Wendy resigns
And so she's gone. Why now?
Why does Wendy Alexander resign over a minor slap on the wrist from a Parliamentary committee - when she was prepared to tough it out over what one of her team admitted was a breach of the law?
The cumulative effect, of course. But, more, it reflects the varying psychological response from Ms Alexander.
When it was disclosed that her campaign had received an illegal donation from a Jersey businessman, her first reaction was dismay.
She thought, seriously, she had to quit.
Then dismay turned to anger as she felt she had to fight back against her accusers.
Dismay to anger
This time round, she has gone in reverse: from anger to dismay.
She watched on Thursday as Holyrood's Standards Committee voted to suspend her for a single day because she had failed to declare campaign donations timeously on her register as an MSP.
She watched in mounting fury. She thought it a politically inspired stitch-up. Her aides were similarly angry.
David Whitton MSP strode down to the Garden Lobby at Holyrood to deliver an irate rebuttal. He was visibly tense.
Anger to dismay
She felt she had to go, she felt it was never ebbing away as an issue, she felt she had let down her party. Inadvertently, she believes. She resisted pressure from the PM to stay.
And so she's gone, blaming an unyielding pursuit by relentless SNP rivals. Does that quite work for you as an explanation?
I must confess it doesn't do it for me.
Politics is a rough trade: it is customary to expose weakness. It is part of the adversarial nature of party debate.
Did Labour hold back when John Major was under relentless pursuit? OK, so that was bigger league.
Did Labour cry foul, then, when David McLetchie, the Scottish Conservative leader, was facing criticism over taxi bills?
Wendy Alexander's campaign team sought donations from the business sector to fund her efforts to become leader.
Quite unnecessarily, as it turned out, because she was uncontested.
Was it, perhaps, superfluous in any case? Were the members of Team Alexander perhaps seduced by the thought of entering the Premier Division of politics, with premier division funding to match?
Couldn't they have got by with a series of hustings around Scotland?
After all, the Scottish Labour Party is, these days, relatively small.
She wasn't fighting a general election, simply an internal party contest.
Were members of the inner circle trying to show the extent of their clout: look at me, I can bring in big (OK, medium) bucks from serious business players.
Did the SNP pursue this relentlessly? Yes.
However, one of those donations, from a Jersey businessman, was illegal.
Full stop.
One can talk about mitigation, one can talk about who knew what and when.
One can point to the MSP, Charlie Gordon, who solicited the donation. But, as Tom McCabe conceded, the law was broken.
Separately, the issue of registration. There it is possible to evince more sympathy for Ms Alexander.
She was advised, in writing, by Parliamentary officials that she did not need to register the donations in her capacity as an MSP.
She followed the code. She followed procedure. With one rather crucial exception. By the time she sought advice, the deadline for registration had already passed with respect to at least some of the donations.
Then the issue of the ruling by the Standards Commissioner. He disagreed with the advice from the clerks. He said the donations should have been registered. They were tantamount to gifts.
Again, couple of points. Ms Alexander could have forestalled all of this had she over-complied: had she registered the donations, regardless of the advice.
Further, it seems to me that the system is slipshod and open to confusion.
It is not sufficient, I would submit, to determine such a relatively important matter as the registration of campaign donations on the basis of a few lines in a casual e-mail from a clerk, albeit on the basis of legal advice.
If such guidance is to be robust, it should be seriously scrutinised and delivered in a style that suggests it can withstand alternative interpretations.
In short, such guidance needs to show the arguments deployed, needs to show the working.
Further, the Standards committee at Holyrood looked, to me, uncomfortable in dealing with this issue.
Perhaps it was the partisan pressures involved, perhaps it was the political reputations at stake.
But they looked and sounded unhappy and unsure.
If this was a breach of Parliamentary rules by a party leader, should it not have merited more than one day's suspension? If it wasn't such a breach, because of mitigation, should it not have been dismissed?
Finally, the Labour Party. Not good for them, not good at all.
Doubt if they'll be reprising the old ditty "things can only get better" any time soon.
Wendy Alexander's leadership failed. She failed to counter Alex Salmond in the chamber. But will others do better?
She failed, fully, to persuade the party, especially the Prime Minister, to endorse her strategy of countering Mr Salmond with an early referendum on independence.
However, more than many others, she got the concept of the challenge facing Labour in Scotland.
Before the rest, she acknowledged that Labour lost - and deserved to lose - to the SNP.
It wasn't a fluke, it wasn't a swizz, it wasn't a temporary blip. It was a defeat at the hands of the voters.
Before the rest, she argued that Labour required to stand up ineluctably for Scotland - even if that meant standing against London, including the PM.
She recognised that Scottish Labour had to back David, not Goliath.
As of today, the slingshot has come her way.
I'm 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~46~RS~)
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Surely, Brian, she's resigned because for once the Labour party has got its act together and bitten the bullet. 'Wendy', it said collectively from the now smoke free rooms of influence, 'we've no chance of regaining anything like popularity in Scotland with you at the helm, so move over'. Wendy knows that's true.
Now I believe there is another Scot in a position of great political power whose effect upon Labour's vote across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is equally, if not more devastatingly, negative. Do you think he might begin to think the same way? Possibly?
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Let's face it with two by-elections looming one in Glasgow and another pending in Motherwell and Wishaw, she had to go.
Ironically, she fell foul of the system that her own Party created. Her resignation speech of poor grace made no apology for her actions and poor judgement, instead she tried to pass the blame to others.
"A political giant no more"
Cherrio Wendy!
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Brian,
Thanks for the summary - with which I largely agree.
After the imposition of the penalty - whether motivated for political reasons or not - Wendy Alexander had no alternative but to resign.
Presumably she decided to go now as she feels another three months of this would damage Labour even more (difficult to see how it CAN get worse for Labour at the minute!!).
However, following the departures of McLeish, McLetchie and now Alexander for 'financial irregularities', and other similar issues Holyrood, along with Westminster, must find the will to reform itself with a transparent system of financial regulation if it wishes to regain the trust of voters - from supporters of all political shades and of none.
Question: does any party have the will to put forward these reforms??
Over to you, MSPs...
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While I think there is a little too much these days of opposing parties "telling" on a rival's donations etc, the bottom line is that she broke the law. Ignorance is no excuse.
In addition, Labour needs someone who can deal with Alex Salmond. If he can get clobbered, then they have a chance.
He or she needs to ask the First Minister about his energy plans for Scotland, defence, industry, economics, crime. The SNP are in charge now, so anything that happens does so on their watch.
Now that Wendy has resigned, it might help if politicians started working together, swallow their pride and concentrate on developing both Scotland and the UK as a whole.
Too many egos in Edinburgh these days - on all sides.
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no sympathy , no none at all.
She couldnt even show class in her resignation.
And yes , the SNP was relentless , but lest we forget it was a Labour MOLE who broke the story about the donations...
Was it Cathy or Margaret of the gorgeous Jackie???
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Wendy is nothing if not a survivor, politics and her personal success will always come first before party or country. This resignation gets her out of the firing line and two potential by-election defeats.
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It was one of your mates in the Sunday Herald. You seem to keep blaming the SNP.
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I have just watched Ms Alexander's performance on the news. Does she not think to take a deep breath and engage brain before opening her mouth and letting her belly rumble? Her arrogance knows no bounds! Good riddance, but Mr Salmond must be dismayed that such an ignorant, self centered liability with an incredible ability to shoot herslf repeatedly in the foot has gone. When will her brother accept responsibility for the election fiasco and do the same?
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Brian,
Good and well, but you fail to mention one key point:
SHE GOT FOUND OUT!!
The wee bendy has finally realised that she has been completely out of her depth since she was awarded the job by her mentor, G Brown.
This has been a result that has been in the works since she was appointed to the job. Since Michael Foot became Labour Leader has there been a more incompetent leader than weebendy?? And still Whitton and Griffiths spout their denial on the media today. Seemingly proving that Labour in Scotland will never learn the lessons they need to.
Again, as I have posted before, in principle this can only be good for Scottish democracy, but are the Labourite apologists showing any sign of understanding this?
Not so far!
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Brian: As you point out, the law was broken. But Alexander was not punished for breaking the law. THIS is the reason she has been "pursued relentlessly" as she put it.
The Scottish public simply cannot tolerate a situation where the laws of the land and the rules of parliament are openly flouted and arrogantly ignored by members of an unaccountable political elite.
That's what makes this country different to a dictatorship. That's why people have been posting here for the last six months complaining about her blatant attempt to abuse our democracy.
She is out and good riddance. I for one have no sympathy for her whatsoever.
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Well she surprised me. I thought she'd brazen it out but she obviously couldn't cope with the pressure and jumped ship.
Of course, she was all, "big boys did it and ran away" outbursts blaming the SNP for partisan actions. Well, what about when Davie McLetchie got hounded? As you say Brian, "politics IS a rough trade".
Her continual greetin' about the naughty SNP chasing her to ground skips over the fact that for her to have been caught, some person or persons VERY close to her had to have leaked it.
She was a lackluster MSP, a lackluster Minister and a VERY lackluster Leader. Will all this affect Scottish Labour particularly in the forthcoming by-election? Yes, indeed it will.
Who will replace Wendy? Ms Jamieson would be a serious step in the wrong direction. She is far too strident and her performance as a minister was pretty ropey and Alex could eat her up in one gulp and leave room for cow-pie. Andy Gray? A bit of the, "mauled by a dead sheep" there. Wee Eck can sleep soundly knowing that he has a clear run apart from the occasional slap from his Aunty Annabel.
What about Nicol Stephen? Nicol who do you cry? Nobody cares really.
One final thing...I am astonished that BBC News24 is actually covering a Scottish event. Up to now it's been all Zimbabwe-vision.
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What can I say...?
This is not over ladies and gentlemen. Wendy has to face the MSP's after their summer recess and she may well loose her MSP position all together.
I am quite confident of it since the SNP and Lib Dems will make sure of it.
Does Wendy know who backstabbed her within her own Party?
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Brian - sorry to see that only now Alexander's gone have you found the courage to stick your head above the parapet and finally admit that her performances at FMQs failed to trouble Salmond.
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This I suspect was not Alexander's decision, this decision was probably not even made in Scotland.I suspect she was removed by Brown in the hope that this would take some of the heat off him and his chancellor's monumental incompetence. Brown would hang his mammy out to dry if he thought it would keep him in office "like a true son of the manse."
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Why indeed,Brian and why now?The so called academic brain of the scottish party has ended up showing very little common sense with one final flip flop after so many others.You wonder if she was set up to fail somewhere along the line by her own party in some weirdly desperate modernising image overhaul which ended up going pearshaped.
I've said it before and it still resonates with me today that the SNP had decades to prepare for power and have governed accordingly,whilst Labour had days to prepare for opposition and have performed abominably.I'm pretty sure Labour still think their majority to govern is sitting inside those 140,000 missing votes and have assumed that the SNP's inexperience in power would scupper their government in weeks,if not months.
Like an alcoholic who needs to reach the bottom of the barrel before going up,I suspect the Labour party's addiction mentality to assuming their being the only natural order allowed to govern may need to go a good bit further down yet!
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Fair summary, Brian. But do the "how" and the "why" of it matter now? I doubt if history will find a place for Wendy Alexander, except in a footnote: The first party leader to be suspended from Parliament.
Who's next? Surely not Cathy Jamieson? Perhaps Brown will bribe a Westminster MP to do the decent thing and move north. But is there a safe seat for him/her now? Is there a Scottish MP who's up to it?
It's an unpalatable fact for everyone in Scotland that, apart from Salmond and the odd intervention from Annabel Goldie, we don't have a credible politician in either Parliament. Far less a statesman.
In fact, I'm struggling to think of any Scot, in any capacity, who could command widespread respect and authority.
Most countries seeking independence have a "father figure" in mind for president.
I believe the SNP would ask the Queen to continue. But just thinking about it exposes our dearth of talent.
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It would have been so much better if she had only shown a bit of humility. Again we had the whining, 'we wiz robbed' type reaction. Everybody's fault other than her own. But she was the architect of her own downfall. The fact that she was late declaring 'the 'illegal one' is bad enough but those other donations to her leadership campaign kept at £950 by design to thwart the £1000 rules of disclosure says much about the culture in today's Labour party. Being in power for so long without any real opposition has bred arrogance and disdain. I'm glad she's gone. Charlie Gordon and the rest of her discredited campaign team should go as well.
By the way, On Newsnight Scotland, a couple nights ago, a frustrated and furious David Whitton let slip that there was yet another complaint had been made about her which would come up before the Standards Committee in September. He was quickly slapped down by the another studio guest a former SC bod for raising it (against the rules I think he said) and Gordon Brewer didn't pursue it. I reckon that is reason for the resignation today. She knew the 1 day suspension wasn't the end of the matter.
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Right decision. Months late.
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Did'nt they have an education programme for the labour MSPs so that no mistakes would be made?
Did'nt it cost the tax payers a large sum of money?
Does'nt it run along the lines of "when in doubt ,declare it"?
Not too difficult !
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You know, for all this, I don't think the SNP should be too happy that she's gone, she would have been incredibly easy to campaign against and beat at a Scottish parliament election. I know I'm not happy about it anyway. Here's hoping they appoint somebody equally as useless (*cough* Chisolm *cough*).
At the end of the day though, I think its quite clear that this has just been the final straw so to speak, a fantastic excuse for Labour to get themselves rid of a Scottish leader who has been a disappointment to them. A large number of Labour supporters were disgusted that she was even uttering the shocking phrase "more power to the Scottish parliament". I think most of them just bit their lip though and didn't say anything about it, just grumbling amongst themselves.
Therefore I actually think the majority of Labour supporters in Scotland are breathing a sigh of relief that she's gone. Frankly, she was absolutely useless. It was a great period for the SNP.
And sadly, I hate to burst anybodys bubble but I don't see the SNP making great in-roads in that Glasgow by-election. Labour could field a goat as its candidate, and have the most ridiculous policies ever, yet they'd still win that seat.
Hope I'm wrong though!
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Politics is indeed a rough trade and so is not for the faint-hearted or the thin-skinned. If you place yourself at the point at which conflicting and powerful interests with in some cases diametrically opposed conceptions of what is best for the country meet to contend for dominance, as they must, you must expect to have to withstand some heavy blows. This is regrettable in human terms, of course, but, as it is unavoidable in a democracy, it is no good complaining about it when your champion in the tournament is dismounted.
Ms Alexander and her party are the architects of their own misfortune. She and those around her should have been less neglectful of the requirements of the rules governing the conduct of members of the legislature, rules which apply equally to party leaders and to those whom they lead. As Angus MacLeod observed in an article in The Times, in which he discussed the advisability of Ms Alexander's resignation following the ruling of the parliamentary committee considering her misconduct, the first rule of politics (or words to that effect) is that when in doubt about what you should register, register it. This is elementary, is it not? Ms Alexander's neglect in this regard has brought her down, as it left her vulnerable to machinations within her own party, from where the information about the irregularities concerning donations apparently emerged unbidden. That anonymous dark figure within Scottish Labour will now presumably hope to benefit from Ms Alexander's downfall. When facing the formidable opponents confronting you, do not neglect to be mindful of the knot of vipers sitting alongside you, if you happen to be the leader of Scottish Labour.
"A little neglect may breed mischief . . . for want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost." (Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1758)
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Also, I do agree with another poster here that the decision definitely came from down South, but only because the feedback they were getting from activists/hardcore Labour supporters/some MSPs had been, and continued to be, particularly negative.
This is what I have heard :)
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Ms Alexander need not resign if she has the support of her party.
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Well, well, what a day. Wendy and Cathy's speeches spoke volumes about Labour's problems. Instead of admitting fault, they blame others, in particular the SNP. SHE and her party messed up. They broke the law. They might have got away with less damage if they had made a clean breast of it at the beginning. But no, Labour does not admit fault. Indeed they take great offence at even being asked about their "mistakes".
So, who next? Cathy, Andy, Iain or Margaret. Doesn't really matter. They all agreed Wendy was the best bet less than a year ago. Poor judgement and arrogant denial is their habit. This is in their DNA.
Scottish Labour cannot change. Their inability to adapt may, like the dinosaurs, be their undoing.
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ALL of the difficulties would have been (and, in future, will be) avoided if the arbitrary limit on declarable donations is scrapped.
The public deserves to know where EVERY PENNY is coming from, and ALL donations should have to be declared.
That said, many posters have decried the 'deceit' involved in seeking donations of £950 (non-declarable) rather than £1000 (which would have had to be declared), largely ignoring the fact that many of those who contributed ONLY did so because their contributions were set to remain private; had they anticipated publicity, they would have declined to prop up Wendy Alexander's campaign.
If the Labour Party is so keen on central funding for political contests, why did the party not grant Ms Alexander's team (and that of any other contender) a campaign fund?
I just hope that any and all of the likely candidates to succeed Wendy will have learned the lesson of her downfall - and will, if in doubt, declare, declare, declare...
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Brian
A good fair summary. The only bit I do not follow is her complaint that she was denied natural justice. How so?
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What I'm keen to know is who the replacement will be, I'm quite excited to find out, infact I can hardly wait, even my 7 year old daughter is desperate to find out who the new person will be...........I suppose I'll just need to be patient and wait till next Saturday to find out the identity of the new Doctor Who.................mind you it's a bit of a coincidence Wendy resigns and the Doctor regenerates on the same day...........surely no.......naaaah........coudn't possibly.
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Oddly, this is probably the worst thing that's happened to Alex Salmond and the SNP since they took control at Holyrood.
No-one could do a worse job than Wendy, she was damaged political goods.
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There are more questions than answers here.
Wendy is a big girl so why resign over a 'trivial matter' pursued by her lifetime enemies, the nats?
Who in her team leaked the donation details?
Who in the Labour party is pushing her? Will this become apparent when they throw their hat in for the leadership contest?
Labour is a car crash which has happened.
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Seems to me like we are paying £54k to MSPs so that they can spend all their time and that of their researcher's time on stuff that does not help Scots who are suffering poverty and injustice. Seems like the SNP are joing the ranks of the guy who did the "Butcher's Apron" stuff for the SNP. The SNP have voted in cohoots so often recently with the Tories that it looks like without too many folks noticing we are slippng back to the worst days of Tory cuts - we are seeing the help for disabled people being savaged. Elderly folks denied their home shopping deliveries. Schools and nurseries closed. The free bus pass for senior citizens now in jeopardy. Students debt goes on. No sign of how the Forth Bridge will be paid for. The closure of the Superfast Ferry under the SNP Government.
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Oh dear, humility and dignity are not words that Wendy had within her vocabularly. Even in here resignation speech she has to blame others. Maybe tomorrow morning she will take a long hard look at herself in the mirror and ask herself did I contribute to my downfall, and maybe, just maybe she might hear herself whisper 'Yes, I did'! Bad day for labour, bad day for women in politics. Thanks Wendy.
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So Wendy, true to Labour party standards, blames everyone else, especially the SNP.
Did I miss something here? She admitted, not only failing to declare donations, but that she accepted an illegal donation too.
Sorry Wendy - unless Alex Salmond personally and secretly paid the illegal donation into your account, I'm afraid the blame lies fairly and squarely at your own door.
As for Labour in general - they just don't seem to get it. This whiney, negative attitude is one of the things that lost them the last election. Will they ever get out of the "Border guards at Carlisle" mode and try being positive for a change? I doubt it.
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Something that has never been explained, as far as I know, is what happened to the #17 000 that was raised for the leadership campaign that never happened. I think some of it was returned ie the #950 donated by Paul Green but what happened to the rest? Surely if there was no campaign then all the money should have been returned to the donors. If it has not been returned where is it?
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HAHAHAHA
Another one of these UK-destroying labour thugs has gone.
Made my Saturday.
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This is a very detailed analysis, Mr Taylor, but it may slightly miss the point. The old 'Top Gear' used to go into a lot of detail about a car's mechanical innards. Jeremy Clarkson just goes on about what emotional response you get.
Why people buy Audis instead of Skodas, even though they are both just Volkswagen's underneath.
You are closest to the answer when you talk about the voters - they have determined that the 'share price' of the Labour Party is going down like an outgoing tide.
In the management speak psychobabble of David 'The Office' Brent, he would come up with some corkers like 'The trend is your friend'..
The SNP have exploited the momentum here towards their policies, to independence and away from Labour 'Nationally', organising a vendetta against their opponents.
This has little to do with a careful weighing up in the balance of the pros and cons of her 'offence' - it is more of a Shakespearean tragedy - that the gap between a 30-day suspension and a 7-day suspension is not as great as the yawning chasm between a one-day suspension and being let off the hook completely.
Having 'done the crime', so to speak, if she could have 'done the time' before summer, she could have come back fighting fit in the autumn - but with this still hanging over her she looked like infecting the Labour brand down south with her close connections to Gordon Brown via her brother.
The Prime Minister needs hassle like that at the moment like tooth-ache. He wants [or needs?] to stop the boat from taking on water so he can re-shuffle the crew, and he has no room for sentimentality over any of the staff that aren't helping in steadying that ship.
And as we saw sometime ago with Harriet Harman - anyone who is endangering GB is in danger of being thrown over the side as shark bait. Can she make a comeback ??
The opera isn't over till the fat lady sings - and she hasn't even cleared her throat..
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Good riddance to a spoilt child who had used up all her excuses culminating in the petted lip. She has at least shown the extent of cronyism in UK politics.
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The Scottish Parliament reminds me of the Scotland Football Team......great individual players......rubbish as a team.....all want to be 'stars'!
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Wendy - I give you TEN out of TEN
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InMyKip
Loved your post!
gloriousClarinda
As far as I remember from TV coverage, the money was spent on video presentations for her tour around Scottish constituencies.
To those who suggest she was "pushed" by London -
Seems politically unlikely, and smacks of "Scottish cringe" to blame the UK Labour leadership. What does Brown have to gain from her loss now? With the Glasgow East by-election coming soon (no doubt the SNP will improve their vote, but gaining the seat when Marshall had 60% of the vote last time would be spectacular!) to have the leadership of Labour in Scotland in disarray would be detrimental to them.
I suspect Wendy Alexander was right in her original decision not to run for the leadership against McConnell. She is probably the cleverest of the Labour MSPs, but politics is a hard and nasty game (look at how Labour attacked Salmond over the Menie Estate affair). I would use the "heat and kitchen" analogy, but that seems sexist in her case.
Being unable to take the heat, may mean that she is actually a nice person (I doubt if any of us bloggers could cope with that sitruation - and we're all nice people!).
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Come now SCFNL29, you discredit the good name of goats everywhere by suggesting they might choose to associate themselves with New Labour in the West of Scotland!
Personally I believe a bag of carrots will appear sporting a red rosette and the unthinking blinkered masses of Glasgow will still elect to vote for it. The intelligence or educational test mentioned earlier for New Labour activists is of no consequence either, not only as it has clearly had no meaningful effect upon the oratorical skill or Parliamentary performance of Labour MSPs, but also that the possession of progressive intellect amongst those who choose to vote vote for Labour candidates in Glasgow is proof indeed that potatoes might have achieved the foul craft of cross-breeding with humans.
As for Wendy Alexander, her leadership of the Labour Party in Scotland has been a monument to incompetence. Her incessant bleating about her treatment by the broadsheet press, and her curdling accusations that this whole sad episode is of the Nats design is as tedious as it is ridiculous. Her singular failure to accept that she was briefed against from within her own ranks is testimony to her detached nature. That she was abandoned by those comrades who now hide away in recognition of what they have done to her is probably a fact lost to her. Her Performance at FMQ's was frequently embarrassingly bad, her self important dismissal of those with differing political ideologies as insulting as it was pathetic. The architect of her own destruction, her powerhouse intellect demeaned by her reliance upon unimportant questions and outdated ideological drivel.
And that is why her performance, her reign as leader was indeed so sad, so pathetic, and so very tragic. Imagine being deeply intellectual and yet so intensely anti- Scottish, all to defend a increasingly unfashionable unionist mindset, appeasing the English vote in London and its provinces just to bolster Gordy's idea of Britishness.
Representing that charming town called Paisley, I can only pity her as she goes scurrying back to that proverbial knitting circle for the intellectually challenged she no doubt identifies as her comrades, to spend perpetuity with the likes of fellow political non-entities defending a unionist position that even her late great mentor Mister Dewar admitted was on shaky ground. She was a wasted talent indeed. A shame really.
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The mantra of the Labour Party, both London and Edinburgh based has been 'openess and transparency'. has Wendy not been less than open but all too transparent by leaving the taking of advice until the last some would say 'too late' minute. Had there been ANY doubt about donations why not follow the mantra of being both open and transparent and declare the donation(s). What was there to lose by doing so? Nothing. What was there to risk by not doing so..... res ipsa loquitur as they say in the circles of natural justice... the matter speaks for itself.
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I'm sad for Wendy, like Brown. they both wanted the top job but neither were competent enough to succeed in it. Isn't it time that politicians realised that sometimes you don't have to lead to have power?
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
"Why now"?, you ask.
Well, why not now?.
Ms Alexander was previously a senior member in Henry McLeish's government and was portrayed by the media as an "intellectual" and probable future leader of Scottish Labour.
When financial irregularities forced Henry McLeish from office Ms Alexander decided it was too soon for her to seek the top job and so stepped aside clearing the path for Jack McConnell.
When Mr McConnell and Scottish Labour lost the last election to the SNP, Wendy Alexander stepped forward as the new Labour Leader. She has been Lab Leader for 12/13 months now and she has accomplished absolutely nothing. She has not even giving the impression that she is capable of accomplishing something.
Ever since we achieved a devolved Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Lab Party have ignored the reasons that drove the people to vote for it in the first place.
We wanted a government that would take on board the opinions of the people first and other considerations second before making decisions. We wanted a government that would always put the public good before anything else.
What we got from Scottish Lab was the same as we had been getting from Westminster, a, `we know best` attitude. The only thing that concerns them is getting their numbers and statistics the way they want them.
Wendy Alexander appears to have been one of those people who believe in their own media hype. She seems to have thought it was her `Ball` and everyone would dance to her tune. Well Wendy, the party's over but there's always reminiscence, and in some cases, bestselling reminiscence.
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InMyKip - A round of applause is due !!!
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"She followed the code. She followed procedure. With one rather crucial exception."
Brian that's like saying you can be a wee bit pregnant.
Exception means.......
She did not follow the code.
She did not follow procedure.
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In the last analysis, the donations debacle is probably less important than the fact that it was widley agreed that She was just not good enough.As She was apparantly seen by the Labour Party as the only worthy candidate to lead them only last year , what does that tell voters about Her successor ?
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Wendy Alexander's leadership can be summed up as follows.
1. During the leadership campaign-of-one she broke the law in soliciting a illegal donation.
2. At Holyrood she failed miserably in being the leader of the opposition.
3. In resigning as leader she showed no grace at all.
Her flaws were all there to see, after all we have been here before with Wendy.
She was never the big-brained policy wonk that the media have us believe, she was no more than a small-minded loudmouth.
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#26
The reason Wendy thinks she was "denied natural justice" is because, to NuLab, natural justice means doing what you like and getting away with it. A more arrogant shower you are unlikely to find.
However, I will miss Salmonds usual ravaging of Ms Alexander at FMQ's. Bring on the next "contender".
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To #39,
I don't know, I still think she had the support of most of her parliamentary party in Scotland. Despite this, I think a large number of grass-roots Labour supporters, or local party members in Scotland, were not happy with her, particularly on the Devolution/referendum issue.
You have to remember that bar the small group including people like Henry McLeish etc, most of them believe that more powers to the Scottish parliament = leads inevitably to "the slippery slope" to independence.
I reckon she was almost definitely pushed!
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So politics is a rough trade. That's good news for journalists and I'd imagine you are happy to keep it that way. Not so good for the ordinary public most of whom are already disengaged with the political process. Plenty good copy for you though.
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Lets nail this lie being put about that its only the Scots Nats who have a vested interest in this whole sorry debacle. I for one am not a Nationalist I am a unionist. And before you Nats get on your high horse I say to you please do not use this matter to score Party Political Points its more important than that. The Union/Nationalist debate though important should be argued on another forum.
The point about all this is that this is simply an example of what can and does happen when any Political party holds sway way too long in any constituency be it local or National.
Yes I am glad Labour lost its strangle hold on Scotland and yes I am happy the SNP are in power because a change was necessary.
Likewise it was good that the Tories got kicked out down south after to long in office.
The fact of the matter is this was the straw that broke the camels back .As has been mutted on this and other forums the Scottish Labour party is in meltdown and decades of patronage and cronyism are coming to an end. This is good for us all, it is good for Politics and in fact in truth it is good for The Labour party in Scotland. Why is this?
Because after years and years of complacency and taking its power base for granted ( monkey in red rosette springs to mind) Labour will now have to try , really really try harder and to do this they will have to abandon cronyism . nepotism and all the traditional baggage which ultimatley has led to what we are all reading about in todays newspapers. They require better candidates ,better arguments and a thourgh cleaning out of their stables. This will, as the Tories found out probably take years but do it they must. Things aint what they used to be its the changing of the guard And a final word to those from other Parties , do not be to smug other skeletons will in time also come rattling out of your own cupboards Im afraid its human nature.
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Exactly Brian' where are the duplicitous Labour politicians who danced with glee when they were complicit in forcing David McLetchie out of office; strange how they whinge when the same treatment is meted out to their leader, irrespective of the lack of genuine support for Wendy from many in the Scottish Labour Party.
I am of the belief that Wendy was forced upon Scottish Labour by Westminster Labour; I also believe many MSPs opposed her Coronation; that said I cannot see an obvious talented individual in the running for the leadership; the main choices are now apparently a grey man and one who would fare better in an audition for one of the trio in the Scottish play.
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One thing I'm surpised at is why the 'gender' card wasn't played. The old, "I'm a poor wee lassie and you are all nasty SNP men" routine. Cathy Jamieson would almost certainly have used it.
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# 52
Well said! Your last paragraph applies almost as much in England and from what I read even more in Wales.
Politics has become "what can I get out of it, and can I use my position to help my friends" rather than "how can I serve my country and constituents"
# 49
"to NuLab, natural justice means doing what you like and getting away with it"
I reluctantly conclude that you are right.
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I'm not Scottish but I follow Scottish politics closely. There's not doubt that Alexander has been undermined from within as much as by the SNP. Watching her at FMQ's she was so horribly out of her depth that it was painful to watch, if she had been a strong and effective leader, who had the measure of Alec Salmond then she could probably have ridden this out. Many Labour MSP's will have seen the writing on the wall and will be quietly delighted that she's gone.
#53, never truer words spoken! If it had been Salmond or Nicola Sturgeon who were in this sort of trouble, Labour would be demanding their head on a spike and the SNP would be circling the wagons and complaining that it wasn't fair! One thing that politicians have in common, be they right, left or centre is that they can give it out but they can't take a word back!
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I have never heard a more self-pitying speech on all my days. As many previous posters have said, she was on the wrong side of the law. Fact. Live with it Wendy. You have just shown to millions why you were never going to be respected by the people of Scotland. Next.....
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Yes, I know it's boring when there's a grave to be danced upon, but would anyone care to address my point in #16 about the lack of talent in Scotland. The absence of any respected figure in politics?
Even the SNP can join in; what if political or personal misfortune befell Alex Salmond? Who would you trust. In any party, if you like.
Would the SNP, without AS, be as riven by factionalism and backstabbing as Labour? They were not long ago.
If every MSP became an Independent tomorrow, and united under a "Put Scotland First" banner, I couldn't pick a decent cabinet.
I think the big picture is more important than how or why an ex-party leader departed the scene.
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Brian
Watched your contribution at lunchtime today, and I must say I am very surprised at your attack on the Standards Committee.
The independent Standards Commissioner, note the word independent, decided that there had been a serious breach of the regulations. The standards committee agreed, but the Labour members did not, funny that.
What is at issue here is behavior that both broke the law, donation from Jersey, which was initially disguised as coming from a Glasgow company. Law broken, but not in the public interest to prosecute. (Labour version totally exonerated)
Donations under the £1000 radar (If this legislation was so important that Labour rushed to introduce it, why was it not important to investigate when the rules were breached?)
Advice asked for after the 30 day period. What advice was asked? where are the emails that will prove Wendys innocence once and for all? (Promised months ago but still not forthcoming)
This is the classic Labour, it wisne me, a big boy named Salmond did it and ran away. Never that any responsibility for your own actions. Who can I blame?
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#58 ...
Brigadier you certainly make an eloquent point.
The limited debating and oratorical abilities of most Scottish MSPs are embarrassingly poor.
Their appalling grasp of conversational subtlety, psuedo emotional attachment to social issues, their partisan umbrella attitudes to policy, ignoring what they personally believe to be right or wrong, and their stupid repetative soundbites and addiction to spin are completely tedious! The nature and aftermath of the Alexander resignation is symptomatic of the mud-slinging childish nonsense that is synonymous with these prat-apples. Everyone else to blame but themselves..
Re your assertion that there are few statesmen/women in Scottish politics, I heartily agree. A journalist friend whose family are heavily immersed in foreign politics have mentioned the shining beacon that Salmond appears in the international community, by which I mean he is regularly discussed as a figure of authority in Germany, India and Singapore; states where I have openly heard his name mentioned. His profile and statesman like abilities have certainly shone a light on what's unfolding in Scottish/UK politics. Goldie too is a marvellous communicator; her acerbic wit and debating acumen are obvious to behold. She is truly entertaining and lends character to an otherwise dull Parliamentary series of exchanges. She makes an obvious foil for him. I'd mention the Machiavellian Michael Russell in the same breath. Would you agree?
Alas the Lib-Dems and especially the Labour Party seem bereft of such fine minds, and I'd argue that is a reflection of the stagnant quality of Scottish society and politics in recent times.
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I think it's ironic that Labour brought in so many laws and changes which have backfired on them.
Devolution was brought in to secure votes, nothing else. But that has gone pear-shaped.
The laws on expenses (if I am correct) was brought in by them, probably aimed at Conservative MPs, but once more has backfired in spectacular fashion. The Speaker only survived because no MP wants to see the Speaker removed, but Wendy is a different matter.
#58. You are absolutely correct when you ask what happens should Alex Salmond disappear. The SNP will disintegrate: they are the most fractured party in UK politics, only held together by both Salmond's ego (sorry abilities) and self preservation. The SNP did not win power, Labour lost it.
Wendy Alexander's resignation is the latest in a long line of changes which are basically destroying the UK. Independance is now a strong possibility, and that will only cause problems for the whole of the UK. Perhaps we need the UK to change to a federal state.
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Have seen several video clips on the BBC website of Alexander moaning about the SNP but can't find a single video clip of Alex Salmond giving the SNP's side of the story.
This type unbalanced coverage is totally unacceptable.
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Wendy Alexander had her own agenda, she only thought of herself for many months during the turmoil she caused. Horrible thing about all this is that people voted for her but did not realise what a silly, self centred person she was. Wendy like many people in power, never (really) think of the minions that voted them in, to the detriment of 'All'
Wendy try not to become a woman of success but rather try to become a woman of value.
A word of advice for all, it's what you do now that counts in the 'END'
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Brian
Here hoping that the Westminster lot start the same process, I would love to see some those labour politicians who for decades have represented people who live in real poverty, have their noses pulled out of the trough and held to account for their failure to those who elected them.
The truth about the Labour party is that they has failed Scotland and in many cases worked against the people of Scotland and now people are beginning to see the truth and start to question just what have they done to make life better in Scotland.
I do hope that the days of a guaranteed place in the Westminster trough are over and jobs for the boys mentality is about to end.
Steveh
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#61 ...
Your previous statement " The SNP will disintegrate: they are the most fractured party in UK politics, only held together by both Salmond's ego (sorry abilities) and self preservation. The SNP did not win power, Labour lost it." ...
Thank goodness this isn't an essay you're submitting for a degree or I'd have a few concerns regarding both your evidence base and prediliciton for assumption. What would make you state their is any more likelihood of fractiousness within one political party than any other? Political parties are by nature a vehicle for aspiration, and in a broad-church envelopment will accomodate the differing opinions of their members. Contemporary Scottish political coverage highlights the current difficulties faced by the Labour Party post Alexander. Dissent is not a presenting feature of the other parties at this stage, nor even particularly so within the ranks of Scottish labour, else media coverage would be quick to leap upon this. I suspect your commentary is driven more by personal feeling than substantive or empirical evidence.
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According to the Sunday Herald, Alexander's breach of parlaimentary rules was also a breach of the law and has been referred to the procurator fiscal:
"A donations row that had lain dormant for four months then flared up two weeks ago when the Sunday Herald revealed the contents of Dyer's report to the committee: in his view, a clear breach of the law had taken place."
So when can we expect the procurator fiscal's decision on whether she will be charged with breaking the law?
Just because she has resigned as Scottsh leader doesn't mean the due process of law is not completed, surely?
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Not really a surprise that Politics should find its way into a Holyrood committee room, or should not be to career politician.
Of course the alternative is to let an independent panel, possibly judicial to review these issues. No MSP of any political colour would countenance that of course, otherwise we may well be without a full complement of MSPs in the chamber for longer periods.
Those who live by the sword....
Let us not forget it was the principle adopted by the Wendy Alexander campaign of not wishing to disclose the source of funding that led her to this predicament.
The message is that the public want transparency of funding relating to politicians and political parties, all politicians need to pay heed to it, or pay the price; Wendy Alexander did not, and is.
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DrLecter #60: Mike Russell? Certainly erudite and cultured, but he might be too clever. I have a feeling the rougher elements of the Nats feel patronised by his wisdom. I don't know enough about the inner politics of the SNP, so can't say if he's a fundamentalist, a gradualist or whatever the apparachiks call themselves. Wasn't he edged aside in the last-but-one party list? Doesn't bode well for leadership aspirations, if he has any.
At least the Nats can laugh, for now. But it must be bad for everyone if the new Leader of the Opposition at Holyrood is a nonentity.
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65. At 3:38pm on 29 Jun 2008, DrLecter wrote:
#61 ...
"Thank goodness this isn't an essay you're submitting for a degree or I'd have a few concerns regarding both your evidence base and prediliciton for assumption."
I'll admit there is a little bit of assumption, but I don't have the time to produce all the evidence.
Alex Salmond appeared to abandon the SNP in Scotland when devolution came about. The reason was that the SNP was still suffering from in-fighting and he knew the best course of action was to stay in Westminster for a term then see what happened.
For a man who's political life ambition is to see an independant Scotland, why did he no jump at the chance first time around?
Because of his political rivals within the SNP.
As for infighting - look back to 2004 when Campbell Martin said John Swinney should be replaced as leader live on radio.
The SNP have had a good start, partly because Labour are a disaster. The brick wall has yet to come, but come it will.
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Why is it that the BBC's Politics show is available in iPlayer for every part of the UK except Scotland?
When one clicks on the link provided it takes you to iPlayer and informs you that "Politics Show Scotland" cannot be found.
It simply isn't good enough.
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With Wendy gone, what will be the calibre of her replacement?
It is a real irony that Scottish Labour's fortunes will only improve when the Tories take power in the UK Government.
For their eight years' tenure of power in Scotland, the Labour [element of the] administration was always having to tread on eggshells to keep the party's Wesminster contingent sweet.
When David Cameron's successor moves into 10 Downing Street, THEN the Scottish Labour leader (whoever that turns out to be) will be able to start espousing Scottish policies for the Scottish people - regardless of how English voters feel about the matter.
(It will also be interesting to see how Annabel Goldie et al change tack when their utterances are taken to reflect upon the UK's governing party.)
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#70, bighullabaloo
Not sure where you are (in the UK), but I have just watched [part of] today's Scottish edition of the show.
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Brigadier #68...
Nonentities seem a certainty in Scottish Politics. I'd say that's partly due to the system of elevation from socialist mouthpiece on the blue-collar shopfloor, through Trades Union representation, Local Government councillorship and ultimately the giddy stratosphere of MSP. At least that seems the method of promotion for members of the Scottish Labour Party. Socio political conditioning will determine that oratory and debating prowess is frowned upon, scuppered in favour of the matrix of appealing to "yer ain."
The Lib Dems seem initially enlightened yet dispossesed and lacking not substance but character. Nicol Stephen has the personality of wallpaper and it appears his own team are lacking gumption or personality enough to challenge his presentation and style. Doesn't bode well for future elections. They're unidentifiable and that's the problem. They may be able, but are ultimately anonymous.
The Tories seem quite together. Goldie is as said, an excellent commentator, and other colleagues appear at least eloquent when facing the cameras I must say. She seems even to have reined in the mouthier elements of her team. Think Bill..
I think we may yet see more action from her back bench colleagues in coming months, possibly McLetchie? He's sharp and entertaining.
The Nats have played a blinder frankly. Salmond aside, Mike Russell is a devastating performer, and even Sturgeon can be decent on her day. Rosey Cunningham is a bit marmish for my tastes, but again a reasonable voice. I'd mentioned before about political parties being a broad church; that the apparently fractious Nats have united and seem still to be glued together like clams can only pay them dividends. I think they'd survive post Salmond, but not necessarily post independence, certainly in their current guise.
One last point I must make. There is a pattern of metamorphosis amongst those Scottish MP's who hit the big time in westminster. By this I mean the sudden anglicisation of their accent and dulling of their tones to suit an English audience. This voice has historically presented as the voice of academia and the educated, and alas this stereotype holds true. The incumbent Labour Government wholly endorse this policy and in doing so, diminish the abilities and achievements of their own countrymen/women who choose to speak in their natural voice. This might make their presentational skills seem lesser in comparison.
This is a simplistic point to make, but is arguably ultimately very true. The voice of authority is a disguised Scots accent. What message must that send out?
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69 #
Political expediency resides not just within the purview of those who hold Nationalist tendencies. In-fighting has been part and parcel of politics since the dawn of democracy. No party is immune from it. Your point is valid of course, but the argument is made when you compare the traits of the differing parties and identify not just the differences, but the similarities.
All life is cyclical. Brick walls as you state, may come, but will inevitably be torn down and re-built. Where Nationalists are concerned, what happened several years ago is of no consequence at this late stage. Their star is rising and the fractiousness you identified has long been forgotten. I used the analogy of being tight as clams in a previous post. It may not be true in fact, but their exterior presentation and polish is what matters to voters, and frankly, the Labour Party lose hands down to all major parties in these stakes, both at Holyrood and Westminster. Lemons and sour spring to mind! The Labour Party will no doubt have their time again, but the new lesson for them which is not yet learned, is of humility and patience.
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If Ms Jamieson is indeed thinking of standing, why didn't she spend some time making herself look presentable on Saturday. If she thinks that Scotland is ready for yet another look-a-likey Labour female then she should be warned.
We expect a bit more from our politicians than just 'Elaine C Smith style' ranti-ism. I want someone I can look up to, to support. At the moment, I can't see anyone in Scottish Labour...
Maybe they should look out of their own cliques towards someone who looks like they care.
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Neil_Small147:
It would be quite silly to mention that Alex Salmond is the only person who has political rivals within their own party.
Usually these rivals become active when a Government becomes weak. Who would take Salmond on now while he has one of the most popular ratings ever?
But we witnessed that Labour in London struggling to control her backbenchers. We've also witnessed the fall of Wendy that is linked to an 'insider' handing information to the Herald.
David Davis could have a hidden agenda by preparing to take on David Cameron. The reason for stepping down may not of been to protect our liberities but a reason to step down of the shadow cabinet for a future leadership contest since the Conservatives are in a strong position.
Frank Field (Labour MP) has influence within the backbenchers...David Davis may well have his own influence and in future take on Cameron.
The SNP are not the only party who have their own rivals within their party.
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cousteau669
I'm in Scotland.
The Politics Show Scotland appeared in iPlayer 6 minutes after my post appeared here at 4.35pm.
The end of the broadcast show was at 1.30pm.
That means it took more than three hours to make it available on iPlayer.
The three hour plus delay in availablity isn't what I complained about.
I complained The Poltitics Show for every other part of the UK i sbeing made available before the Scottish version.
I don't regard that as acceptable.
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Dr Lecter: When Lord Byron, succeeding his father, was mocked at Westminster for his Aberdeen accent, he changed it and became the archetypical Englishman that most now believe him to have been. I can understand the need to "fit in." However, I have no problem with accents. It's the mangling of language and grammar (and spelling and punctuation here) that diminishes the speaker or author. I believe the Red Clydesiders were articulate, so it's not class or accent that's important, but intellect. Far too many of us are represented by people who simply lack education.
When they put forward from among themselves an inadequate, with pretensions to leadership, that is quite unacceptable.
Someone like Galloway - minus his appalling baggage of course - could hold Holyrood in his palm.
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#77, bighullabaloo
I agree it does seem odd.
It makes me wonder if Scottish programmes are uploaded from Pacific Quay or have to be first transmitted to a [presumably London] central BBC location.
As a newcomer to the iPlayer, I'm only just getting to terms with the inherent vagaries of the service, but from what I have experienced 'national' programmes are promptly available.
I don't know what is more disappointing - the fact that BBC Scotland's status seems diminished, or that I am in no way surprised by that fact.
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Brigadier #78
I quite agree. Inadequacy is a greater hell than others, but I stand by my assertion that accent should be no bar when ability matters. That one of the intellect of Gordy Broon should succumb to a need to fit in is shockingly bad. Byron might have set the precedent, but in the 21st century I'd argue that it shouldn't remain to be followed. Else we'll continue to educate indirectly that one's own Scots voice is inferior amongst the others.
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Brigadier # 78
Oh!...meant to say.. Galloway is fabulous to behold. Shame he scarpered when he could have given so much to the Scots Parly'.
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#79 cousteau669 -
I investigated further.
It seems that the Politics Show Scotland is a full hour whilst the show for other parts of the UK (including Northern Ireland and Wales) is only half and hour. Thus the Scottish show finishes half an hour later than the same show in other parts of the UK.
I'm glad that we get an hour-long show instead of a half-hour show and if Scotland's show is being made available on iPlayer half an hour later than other parts of the UK for that reason, that would be acceptable.
However since the Scottish version of the show became available more than three hours after the end of the TV broadcast I don't think it's a valid response to my complaint.
Since I'm paying the same licence fee as everybody else in the UK I don't want to go to iPlayer and find that everyone else in the UK has their version of the show available whilst I don't.
I'm not making a big thing of it but I don't really see why the shows for all regions of the Uk can't be made available at the same time. Whether that's one hour, three hours or 24 hours after the original broadcast isn't relevant.
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A pretty fair assessment, Brian. Wendy Alexander was never right for the job, though who could have done a better job considering the sorry state of Scottish Labour after the election is a moot point. You're right to suggest that the parliamentary rules on donations are a mess and clearly very poorly administered. But Wendy probably placed far too much faith in the competence of aides like Charlie Gordon, whose record as a Glasgow City Council machine politician should have disqualified him from being allowed anywhere near potential donors.
You're also right to say that she should have had more sense than to blame the SNP, since it looks as if there was some nasty leaking from her own colleagues. On the other hand, the level of personal vilification that the hordes of cyber nationalists posted daily on newspaper message boards (some of them on here today as well) was pretty extraordinary. There is a problem with the SNP in that they do seem to attract people whose greatest pleasure in life is to hate other people. As far as their attitude to Labour goes, it really does seem to be pure, undiluted hatred. It does Scottish political life no good at all.
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#83, CUJMee
Wendy Alexander has indeed been the object of 'PERSONAL vilification'.
Wendy has suffered because of what Wendy said and Wendy did (or failed to do); her party is largely irrelevant.
She inspires an intensity of feeling because (as has been rehearsed above) she appears to represent a belief that Scotland is an unquestioningly Labour supporting country.
For the first time in Wendy Alexander's lifetime, Labour is not in the ascendancy in Scotland.
The old Labour model of Scottish politics no longer applies; if the party's MSPs don't embrance a change strategy, they'd better get comfortable in opposition.
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CUJMee - Sad to see people on here still trying to peddle the falsehood that everybody else is to blame for Wendy Alexander's downfall - except Wendy Alexander herself.
Stop to consider that if at any point in the whole saga she had opted to own up to her own failings then there is every possibilty she'd still be in the job.
As someone who has been widely touted as a "brilliant poltical intellect" one has at the very least to question how intelligent it was of her to do that.
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DrLecter: I agree with you about accent, but I expressed understanding of those who try to adapt. Ask Lulu.
In connection with work, I have spoken to minor royalty and landed gentry as well as the most desperate down-and-outs. It was part of my professional skills that I could address them in terms they clearly understood, whether RP or gutter Glaswegian. A form of courtesy, if you like.
Attempting conversation with foreigners in their own language is the same - they forgive accent deficiencies, but require grammatical constructions to make sense of you.
I don't know if any of that takes anything forward, but I'm off to watch the football anyway.
Bighullaballoo: You ARE making a big thing of it, a big hullaballoo in fact.
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brigadierjohn - sorry, I didn't realise I had to have your permission to make a complaint about the BBC's online services. Have you thought of applying for the newly vacant post at the Labour Party? You've certainly got the right attitude!
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Thomas Porter #76:
I never said that other parties have infighting, it's just that the SNP are currently playing "we're all friends" act.
What is worrying is that if full independance is achieved - something that is hard to predict - what will happen when the economy dips? That is when the in-fighting breaks out and stops a Government working effectively.
As for other parties, I agree that David Davis has a hidden agenda, but this won't come until prob around a second Tory term in Government, that is provided Cameron doesn't make a mistake.
And the Lib Dems are never going to achieve the votes they need.
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Neil_Small147:
Yes. It is incredibly important that Political Parties do play the 'We are United' role. Notice how Cameron does not talk about the European Union as much now? The Tories are still touchy about the subject...
The Scottish National Party have campaigned for an Independent Scotland and would never take the risk of having the lagacy as Scotlands failures once we are Independent.
I would reckon the SNP would be able to take several bad hits and still play the 'We are United' role. Of course, later, far after Independence then I would not be suprised if someone fought for the leadership. Every Party goes through it once in awhile and the SNP won't be different.
The SNP have more to loose if something goes wrong during post-Independence.
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Then again does it matter. The whole point of the SNP both historically and right now is to demonstrate that Scotland is quite capable of being run from Edinburgh again rather than Westminster.
If independence is thereby achieved by demonstrating that Holyrood isn't just the jumped up parish council Tony Blair tried to pretend it was, then its purpose will have been achieved and it won't matter if it splits into right left and centre
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All one can say about Wendy Alexander is this: Was she really the best that Scottish Labour had? This dismally dim woman was the peak of Scottish Labour's talent?
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She probably was (the clever ones having gone south) and got knifed in the back by the numpties who resented being endlessly told that she was the brightest thing to come out of Scotland since the Stevensons stopped building lighthouses
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Is Labour trying to out-do the Lib Dems in the contest for greatest number of leaders within a 5yr period?
Whatever the leadership election outcome is I suspect that none of the Scottish Labour Party's Central Committee members will lead the party to election success in 2010 and there will be another leadership contest two years from now.
Plus ca change...
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Perhaps if the Electoral Commission had acted with integrity the matter would have been resolved long before it reached this stage.
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The thing is, people are talking about the in-fighting within the SNP, but should we really be surprised? I mean when you have a party who's main aim is to have an independent Scotland, there are bound to be incredibly divergent political views held under that independence banner, be it on economic policy, law and justic etc, Europe etc.
As an SNP supporter I'm impressed by how they've managed to hold things together, but at the same time I'm realistic enough to realise that without Salmond our party really doesn't pack the same punch. I think Nicola Sturgeon is just about the only other person I would trust to lead the party these days.
The thing is, until Labour and co stop sending their B team to Holyrood it doesnt really matter who we have. The next election is the SNPs to lose really as the opposition really has been that poor.
If Scotland does eventually become independent, which I hope it does, Labour will only have themselves to blame, as people like Cairns and Douglas Alexander sit in Westminster away from the "front-lines" leaving useless people like Sister Wendy to get destroyed by the SNPs A-team. They give the impression they don't care and send the wrong message about the Scottish parliament and Scotland, that it doesnt matter as much as their larger paychecks do.
The good thing is that either way, this experience in government will hopefully improve the quality of the SNP frontbench and eventually there would be someone to fill Salmond's shoes should something happen.
But yeh, I do think Sturgeon with that experience working alongside Salmond could easily one day carry the credibility that Alex Salmond currently does. She's come a long way I'd say.
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What nobody seems to realise is that the forthcoming by-election for David Marshall's seat has far greater implications for Labour than Wendy's resignation. Firstly Marshall's and Labour's failure to improve the lot of "Shettleston Man"is going to be pored over not just by Scottish voters and media but by national and international commentators.
Secondly it is inevitable that allegations hitherto concealed about Marshall family members will surface in the media in what will be the dirtiest by-election in living memory.
This will hand victory on a plate to the SNP in this, the heartland of Scottish Labour. Gordon Brown's tenure can therefore be measured in weeks, not months.
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Its good to see that Brian has finally admitted that Wendy did something wrong.
"However, one of those donations, from a Jersey businessman, was illegal.
Full stop.
One can talk about mitigation, one can talk about who knew what and when.
One can point to the MSP, Charlie Gordon, who solicited the donation. But, as Tom McCabe conceded, the law was broken. "
Now that we seem to agree that Wendy did something illegal, can we get someone or anyone to hold the Electoral Commission to account for their actions, or lack of, ie.
Failure to uphold laws passed by Parliament.
Their excuse being that they were giving the new laws 5 years to bed in.
Complaints were made to the Procurator Fiscals and they should reconsider there decisions.
How utterly outrageous is it that Charlie Gordon,Tom Mc Cabe and her brother Douglas Alexander go unpunished for their part in the fiascos of the illegal payments and the last election.
Labour are getting off lightly, and some people do not appreciate this situation.
IT IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION NOT TO UPHOLD THE LAW.
.
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Don' t politicians ever realise that their version of "it wasnae me" (in this case "it was politically motivated.") just bangs another nail into their already low credibility.
Now we will have the amusing spectacle of leader wannabe's quietly, or not so quietly, cutting each others throats. I wouldn't buy a mars bar off any of them (of any party)never mind voting for them.
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This entire donations carry-on is absurd.
Common sense says ALL donations to individual or party for whatever reason should be declared and available for public perusal, that would remove any potential ambiguity and make any possible 'cash for favours' more visible.
Instead, our politicians spend who knows how long to create a set of rules which they seem to largely ignore; and who pays their salaries and obscene expenses for this exercise? Joe Public. How much has this whole Wendy fiasco cost and who pays for that? Joe Public again! Exactly the same as that other lot - Hain, Harman et al.
If they insist on keeping this crazy system then anyone found guilty of breaking the rules should be billed for the entire cost of processing their case - they'll be a whole lot more careful about breaking the rules if it damages their pockets.
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Brian,
Good to hear you on GMS this morning putting to rest the claim that weebendy was victim of an SNP-inspired witch-hunt and affirming instead that the real issue originated with herself.
I was, however, disappointed to see that the BBC website yesterday ran with the SNP bias claim all day!
Also interesting to listen to Henry McLeish on GMS and one of the positions he took was to effectively say that the departure of weebendy will leave a difficult legacy for the new leader to take forward. Specifically Henry said that the early independence referendum idea should be ditched, but did not all Labour MSPs give overwhelming support to weebendy just a few weeks ago??
Then there was the story running over the weekend that the prime Labour candidates were all briefing against each other ahead of the leadership campaign.
If you were a cynic you could say that Henry has put forward a position which if not delivered allows him an exit route as Labour disintegrates further!!
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I have to admit that I scarcely care about Wendy Alexander's resignation. She was little more than window-dressing, coming nowhere near Salmond's showmanship and panache. They'll replace her with someone equally uninspiring, and the show will go on.
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#14 Kaybraes.
It's interesting to see that you have chosen a site founded by a ''son of the manse'' to criticise one.
The S.N.P. have no place for religious zealots, nor should Brian Taylors blog.
Wansanshoo.
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Remember_1820 - yours is an absolutely superb post.
Like you, I have not forgotten the many hundreds of people who wrote to this blog furious at how the EBC and other so-called Scottish media were attempting to spin a politican's admitted illegality as "an unintentional wrongdoing".
When she quickly had her mind changed for her and tried to try to "tough it out", the noble EBC and other media sought to aid her by attempting to reframe the law-breaking in the public's mind as a "minor infringement of the rules".
Only after her resignation have they now found the courage to report the law-breaking for what it was then and still remains: a blatant breach of the law that has gone totally unpunished.
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Just wondering Brian, on the timing of Wendy's departure, do you think it was in any way hastened by the Glasgow East by-election? Did she forsee defeat there and wonder if Labour nationally would blame her?
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Well at least Wendy won't be short of work; she could always pick up pantomime work over Christmas period; wicked witch of the West springs to mind. Or North South and East for that matter. Or in the meantime, could set up her own campaigning group going into Scotland's schools telling young children passionately all about Sex, Drugs, Drink and possibly even Rock and Roll. The introduction of such 'Education' by the previous Labour Executive haven't provided any evidence about these 'inititiatives' working, nor do they internationally. Perhaps she could use her Management Consultancy experience to improve these programmes by adopting a dynamic, synergistic and targeted approach? Or maybe she could just get a real job.
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That's probably pretty close to it, or rather the Labour Party didn't want to go into the campaign with this business hanging over them.
They wanted to draw a line, but the trouble of course is that all the squirming has done has confirmed that it wasn't down to WA doing something daft by herself; the party as a whole was up to its collective neck as usual. It wisnae her that secured that dodgy overseas contribution; it wisnae her that took all those £9.99 donations to scrape underr the wire, and it wisnae her that voted for acquittal in spite of the plain facts.
Its the Labour Party that's been caught out
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Distinct abscence on this thread of anyone who actually admits to supporting Labour and believes them to be a party of honesty, integrity and competence. Is there nor even anyone left who supports them on the basis ' My Father and Grandfather voted Labour ' which gave them power in Scotland for so long? As Wendy has just found out, that doesn't wash anymore, people are alive to the fact that the Scottish Labour party could give lessons to Zanu on sleaze and nepotism. I can understand Wendy's fury, why does she have to resign when every other New Labour politician found guilty of impropriety merely shrugs their shoulders and says ' So what? '
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Had a wee chuckle there at the idea of the likes of Cairns and Wendy's brother being Labour's alternative "A-team" for Scotland!
Maybe now she has gone we will finally get the truth about the infamous "Renfrewshire Renaissance" Dinners - if Labour is capable of taking money from the political classes without them realising it in one constituency...
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InMyKip:
I've been carefully hoarding the last Dr. Who episodes so that I could watch them all together and have been carefully avoiding spoilers for weeks. The last place I expect to find such a massive spoiler for the show was in the comments of a political blog! So just wanted to say thanks for spoiling that for me, mate. Cheers! :P~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As for 'Wee Bendy' - I can only reiterate what others have said. She was useless from the word go, no match for Salmond and her resignation speech could have come straight from the nursery playground. If she can't cope with the normal rough and tumble that is UK politics then you have to question why she was in the job in the first place.
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#61
" The SNP will disintegrate: they are the most fractured party in UK politics, only held together by both Salmond's ego (sorry abilities) and self preservation. The SNP did not win power, Labour lost it." ...
I also think that had there not been so many spoiled ballot papers (142,000 = 7% of the electorate), the SNP wouldn't have won the election.
Probably the biggest reason for the increase in invalid ballots was that in the vote for the parliament, the ballot papers for the constituency elections were combined with that for the regional lists. A large-type instruction at the top indicated "you have two votes." Being told that they had two votes, far too many voters used both votes on parties in the regional list.
This misleading ballot was made more complicated by two additional features of the balloting: several small parties ran one or fewer candidates in the constituency seats and parties were able to choose to put the name of their leader in the party label for the list seats. The SNP were shown at the top of the list because 'A' for Alex came first.
The whole Scottish election amounted to nothing more than a joke, and had it been won fair and square, I still think the Labour party would have won.
By the way, I'm not a Labour party lover either; just a realist.
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There's a total lack of magnanimity and dignity on both sides here. Alexader was stupid to blame the SNP for her downfall; this is a further example of her ineptitude and plays directly into the hands of SNP zealots who wish to take credit for it and are still braying like a pack of demented hyenas long after the kill. What is really sad is that Scottish politics has been reduced to such a low level. I agree with the comments above about the vitriol and hatred expressed by some cybernats. I’m sure there are many decent and honourable people who support the SNP but why do they not condemn this nasty bigoted element amongst their supporters? If Salmond wishes to adopt the role as Scotland's senior statesman then he should be trying to unite the people of Scotland but it seems that he is content to preside over a country that is gradually tearing itself apart.
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If the Labour group in your dinky little provincial assembly choose another hopeless nonentity as their leader, that dinky little provincial assembly will effectively become the property of the SNP, who will never be faced with a credible opposition there capable of preventing them from turning it into the national parliament of an independent country.
It is time for the Labour Party to send in someone of stature from Westminster to take over the defence of the Union at Holyrood. There are too many Scots in the British government in any case.
Take the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for example. Please.
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I think it was more like the last straw that broke the camel's back.
She realises that Scottish Labour has got to put Scotland before the UK at all times over everything. That defree of autonomy is never going to be granted by Westminster, to do so would only encourage the pro-independence lobby.
So she was caught between a rock and a hard place. To halt the slide in Labour support north of the border and to take the SNP head-on, it has to be a 'Scotland first' doctrine. Anything less and Alex Salmond will just steamroller it.
She got out before Scottish Labour get tanked at the next general election. Her successor will cop for the blame for that now and also probably have to quit in the aftermath.
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I support darwinsmonkey in deploring intemperate political discourse, which, as he sagely observes, is not confined to one side of the constitutional divide.
I am afraid, however, that we have to accept that standards of debate in our society as it presently is simply are what they presently are. I believe I may have some sort of notion concerning what can be done to change that in the long term. I am afraid, though, that it would just be pounced upon and brushed aside out of hand by some vitriolic supercilious unionist or another of the type complained of.
Certainly intolerance is intolerable, but I fear that we do not advance the cause of tolerance by failing to respond to it in an understanding and tolerant manner. The manner in which we do things and express ourselves says a great deal about us but in fact nothing whatever about the causes that we espouse.
Manners have gone downhill in the UK. We all know this. It is appalling. I am appalled. You are appalled. All of us who are not actually appalling are very appalled indeed. If we cannot agree upon anything else, we can and should at least agree to disagree and respect one another.
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I have just heard that Cathy Jamieson is considering standing for the leadership. PLEASE God that this doesn't happen. Not because she would be a formidable opponent for Wee Eck, which she would most assuredly NOT be, but because we'd have to listen to that dreadful barrack-room lawyer voice of hers.
At the risk of being called a crawler, I have yet to see where or when Brian Taylor could be seen to be partisan in favour of wee Tufty Fluffytail (Wendy). He just tries to report and analyse on events as they happen.
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The Labour party will need someone with an equally big mouth as Alex Salmond to take over; otherwise they will never be heard.
Alex has got one big mouth!
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I don't think she will be any loss to the Scottish Parliament.
Let's face it, with few exceptions MSPs are given a title above their ability and capability. The Parliament is just a bigger venue for councillor style debates. MSPs are councillors who do not have the ability to up their game.
Wendy will be replaced with like for like. Her speaking attitude. and facial expressions in Parliament, were councillor style and we do not really have a Parliament, with some exceptions, with talented or experienced politicians above councillor level.
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@ 114.
Just a casual observation. If you don't tolerate intolerance, then surely that makes you intolerant?
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#115
#116
More examples of what I complained about above; sexist, patronising, and abusive.
If you have nothing to say, then say nothing.
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Wendy deserves much worse than this.
After all was it not her lot that made the rules in the first place.
I was appalled to hear her blame everything and anything but herself. But maybe she should blame either Jollie Jackie B or Cathie J as it seems plausible that they most likely leaked the scandal to the Sunday Herald.
At the end of the day if she was in any doubt about declaring funds then it seems daft for the need to ask the clerks.
If in any doubt--Declare it!
Anyway, I will miss her as i think she has been the best campaigner for independance Scotland has ever had.
Then again lets see who will take over her position. Im sure they will no doubt feel like lambs to teh slaughter. hehe!
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I think a lot of Labour's problems in Scotland are down to the fact that a sizable section of the party was at best ambivalent to devolution. The Scottish Parliament was John Smith's great passion but I think Blair didn't like it at all and would have backed away from it if he could have got away with it, hence the "parish council" comments and the 2 question referendum. The idea of devolving power down ran contrary to the control freak mentality of Blair and Campbell and they were determined to ensure that Labour put forward candidates who would do exactly as they're told. Think about the problems they created for themeselves trying to impose sock puppets like Alun Michael and Frank Dobson on Wales and London. Also, as has been said above, most Labour MP's look down their noses at Holyrood and prefer to stay at Westminster (maybe the expenses are better!) The SNP have been able to exploit this brilliantly and use it to show that they are the only ones who will stand up for Scotland. Labour need to find a leader who will be prepared to go against the wishes of the national party, a Scottish Ken Livingstone if you like.
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'I agree with the comments above about the vitriol and hatred expressed by some cybernats. I?m sure there are many decent and honourable people who support the SNP but why do they not condemn this nasty bigoted element amongst their supporters?'
Unfortunately, owing to the biased unionist media in Scotland, emotion gets too mixed with constructive debate by the supporters of the SNP. If we had a media which was impartial then I doubt if such behaviour would occur so often.
When a dyed in the wool unionist journalist, such as Douglas Fraser of the Herald, writes on his blog that labour's Simon Pia 'popped' into his office to berate him for his portrayal of Ms Alexander in some article, then that shows the extent the Scottish media is held to ransom.
Like you, I disapprove of vitriol and hatred being expressed but I would ask you to be tolerant, as the internet is the only media SNP supporters can make their opinions heard. The unionists have every newspaper and the BBC to do that for them.
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Jim_Thompson:
#110
Quite unfair to state that the SNP would not have won if it was not for the spoilt ballot papers. It assumes those spoilt ballot papers all voted the same way or against the SNP.
Labour have been against the SNP while the Lib Dems and Conservatives have worked with the SNP.
What has Labour got to show for Scotland since the SNP came to power? Nothing.
Wendy was terrible at her job anyone could of stabbed her in the back.
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#109, TiredOfQuestions, I sincerely apologise for my Dr Who spoiler and too all you unionists NO! it wasn't an SNP plot to destabilise the space time continuum before you get your Union Jacks in a twist. Although it would be interesting to go back in time and ensure the undemocratic Act of Union never took place, I wonder what the Unionists will have to say to that.
Unfortunately for you TiredOfQuestions I just couldn't resist drawing on the parallels between Wendy leaving and the good Doctor regenerating on the same day, however I promise not too post who the new Doctor is when it happens.......unless of course it is Wendy.
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I believe , like Wendy herself, that she was indeed "stitched up", but those who done it were more close to her than she probably realises.
Henry McLeish, just like Wendy, was also of " the same wrong religion " for the bigots inside Scottish Labour who ensured his ousting as First Minister as well. What a remarkable co-incidence,eh.?
Or am I a "bigot" .? Mmmm.....
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# 122
Point taken- OK then let's see more constructive comment from nationalists on the Internet then, including condemnation of racism, sexism and bigotry from their own ranks. You also ought to challenge the promulgation of 'Scotch Myth' versions of history which are simply designed to inflame Scotland's propensity for victimology. Otherwise no rational person will take you seriously.
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Darwinsmonkey, Like all the other posters on here, I am entitled to my opinions...that is after all what the blog is all about.
If you look back at my postings you'll see that I have remarked on many male MSPs as well as females. The fact is however, Wee Tufty deserved all she got and more and that would be true whether she was male or female. And as to the Jamieson wummin, just try being stuck in a room with her whilst she talks AT you in that voice and we'd soon se how you feel about her.
Furthermore, don't call me sexist, patronising or abusive. I'm am none of these things. My comments are based my perceptions of the people concerned. Perhaps you have not met them as I have. I know what they are like.
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Maybe one of the people here who argue in defence of Wendy Alexander and/or Scottish Labour would like to explain why it is we see them constantly trying to deny other people the right to make whatever comments they wish on a moderated public forum?
It really makes you wonder what the problem is with their stance that it can't even stand up to vigourous public criticism and that they feel the need to try to stifle comment at every opportunity.
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#127
Thank you- you make my point admirably.
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RFC #125.
I have always been interested in this argument about religion/Labour/Rangers etc but have never been convinced that it carries any weight. Can you explain further what the relevance is re Wendy/McLeish and I think McConnell who had similar issues.
I don't take seriously what Jo Blogg in the street thinks but you suggest that religion plays a part in Labour internal decisions.
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Since Gordon Brown's about to lose his job down south, why doesn't he step up to replace Wendy? ha haa!
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#112 no thanks Arthur you keep Gordon we don't want him either, infact you can have Wendy too then you'll have the complete set of imitation Labour leaders.
#110, #116 hmmmm, looks like Jim T is sore at the SNP because Thomas P keeps whupping him at political comments in here.
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The idea that religion played a part in all this is laughable. Some people see sectarianism everywhere; that's their problem.
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Does anyone know if the officials who gave her the wrong advice have been disciplined?
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#132, I with draw my dig at Jim T it was quite uncalled for by me and I offer my apologies to Jim T.
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I still want to know why she was not prosecuted for her illegal donation. She broke the law and as far as I understand it ignorance is no defence. I feelfinally that the SC has finally done something to make a stand that rules are NOT meant to be broken, but their token 1 day suspension shows that even when making a stand, politicians are not keen to make the punishment fit the crime. I shudder to think what sort of example this sets for people - break the law and you should expect to be punished... except if you are a politician....
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GlasgowGooner # 134
The officials didn't give her the wrong advice.
They her gave different advice to the QC who advised the independent Standards Commissioner.
One of her problems was she was trying to push the blame on to officials when they hadn't done anything wrong.
I'm sure she didn't like the ruling given by the Standard Commissioner's based on the advice of his lawyer but unfortuntely for her that's the way the system works.
The first reaction of those who support her was to claim the system is therefore "flawed".
I think it's clear that given the outcome the system is working perfectly.
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#132, InMyKip
Re your response to #112:
WHO is the Chancellor of the Exchequer...?
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GlasgowGooner -
Let me modify what I said above slightly.
I suppose you could argue that the advice of the officials was "wrong" in the sense that it was not the same as the advice given by the QC of the Standards Commissioner.
Of course, this also graphically exposes the fact that she shouldnt have been relying on the advice of lawyers for the parliamentary clerks in the first place, since:
1. The advice given by the officials' lawyers was always going to be superceded by a final ruling by the Standards Commissioner on the advice of his QC.
2. The Standards Commissioner made it crystal clear that the law states ultimate resposnsibility for registering gifts lies with the Member, andnot with any advising officals or their lawyers.
3. The law also allows her the option to have her own lawyer check if she was doing the right thing by not registering.
How she managed to fall foul of such clear rules truly beggars belief and that's why people seriously question her fitness for public office.
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bighullabaloo:
Let me add...
Especailly since it was Labour who wrote the rules...
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I always wonder when some folk go on about how extreme Scottish Nationalist supporters are just what their point is?
The facts are some one in Scottish Labour, close to Wendy leaked the illegal donations scam to the Sunday Herald. Under PPER an offence had been committed by her team accepting a known illegal donation on her behalf. Under PPER a further offence was committed when Wendy and or her team tried to deliberately cover up the receipt of an illegal donation and the final offence under PPER was the failure to properly account for donations and expenditure as the act requires. The Procurators Fiscal decided not to act on the basis of 'public interest' and not that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges under PPER. We now know that bringing charges would have opened up a hornets nest of difficult questions about other MPs and MSP's who had committed offences under the PPER Act and had not been brought to book.
Then Dr Dyer carried out his independent investigation under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2006 to decide whether any breech had occurred and reported the failure to properly report donations or gifts by Wendy as being in clear breach. The committee agreed there had been a breech on a 5 to 2 vote and agreed a day's suspension on a 4 to 0 vote with three abstentions. Wendy then further breached the 2006 act by allowing a press release announcing she was under investigation.
That is what happened in brief.
So Unionist extremists where is the evidence that Wendy was stitched up by anyone else but folk in her own party and her unerring ability to shoot herself in both feet?
There are similarities in Wendy's case to Al Capone who was never convicted of any gang crimes and went down for tax evasion instead.
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Well, #141, I've read it all now....
I thought no-one could top last week's post on St Kilda for sheer absurdity.....
....but comparing Wendy Alexander to Al Capone......
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer is even more a non-entity than Wendy or Cairns or either Alexander. Nothing but a little grey man in a little grey suit.
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'Why does Wendy Alexander resign over a minor slap on the wrist from a Parliamentary committee - when she was prepared to tough it out over what one of her team admitted was a breach of the law?'
Because it was the first opportunity to get rid of her after she opened her mouth and uttered the words 'bring it on'.
Don't believe me? I expect we'll see the Labour Party in Scotland switch back to a 'no referendum' position within a few weeks or months after electing a new leader.
She didn't jump, she was pushed from the top.
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#138, ah well spotted cousteau669 my not so deliberate mistake, although it could be said Gordon still is.
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Not a great day for either Scottish or Labour politics and I doubt the SNP will be scared with the list of potential candidates stepping into the breach. Wendy Alexander had her critics but it always seemed her heart was in the right place.
Something to put it into perspective though
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3KaHZRol6mg
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I have a couple of things to say. Firstly, I don't think Wendy going is any great loss to the Scottish people - I agree that she was lacklustre at best. But if that is so easy to figure out, why did her opponents have to oust her on what was, at best, a technicality? Everyone agrees she was no great shakes as a leader, but can every poster on this blog, hand on heart, say that they beleive that Wendy Alexander was such a corrupt, dishonest person she did not deserve to represent people?
I will argue on the issues she put forward, disagree with her on her political stance, and I will even take her to task on the manner in which she led the party. However, I would rather vote for a party with a bad leader than ally myself with the other side, who seem to mistake politics for an episode of Big Brother. This is a such an important time in Scottish politics - for the first time we have the two leading parites discussing the fundamental issue of who we are as a nation, and who we want to be.
How does either splitting hairs on whether she broke the rules or not, or gleefull cackling over the fact that "we got one of the other side out" help me decide, as a Scot, on those issues? It makes us look like amatuers. Incedentally, I noticed that one blogger said that a labour mole broke the story. I'm not sure, but I am pretty convinced that I heard a SNP researcher on a radio Scotland phone in recently being ever so smug over the fact that he reported Wendy to the Standards Committee. If you are so proud of what you've done as a party, you should take credit for it. Or perhaps the SNP should stop hounding people and get back to the business of governing my country. I'm not sure if I paid my taxes for Wendy to campaign, and I don't really care, but I am certain I didn't pay for my government to hound people out of jobs for kicks...
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hollygolitely:
An SNP researcher did first complain about the donations, which led to the illegal donation from that man who was not a UK voter.
Later, another person gave the Herald information. This time it led to another illegal donations scandel but the Herald admitted it only could of came from a close companion of Wendy.
"...but I am certain I didn't pay for my government to hound people out of jobs for kicks..."
Wendy stepped down on her own accord. It was her fault that illegal donations were accepted and not declared on time.
At the end of the day, Labour were the party who first made these rules in 2002 and therefore should know well what is right and wrong.
It is impossible for Wendy to defend herself and her anti-SNP stance is disgusting as it shows she can not admitt she was in the wrong.
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I’m a 40 something woman who joined the Labour Party 10 years ago- eventually caved into the “you won’t change it from the outside” line of argument. Little chance of changing things from the inside I’m afraid –long since stopped going to meetings-I think the aim is to bore to death anyone with half a brain. In my area only the very committed and the very lonely turn out to the meetings.
For those of us on the Labour side of politics this is like watching a slow motion car crash. Dear God –what kind of black comedy is this when Charlie Gordon is considering a leadership bid –the man who solicited the donation replacing the woman who accepted it?
The Labour parliamentary group is desperately need of an injection of new ideas, whether this comes from young candidates or old –we need different candidates–I ‘d guess that the vast majority of sitting Labour members are either ex Councillors or ex union officials.
Alex Salmond did the Labour Party a favour keeping the Cabinet small -any bigger and the gaps in talent would have been even more dramatically exposed
As Brian Wilson commented a few months ago about the current Labour leadership –forgot everything learned nothing
BTW –doesn’t the Glasgow by-election date clash with the Glasgow Fair holidays?
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?149
Maudeg,
Everyone has been so silent about Charlie Gordon's performance re his obvious wish to enter the leadership race. I thought I was alone in thinking that his delusional attitude was outrageous considering his role in acquiring the donation which he and is boss failed to report.
Your comments were spot on. Congratulations!
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WHY IS THE BBC CALLED THE ENGLISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION IN SCOTLAND ?.
The answers are too plentiful to list, but the one at present is:
Where is The Politics Show Scotland on iPlayer for 21/9/2008 ?.
We pay our license, just like everyone else.
ALL OF THE LIST BELOW ARE THERE, BUT SCOTLAND IS NOT - WHY IS THAT ?.
The Politics Show East Midlands
The Politics Show East
The Politics Show London
The Politics Show North East and Cumbria
The Politics Show Northern Ireland
The Politics Show South East
The Politics Show South West
The Politics Show South
The Politics Show Wales
The Politics Show West Midlands
The Politics Show West
The Politics Show Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
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Brian:
Wendy resigns because in her eyes; she did something that was not correct and that, this way her best punishment....
I am sadden that she went to this step....
~Dennis Junior~
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