Dear All
It seems that high profile Labour Party member and former MSP Frank McAveety is to stand as a councillor for Glasgow.
His appearance on the Labour list isn’t just the starting gun for the council election; it also signals that McAveety is lining up for another title shot against John Mason.
When MacAveety got gubbed last May in the Holyrood election, he spat the dummy on stage and started to talk about “the resurrection” to boos and jeers and cat calls.
Hey; what is going to the count for, if it isn’t to heckle?
I was sorry to see Frank McAveety slotted, met him at a polling station and took he trouble to say hello to me in passing, I said hello back as you do.
So, can McAveety get back on the council?
I would say yes, he is a real politician.
The opposition in the Shettleston Ward is by way of the SNP, Cllr John McLaughlin, who is a very experienced councillor and Adam Miller who is a nonentity.
So, looks like the Glasgow Labour Party is pulling in high profile candidates to defend their heartland of Glasgow, whoever wins Glasgow puts themselves in a strong place to win the referendum.
Doesn’t guarantee the win but is mighty helpful.
Track record is important and McAveety previously served as sports minister and local government minister.
McAveety has had a few gaffes in his colourful career but remains a firm favourite with the public.
Any man who can miss ministerial questions because he was eating pie and beans in the Holyrood canteen can’t be all bad.
As well as McAveety, another former MSP will also be standing as a councillor; Bill Butler who lost his seat at the Scottish Parliament by only seven votes.
He is standing in Ward 3, which is Pollok, his opposition is Cllr David McDonald and Shab Jaffiri, David McDonald is a long standing councillor and Shab Jaffiri is another nonentity.
So, Butler has a decent chance of getting elected, however, he faces an additional problem of disgruntled ex Labour Councillors such as Tommy Morrison who has threatened to stand as an independent or ‘Glasgow Labour’ faction.
Of 45 Labour candidates standing in the city, 23 are existing councillors seeking re-election.
A spokesman for the Labour Party said 20 current candidates are either retiring or have been deselected. The spokesman added there had been a "huge number" of new applicants for the council elections and added that being a Labour councillor "is not a job for life".
The election has been running low key at present with candidates busy doing activism in various wards.
We are at the phoney war stage which runs till the short campaign starts, then it will be all guns blazing.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
7 comments:
i dont think frank is good enought
i think all his brains are in his pants and that will not do and he is a two face womamiser not good enought so good night frank
cjm
Tell me, George, if you were standing, would you describe yourself as a "nonentity"?
Dear Anon
"Tell me, George, if you were standing, would you describe yourself as a "nonentity"?"
I would have to say no because of my activism, and writing and teaching and charity work.
But feel free to type in someone's name and then try and look for them on the web and what they stand for.
For example, Shabbir Jaffri SNP.
Come back and tell me what your findings are, he is standing in Pollok.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Dear Anon
I forgot to mention, I proposed the Scottish National Police Force in Sept 2010 at SNP National Assembly.
I proposed the Scottish National Fire Service Force in Sept 2010 at SNP National Assembly.
I gave a talk about use of social media, and a member of Pollok branch at next party conference gave a presentation to Peter Murrell on social media and was given a job.
I could list this that and the other but, unlike others who no one knows and haven't heard of, standing or not, I am not a nonentity.
Because when I speak others use my ideas because they don't have any of their own.
The same cannot be said of others who are SNP candidates.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
According to some of the people I've spoken to, you weren't highly thought of at all.
Dear Anon
I think you are right, I wasn't highly thought of, must have been because I had one of the highest levels of activism in Glasgow.
The people you were talking to, they were the same people who I didn't see at by-elections?
And I don't think their opinions matter to me.
Funny that Nicola Sturgeon continually thanked me for coming to her campaign 2011.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Dear Anon
Thanks for the inside info on the SNP people who disliked me.
Now I am not going to do the next SNP campaign for the Pollok branch after the Council election is over.
Cheers and many thanks for info.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
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