Friday, August 27, 2010

Former First Minister Jack McConnell to step down, he goes to the House of Lords at £1675 a week add to that £67,000 a year in pensions













Dear All

Jack McConnell has announced he will stand down as an MSP at next year’s Scottish Parliament election.

The question is would the people of his Motherwell and Wishaw constituency notice?

McConnell is now Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, so he has a London pay day at circa £335 a pop plus travel expenses.

He says that he is going to be a “working peer”, at £1675 a week, I am sure others would pitch in if offered the opportunity too.

As well as being an MSP, McConnell had another job, travelling the world staying in expensive hotels!

The cover for these cushy jollies was as the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Peacebuilding.

He brought peace to nowhere.

McConnell has been an elected representative in a career spanning 30 years feels it is “time to move on”.

He said:

“I have been involved in national Scottish politics, including the creation of the Scottish Parliament and serving in Government, for most of those 30 years and it is time for others to take Scotland forward now.”

In a Bill Clintonesque move, he is now in discussions with universities and other institutions about an archive library and policy institute.

Did he think he was Presidential in standing and how can anyone believe his work is worth reading in the first place.

As well as the above, McConnell is planning a charitable foundation, going the Tony Blair route?

Maybe McConnell thinks that billionaires will be queuing up round the block to invite him onto their yachts.

I can’t believe that McConnell is leaving unless he has found a pay day elsewhere, when the High Commissioner’s job in Malawi fell through; he was suddenly wanted to serve the people of Motherwell and Wishaw again.

Now he doesn’t! I think this is a case of wait and see.

Now that he is going the traditional oh what a nice guy statements from various people are coming out.

Acting Labour Leader Harriet Harman MP said:

“The success of devolution is in no small part due to Jack’s determination and commitment as Scotland’s longest serving first minister to make devolution work for Scotland. Jack is a credit to the Labour Party, a credit to Scotland and I know he will be sorely missed.”

Annabel Goldie MSP, Scottish Conservative leader, said:

“Jack has played a significant part in devolved politics and we wish him well for the future.”

LibDem leader Tavish Scott, said he had enjoyed working with Lord McConnell.

I was standing in a Fish and Chip shop in Glasgow with my mate and his girlfriend, in the shop was a guy who claimed to be related to McConnell and showed me ID to prove it.

His comment on Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale otherwise know as Jack McConnell aka Lucky Jack was that, “he is an arsehole”.

I wonder what he saw that Harriet Harman, Annabel Goldie and Tavish Scott couldn’t!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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