Dear All
In politics the general rule of thumb with your career is to go upwards, occasionally making a sideways move for political advantage.
Rarely do people go backwards.
Frank McAveety, the former Scottish Executive minister and three-times MSP, is possibly going to make a return to frontline politics via Glasgow City Council.
McAveety lost his Shettleston constituency to John Mason, who is incredibly hard working and has now found himself in the political wilderness.
It is said that Labour Party colleagues want him to stand in next year’s local government elections.
And he says he is giving serious consideration to contesting a seat in the east end.
I suspect he would view this as the best way to make an assault on the Shettleston seat in five years time.
As an idea, it is well thought-out; it gives him a role in frontline politics and allows him to chip away at John Mason’s 600 vote majority.
However, Labour shouldn’t underestimate John Mason’s track record and work record, the boy’s a Trojan when it comes to grafting away.
He will be out and about building on that 600, if I am any judge of character.
If Frank McAveety does return to the Council, it will be a threat to Gordon ‘free dinners’ Matheson, who is a terrible leader of men and women.
McAveety is a big name in the way that Matheson is not.
Frank McAveety said:
“People are chatting to me without me being too much of a hostage to fortune. It’s about me responding to people. My whole purpose has been to represent people and to influence things for the benefit of the east end. As council leader I had the People’s Palace refurbished, and housing and schools improved. As sports minister, I ensured the National Indoor Sports Arena and the big sporting bodies came to the east end. The reality is that over the next few years we need to hold the SNP to everything they promised as they gave the idea they cared about Glasgow.”
Well, we have seen the idea of Labour’s ‘care’ for decades in deprived communities like Possil, Arden and Pollok.
A colleague said:
“It’s a no-brainer for Frank if he’s looking a platform to take on the Nats and try and get back to Parliament. People like him and he’s got the profile.”
And he has got a bus!
However, Frank has some baggage, in 2004 he had to apologise for misleading parliament.
He said he was on ministerial business which had made him late for question time.
It was later found he had actually been eating in the parliament canteen.
The incident was dubbed as “porky pie-gate”.
Last year he resigned as convenor of Holyrood’s Public Petitions Committee after being overheard making comments about the “dark and dusky” appearance of a underage girl in the audience.
The comments were broadcast because he had not switched off his microphone.
Gaffes aside, he will probably throw his hat into the ring and I know, he will be keen to win, whether Matheson wants him is another matter.
Matheson has enough trouble fighting the minions who are in revolt; they just need a leader to burn their way to a new paradise.
Failing that engineer how to get more money!
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
I found your recent post somewhat bemusing. I’m a committed and dedicated Labour Party activist and I can assure you that there is little support nor desire for Frank McAveety to play an active part in Labour Party politics especially in the east end of Glasgow.
ReplyDeleteWhilst Frank certainly has an impressive curriculum vitae it is exactly that – an over exaggerated, selective account of his career littered with half-truths, lies and conveniently forgotten mishaps.
Over Frank’s three terms as MSP for Shettleston the constituency has gone from being the safest Labour seat in Glasgow to the SNPs second home in Glasgow (after Glasgow Southside, a new constituency made up of a significant part of Frank’s previous constituency before boundary changes). If Frank and his circle of sidekicks can’t see this as a major rejection by the electorate then he (and the Labour Party) are as out of touch and egotistical as the Scottish National Party have led the party to believe over recent months.
The electorate want a representative who is committed to their constituents - not their own journey up the greasy political pole, and by-god Shettleston with its abhorrent health, crime and housing figures needs a representative who puts people before power. If any lessons are to be learned - this is it!
Sadly these lessons haven’t. Selection panels haven’t even opened, candidates yet to be selected and votes won’t be cast of another year, yet there is speculation that Frank will take on the leadership of Glasgow City Council.
It is now time for Frank, and all of his Labour Party colleagues who lost their seat to start to show some humility and admit defeat. It is a politicians job to win elections – they failed! It is now time for our new thinkers, young talents and experienced activists to stand up and challenge the SNP, otherwise our Party will be even more stale in 5 years time than it was this year and there will be at least one more vote for the SNP – my vote!
is this who was talking about a young female in the galery in the socttish parliament he should be asamed to stan for a position in fact he should put out the labour party fucking pervert
ReplyDeletejim