Scottish Labour Leadership Election

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Cynics could call this the election that should have been held last year. Ahem.

Anyway... candidates seem to be:

Cathy Jamieson, the MSP for Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley and also the acting leader.
Iain Gray, the MSP for East Lothian and a former MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands (seat lost in 2003).
Andy Kerr, the MSP for East Kilbride.
[isCharlie Gordon, the MSP for Glasgow Cathcart[/s]
Kenneth Macintosh, the MSP for Eastwood.

Jamieson was is a former Justice and Education minister (though not at the same time, obviously), Kerr is a former Health and Finance minister (ditto), Gray was Enterprise minister when he lost his old seat and had had various other roles before then, Gordon is a former Leader of Glasgow City Council and President of Glasgow Trades Council and I know nowt about Macintosh. Jamieson and Gray have both officially announced, Gordon (who solicited that illegal £950 donation for Wendy Alexander) and Macintosh didn't find enough nominations and pulled out.

Gray has been nominated by:

Claire Baker MSP, Mid Scotland and Fife List
Richard Baker MSP, North East Scotland List
Rhona Brankin MSP, Midlothian
Margaret Curran MSP, Glasgow Baillieston
George Foulkes MSP, Lothian List (yeah, that George Foulkes)
Iain Gray MSP, East Lothian
David Stewart MSP, Highlands & Islands List
Helen Eadie MSP, Dunfermline East
Sarah Boyack MSP, Edinburgh Central
Charlie Gordon MSP, Glasgow Cathcart
Richard Simpson MSP, Mid Scotland and Fife List
John Park MSP, Mid Scotland and Fife List
Des McNulty MSP, Clydebank and Milngavie

Jamieson has been nominated by:

Bill Butler MSP, Glasgow Anniesland
Malcolm Chisholm MSP, Edinburgh North & Leith
Cathie Cragie MSP, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
Patricia Ferguson MSP, Glasgow Maryhill
Marlyn Glen MSP, North East Scotland List
Rhoda Grant MSP, Highlands & Islands List
Hugh Henry MSP, Paisley South
Cathy Jamieson MSP, Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley
Cathy Peattie MSP, Falkirk East
Karen Whitfield MSP, Airdrie & Shotts
Elaine Murray MSP, Dumfries
James Kelly MSP, Glasgow Rutherglen

Kerr has been nominated by:

Jackie Baillie MSP, Dumbarton
Karen Gillon MSP, Clydesdale
Andy Kerr MSP, East Kilbride
Ken Macintosh MSP, Eastwood
Paul Martin MSP, Glasgow Springburn
Frank McAveety MSP, Glasgow Shettleston
Michael McMahon MSP, Hamilton North & Bellshill
Duncan McNeil MSP, Greenock & Inverclyde
Pauline McNeill MSP, Glasgow Kelvin
Peter Peacock MSP, Highlands & Islands List

There's also a Deputy Leader contest, candidates are Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) and Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollock).

[Hash]

Is this to replace Jack McConnell?

[Rural Radical]

Is this to replace Jack McConnell?

No. Wendy Alexander.

[minionofmidas]

Who supports some measure of organizational independence for Scottish Labour?

[afleitch]

Who supports some measure of organizational independence for Scottish Labour?

I think they both do. However they will have to ask Gordon very nicely indeed.

[afleitch]

Oh dear, oh dear.

Cathy missed her own press conference.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/2476020/Labours-would-be-next-leader-forgets-her-own-press-conference.html

[Хahar 🤔]

Oh dear, oh dear.

Cathy missed her own press conference.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/2476020/Labours-would-be-next-leader-forgets-her-own-press-conference.html

Score one point for Gray.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Macintosh is out of the race and has endorsed Kerr. Nominations close, I think, tomorrow.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Nominations closed; only three candidates (no surprise there then). Gordon has endorsed Gray.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bump! I think we find out the results pretty soon (Tuesday, IIRC).

Anyway, I watched the "debate" the candidates had on Newsnight Scotland the other day (I say "debate" because no BBC debate is really a debate; just an interview with (in this case) three people (all running for the same job) at once. Made worse in this case by the host being more interested in the candidates answers to rather hackneyed questions about Westminster politics). Jamieson was either "feisty" (if you like her) or "agressive" if you don't. Kerr appeared to have a reasonable understanding of Scottish Labour's current troubles, but took a while to say anything and didn't seem made for telly. Gray looked, and sounded, drunk. I got the impression, based on this "debate" alone and thus unrepresentative and suspect, that while Gray was the least likely to lead the party to a recovery before the next Holyrood election, he was also the least likely to lead it to utter disaster. I'm more convinced of the first of those two points than the second.

Beyond that, I've not really been following this. Based on nominations I'd assume that only Jamieson and Gray have a chance of winning, but I don't know how Scottish Labour works well enough to know whether that's a safe assumption or not.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I was wrong; we won't find out 'till the 13th. Voting closes today though, I think.

For those who find internal Labour elections interesting (ie; me) some detail on endorsements... may have got some technicalities a little wrong but...

Kerr - 13 CLP's, 1 Socialist Society (Scottish Labour Students), 3 M.P's (can't recall whether they matter much in this, but I'll list the numbers anyhow).

Jamieson - 9 CLP's, 2 Socialist Societies (The Co-op Party and the SEA), 4 Unions (ASLEF, NUM, UCATT, Unison, USDAW), 5 M.P's.

Gray - 15 CLP's, 2 Socialist Societies (NULSC, SERA), 5 (or 4) Unions (Unite (both T&G and Amicus sections), GMB, CWU, Community), 12 M.P's, 2 M.E.P's.

I suppose a key would be a good idea.

SEA=Socialist Education Association
NULSC=Labour clubs and so on
SERA=Environmentalist group
ASLEF=Train drivers and etc
NUM=Miners
UCATT=Construction workers
Unison=Public sector union (largely local government, NHS and so on rather than civil servants; the main civil service union is the PCS; which isn't affliated to the Labour Party)
USDAW=Shopworkers
Unite=Merger of Amicus (basically a manufacturing union) and the Transport & General Workers Union (what it says on the tin)
GMB=Blue collar general union
CWU=Posties & etc
Community=Steelworkers, textiles and footwear.

The endorsements are rather telling in many ways (ie; Community is main successor to the old ISTC, which was always a bulwark of the Right. And so on). Kerr has more CLP nominations that I remembered.

[minionofmidas]

Sounded drunk?
Done deal. This is Scotland after all. Charlie Kennedy's Scotland.

[afleitch]

I'd put money on Gray if I was a betting man.

[afleitch]

Gray wins.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7614081.stm

[Filuwaúrdjan]

He won about 58% to about 42% against Jamieson; Kerr was out on the fist ballot. Can't seem to find the full results. Lamont won the Deputy race, but that was a given.