Sunday 17 May 2015

Is Jim Murphy repositioning Scottish Labour as anti-London?


Even though Jim Murphy won the vote of no confidence, he will resign as leader of Scottish Labour. In a speech yesterday, he said:
"So when I table that report at next month’s meeting of the Scottish Labour Party Executive, I will also table my resignation as Leader of Scottish Labour."
The report he mentions is his "plan for reshaping the Scottish Labour Party." He says no option "will be off the table…except the status quo." But in his speech, he takes time to attack Len McCluskey - for being down in London and trying to dictate to Scotland:
"I know that in the past few days, and I have become used to this over the last few years, I have been at the centre of a campaign by the London leadership of the Unite union in blaming myself and the Scottish Labour party for the defeat of the UK Labour party in the general election. That is a grotesque insult to the Scottish Labour party.
It is a grotesque insult to our thousands of volunteers, from someone who pays occasional fleeting visits to our great country."
He further adds:
"The leader of the Scottish Labour Party doesn't serve at the grace of Len McCluskey and the next leader of the UK Labour Party should not be picked by Len McCluskey."
The Herald reports that he also said:
"The siren voice from behind a big desk in Unite's headquarters in London shouldn't be allowed to instruct what the Scottish Labour Party does. Len McCluskey and the Unite leadership in London are the type of people who could back the wrong horse in a one horse race."
Is this blatant attack on someone from London "who pays occasional fleeting visits to our great country" the start of Scottish Labour finally doing what it says on the tin - being Scottish?


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