Tom Harris MP considering bid to be Scottish Labour leader

[afleitch]

http://www.scotsman.com/scotland/Glasgow-MP-Tom-Harris-offers.6823695.jp

"Mr Harris, speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme today, said he had put his name forward because of the lack of candidates to emerge from Labour's ranks at the Scottish Parliament.

He said: "The reason I have allowed my name to be mentioned in the speculation about this is purely and simply because we lost in May, Iain Gray announced he was standing down in September, which is next week, and I don't even know if that's going ahead."

Referring to MSP Ken MacIntosh, who had been named as a possibility for the role, he said: "One of the candidates that has been touted has apparently said privately that he is no longer interested. None of the other candidates that have been mooted have put their heads above the parapet.

"I think this amount of time after the election when we did so badly, it is truly bizarre and very damaging to the party not having a leadership campaign."

Mr Harris added: "I am raising the possibility - the very slim possibility of my candidacy - because there are ideas that I have that I think the party should at least be debating, because by the time the next Scottish Parliament elections come up in 2016, we need to know what type of party Scottish Labour will be."

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Interesting. For the record, the blue corner also have had no potential candidates declare.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

_{Anything to get him out of Westminster.}

[MaxQue]

Is opposing Salmond is difficult, or what?

I mean, the prospect of being First Minister in 2015 should attract people, no?

[afleitch]

Is opposing Salmond is difficult, or what?

I mean, the prospect of being First Minister in 2015 should attract people, no?

Well he's not in the Parliament for one, and Labour can't afford to risk a by-election. He could, as Salmond did 'shadow' for two years until he entered Holyrood leaving Sturgeon to represent the SNP in the chamber (which made her)

But Harris would have to wait 5 years. Unless something dramatic happens (and remember there's a General Election in between which say Labour could win and end up being unpopular after a year...) given their majority, the SNP are strong favourites to 'win' again in 2016 by which Salmond will be likely be gone.

The plan is to hold the independence referendum in November 2014 (after the Glasgow Commonwealth Games) after which Salmond can graciously retire. If it fails, then Sturgeon who is personally uninvolved with the independence project can be drafted in to stem any fallout.

[MaxQue]

That wasn't my question. My question was more "Why no MSP seems interested in bidding for being Scottish Labour leader?"

Is that the low odds of becoming First Minister in 2016, again?

[afleitch]

That wasn't my question. My question was more "Why no MSP seems interested in bidding for being Scottish Labour leader?"

Is that the low odds of becoming First Minister in 2016, again?

I think there is still a bit of shock at the scale of the defeat. Tom McCabe, Frank McAveety and Andy Kerr, all potential leaders lost their seats. I also think that until the national party decides on what to do with Scottish Labour in terms of autonomy, then there is a hesitation for anyone to step forward. Assurances will have to be given before any leadership race.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That wasn't my question. My question was more "Why no MSP seems interested in bidding for being Scottish Labour leader?"

Is that the low odds of becoming First Minister in 2016, again?

Well, some of the possible candidates lost their seats in May, which doesn't help. Plaid are faced with much the same issue out here, of course.

A problem Scottish Labour - or rather the Labour group at Holyrood - have is that most of the Party's talent has tended to head off to Westminster rather than try for success at Holyrood. There's nothing much wrong with having backbenchers who are basically glorified county councillors in the first few decades of a new institution, but when they're ending up in cabinets and shadow cabinets years down the line... that's a serious issue. Paradoxically it might be a little easier in the future because of all the new list MSPs, many of which would not have expected to have been elected when first selection. But that's in ten years time or whenever, not now.
There's also the fact that the national Party is reviewing the Scottish Party; there have been concerns for years, but nothing has been done because whenever there's been a disaster of some kind it's always been followed by something rather better. There's also a greater understanding now (something reinforced by Inverclyde) that large parts of the Scottish electorate vote differently for the two parliaments. So a lot of people who might fancy themselves as Leader won't stick their neck out until they're sure what sort of organisation it is that they'll be leading.

[You kip if you want to...]

Semi-related:

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http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/26/tweeting-mps-vote-less-th_n_938098.html

[afleitch]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-14774433

Johann Lamont throws her hat into the ring before Jackie Baillie eats it.

[minionofmidas]

Johann is a man's name.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Two words: Jim Murphy. Needs to be leader of something, someday.

Maybe, but why would he want to take a demotion to be leader in Scotland? Which is the problem in general; there are actually quite a few talented Labour politicians of about the right sort of age and experience to have a good chance of doing well at Holyrood. Trouble is, they're all in Westminster. And why would they leave?