no discernible difference between them anyway.
With Peter "no fuss" Murrell guiding the SNP team again -- its big worries for Labour
I'm surprised the Beeboids even ran the story..let alone an hour later. I'll bet there was a conference on how best to spin it.
Another lamb to the slaughter.There are no safe labour seats anymore.
with the SNP in Scotland and the Tories in England they are done for.
Brown set out to destroy the Tories looks like he has killed his own party, so amusing.
richard s said
"the electorate as a whole having nothing but apathy for you. now I know."
then there was apathy,it is not apathy now. It is deep hatred of what a government has done to destroy our culture and heritage. Apathy does not drive the wish to hang the bastards from lamp posts.
Hells Bells- if Peter Grant wins Glenrothes (Fife Central- as far as i'm concerned)-fingers crossed- an important issue for those of us who reside in Fife arises: 'who takes over his job at Fife Council'? Knowing our luck it will be that twat David Alexander (Scotland's funniest man-unintentionally)! Even in coalition with the Libbies they havent f'd things to ruin- which is a surprise! Three cheers for an SNP win whenever the by-elections called!
I heard that Alex Rowley and others were scrabbling for the nomination, until the results of recent Labour telephone canvassing pointed to a wipeout.
I heard that Alex Rowley and others were scrabbling for the nomination, until the results of recent Labour telephone canvassing pointed to a wipeout.
Labour are well and truly in the s**te if they are having trouble getting a candidate for one of their"safest seats" in their hitherto "Scottish fiefdom" particularly as its on Gordon's doorstep. If they can't win in Scotland they sure as hell ain't gonna win any seats in the Midlands;Home Counties or the South and the longer they allow Brown to stay as leader the bigger the mountain his successor will have to climb.
It's no longer about remaining in power or winning an election(any election) it's about preserving the Labour Party. I used to think that internet rumour about Brown being a "SNP mole" inserted into the Labour Party whilst at University was a load of complete ******** - I'm not so sure now - surely NOBODY can be as politically and socially inept as Brown having reached the heights he has in his party ?
His next book title should be "How to destroy a political party in 18 months !"
SNP Tactical Voting is claiming that the by-election is to take place on 30th October.
Take from that what thy will.
jessthedog
Can't believe Rowley was "scrabbling for the nomination" until the canvassing returns came in. If true however just shows what a no-hoper the guy is if he didn't "suss" the position already.
What has Rowley ever done successfully in his life, apart from using his father's Labour
Party connections, and his sucking up to Brown. Why should he be inflicted on the people of Glenrothes anyway?
Word verification----faccc, something GB is saying with increasing regularity.
Always heart warming to see the comrades struggling....long may it continue...
when I was a chairman in a minor union, one of the would be sectretaries I dealt with was a political animal. He talked the talk, he had dedicated
colleagues on whom he could count on for support and he was elected.
Once in the job he proved to be devoid of any negotiating skills, other than those dark skills of back stabbing etc which got him the job!
He would not make any decision without a fortnight's (at least) hesitation and an immediate decision was totally out of the question. He led from the back and when trouble was in the air he was 'upstairs collecting fares' or in his bunker - his office- with the door locked! and the telephone off the hook.
He had no engaging qualities at all and very quickly lost all the support he had!
Remind you of anyone?
The man I knew eventually retired and nothing was heard from him to this day!
Perhaps Margaret Curran can be asked to martyr herself again?
That would save another potential candidate from taint of defeat.
We would like to wish Peter Grant and the SNP all the best in the coming election. Hopefully another MP with Scotland interests at heart will help right the wrong's done by Westminster. Like the ......
6,000 MILES OF SCOTLAND'S SEA THAT WAS STOLEN IN 1999
In 1999 Westminster moved Scotland's Marine Boundaries from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Carnoustie. Illegally making 6000 miles of Scotland's waters English.
When you play golf at St Andrews and look out to sea, you are looking at English Waters according to the treacherous Westminster powers that be.
There is a shocking fact that few people in Scotland or elsewhere know which is just as disgraceful as the 30 year Westminster administration and deceit over Scotland’s oil. This is the as-yet unexplained and secret action by Westminster Order in 1999 to move Scotland’s marine boundary from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Carnoustie. To this day this lost Scotland 6,000 square miles of the North Sea, nodded through at the time by the feckless and treacherous Lib/Lab arm of Westminster based in Holyrood.
http://www.oilofscotland.org
for the rest of this story and downloadable PDF posters.
BEFORE YOU VOTE READ THE TOP SECRET MCCRONE OIL REPORT
Vote UKIP in Glenrothes.
Why?
Because UKIP will reinstate our POs and weekly bin collections. UKIP will also get us out of the EU.
Post Office Closures (EU Directives 97/67/EC, 2002/39/EC)
Scrapping weekly bin collections (EU Directive 94/62/EC)
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