Too late Johann,worried about your job now? all your partys lies and threats will never be forgotten. -------------------------------------------------- JOHANN Lamont yesterday won support for a major review of Scottish Labours relationship with Ed Milibands UK party. Johann Lamont has secured a review of Labours structures, suggesting her position as Scottish leader is secure for now from challengers such as Jim Murphy, below Johann Lamont has secured a review of Labours structures, suggesting her position as Scottish leader is secure for now from challengers such as Jim Murphy, below The probe is expected to consider devolving control of MPs selection contests to Scotland, a controversial issue that could spark a civil war with her Westminster colleagues. It will also look at introducing one-member, one-vote for future leadership contests north of the Border. Labour was on the winning side in this months referendum campaign, but victory was soured after the party lost support in its heartlands. Of the four local authority areas won by the Yes campaign, two were Labour citadels: Glasgow and North Lanarkshire. Yes won 53.5% in Glasgow and 51.1% in North Lanarkshire. The losses triggered a bout of infighting and mutterings about the leadership of MSP Lamont, with senior party figures wanting her to make way for Westminster MP Jim Murphy. However, Lamont was on the front foot yesterday in proposing a review that could lead to a shake-up of her party. At a meeting of the Scottish Labour executive committee, she secured agreement for a rethink of the partys structures that will lead to further devolution from the UK party to Scotland. Following Labours heavy defeat to the SNP at the 2011 Holyrood election, an organisational review led by Murphy and MSP Sarah Boyack created the post of Scottish Labour leader, a role secured by Lamont. However, Lamont feels it is time to have a second investigation, which will be undertaken by party chairman Jamie Glackin as well as an MSP and an MP. Last years Westminster selection scandal in Falkirk - in which dozens of new members were recruited to the party by the trade union Unite in a bid to help a potential candidate - exposed how Scottish Labour controls selections to Holyrood, but not to Westminster. Although the remit was not finalised yesterday, the review will examine handing the power for all Scottish MP selections to the party north of the Border. One insider said: The MPs wont be happy about this at all, but it is a legacy of Unites behaviour in Falkirk. It is long overdue. The rules for electing Lamonts eventual successor will also be considered. Miliband used the Falkirk debacle to replace an electoral college system with one-member, one-vote for electing the UK Labour leader. The change did not apply to the Scottish leader, an anomaly the probe will examine. Scottish Labour councillors also pay a portion of their salary to the party, cash that currently goes south. A source said the review would look at keeping the money in Scotland. However, it is the selection of MPs that will trigger the biggest row. Although Lamont is the leader of all elected representatives in Scotland, some MPs still have a dismissive attitude towards Holyrood. A senior Labour source said the reform would be symbolic and bring MPs under the microscope of the party in Scotland. Yesterdays agreement by the partys executive appears to signal that Lamont is safe in her job in the short term. Labours conference in Manchester last week was marred by briefings against Lamont by MPs and admirers of Murphy. One Murphy ally is believed to have been caught bad mouthing Lamont and is now said to be in hiding. In a newspaper interview yesterday, Lamont said: The next phase is 2016, and yes I want to be First Minister because I believe I have the life experience and Ive got a commitment to change. Im excited by the fact that having got past the referendum, that debate is so alive and so current. She said of the Murphy rumours: Ive spoken to Jim and he doesnt know why its happening either. He was very supportive. However, one senior party figure was dismissive of Lamonts review, branding it desperate. He said: The prevailing view is that we need a change at the top, not a review that tinkers with organisational change. She must go and go quickly. A Scottish Labour spokesman said: We will continue to learn lessons from the referendum and create a modern party ready to represent the people of Scotland. SNP MSP James Dornan said: With policies like cutting child benefit in real terms and promises to maintain Tory austerity plans, it is no wonder that Labour in Scotland is desperate to distance themselves from their own partys policies. People in Scotlands patience with Labour has run out after their referendum alliance with the Tories, which is why an opinion poll last week put support for the SNP at 49% and over 40,000 new members have joined the SNP since the referendum. Comments Gordon Keane, glasgow Sorry, Joanie. It’s way, way too late for you. The lot of you are doomed. You sided with the blue tories. Your party of red tories wants to take all benefits from anyone under 21. while your pals, the blue tories want anyone under 25 to live in boxes under bridges. Do you support that one as well, Johann? And wait 5 years for the min wage to go to £8.00, which on current trends it will be near to 7.75 by that time. Wow Man! Labour want the min wage to be all of 25pence higher. Awe Shucks guys…..how kind of you! Labour could have and should made the Independence debate a positive for Scotland. Instead they lied their faces off. The scared folks with so many outrageous claims they knew to be false. Alistair Darling supported a currency Union at first, and he must have thought SNP would come out against it and opt for a new currency, and he was readying his side to trash it. But decided to go big on opposing Currency Union, purely as a weapon of fear. Now Johann Lamont dares to tell us she wants a little bit of independence for her lot. Sorry my dear lady, but if Independence ain’t good enough for the rest of us, why all of a sudden is it the best thing for you now? Could be something to do with the fact you didn’t see the loss of Glasgow on the cards and now it’s YOU who are very afraid? It won’t wash. Too late. Labour have become a different shade of tory. No going back now. You will not be forgiven. David Lafferty, Paisley Wow, I didnt know that Scottish Labour Councillors pay a portion of their salaries to Labour in England. That puts an end to Scotland Sold for Englands Gold. Scottish councillors are actually paying their masters to be told what to do. You couldnt make it up if you tried. Peter Piper, Ayrshire Lamont has a struggle on her hands, but must win that struggle for the future of Scottish Labour, which must truly become the Scottish Labour Party for the first time. To be blunt, as an Independence supporter I should hope Murphy wins and Lamont is dispensed with, but perhaps unusually amongst Indy supporters, I have some respect for Lamont who has had a difficult time struggling against the Westminster MPs whose interests largely are with Westminster, not Scotland and Holyrood. If Lamont loses, there will be no Labour Party in Scotland. GRAHAM HANSON, GALASHIELS Peter Piper, Ayrshire Totally disagree. We need a Scottish labour party as part of the spectrum of choice for Scottish voters. There is no reason why UK labour cannot operate here if they wish. When all is said and done there are still some labour unionists who may which to continue supporting them. Against their fellow Scots.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 06:35:00 +0000
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