Cats and Sacks
In the wake of Labour's virtual wipeout in Scotland, its former general secretary Alex Rowley has publicly resigned from the 'shadow cabinet' and plunged the knife into the party leader Jim Murphy.
Now as regular readers know I don't carry a banner for Jim Murphy, but I do find this kind of bullying behaviour quite extraordinary, all the more so because it's clearly co-ordinated by a few self-styled, left-wing MSPs and some trade unions.
But I'm sure this terrible in-fighting and name-calling will only make things worse for Labour who are ignoring Denis Healey's first full of politics which is:
"When you're in a hole, stop digging."
Yet Alex and his chums are digging away furiously, fighting like cats in a sack, as if some kind of collective madness has taken hold as they try to undermine a leader who was elected only six months ago.
Just for added spice Murphy's defeated opponent, Neil Findlay, has resigned his shadow cabinet brief as well, so it's pretty clear what's going on behind the scenes.
Alex Rowley's resignation letter to Jim Murphy.
Dear Jim
I am writing to you to advise that I am, from this morning, standing down from the position as Labour’s spokesperson for Local Government and Community Empowerment in the Scottish Parliament.
I said yesterday at the meeting of Labour MSPs that I thought your speech on Friday stating that you would stay on and lead Labour into the 2016 election was a mistake, and that it would also be a mistake for the team you put in place, including your Chief of Staff, to remain in post.
As you know, I praised the level of hard work and dedication that you brought to the campaign over the last six months and I absolutely agree that the challenges facing Labour in Scotland will not be fixed solely by a change of leadership. However, we have a leader in the Scottish Parliament and much of the focus of the next year will be on the Scottish Parliament and the performance of the SNP government over the last 8 years in Scotland. I sincerely hold the view that you continuing as leader whilst not in the Scottish Parliament, and not in an elected position holding a democratic mandate, means you will become an unhelpful distraction from the real issues that Scottish Labour must focus on.
Over the coming weeks rank and file Labour Party members must have their say on the way forward for Labour in Scotland and I want to be part of that discussion. It is clear from the discussion yesterday that dissent in public from the leadership view is perceived as disloyalty, but I am convinced we need a fundamental change in direction and strategy and therefore cannot sign up to your leadership as one of your shadow team.
From an early age my memories are of my parents talking about politics and the need for working people to organise and fight for a better and fairer society and that is why I joined the Labour Party. It was suggested to me at the weekend that it would be disloyal to the Labour Party if I were to speak publicly on these issues. I have given that a lot of thought and consideration and I concluded that it would be disloyal and damaging to Labour were I not to speak out. I believe now, more than ever, that we in Scotland need a strong relevant Labour Party and we will not achieve this under your leadership therefore I have no choice but to speak out.
Yours sincerely
Alex Rowley MSP
Cowdenbeath Constituency
