NEARLY all officers of a local Scottish Labour party have resigned in protest at the removal of a Holyrood candidate who spoke out on indyref2.
Eleven officers at Glasgow Kelvin Constituency Labour Party (CLP) – including the chair, vice-chairs and secretary – announced the move after Hollie Cameron was dropped earlier this month.
She was deselected after an interview with the Sunday National in which she said Labour “respects the right” to have a referendum, with the “only quibble” in the party over the timing of it.
Party bosses insisted she had failed to give assurances she would follow the party whip, but the decision sparked anger among members and a petition was launched calling for her reinstatement.
Equality and human rights activist Pam Duncan-Glancy has been selected as Cameron’s replacement.
A statement issued yesterday by 11 Glasgow Kelvin CLP members – believed to represent all but two officers – said: “In light of the decision by Scottish Labour’s SEC to impose a candidate on Glasgow Kelvin CLP for the Holyrood elections in May, displacing the democratically selected candidate Hollie Cameron, the following officers of Glasgow Kelvin CLP have decided to resign their offices immediately.
“We are resigning because we believe the reasons offered for removing Hollie are unjust and contradictory. Further, the CLP and the executive have been entirely side-lined.
“Hollie’s treatment in this process has been unacceptable and we fear will deter future candidates putting themselvesforward.
“We cannot commit to campaigning in this constituency when our democratically selected candidate has been removed, but we want to stress that we wish to see all Labour candidates succeed throughout Glasgow and across Scotland.”
The signatories include chair Pauline Bryan, vice-chairs Diarmaid Kelliher and Kim Bonnar, and secretary Vince Mills, along with seven other key officers.
Responding to the resignations, a Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “We will be running a positive campaign in Glasgow Kelvin which focuses on what unites us, not what divides us, and prioritises a national recovery plan for a fairer and stronger Scotland.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has argued that another referendum is not credible at this time.
The move to block Cameron was condemned by the SNP candidate for Glasgow Kelvin, Kaukab Stewart, who said: “Anas Sarwar has failed his first test of leadership by making it abundantly clear that any Labour supporters who believe that the people of Scotland have a democratic right to choose their own future are not welcome in his party.”
Scottish Labour regional MSP for Lothian Neil Findlay also criticised the decision as “absolutely outrageous”.
He tweeted: “Hollie Cameron was selected by members of her constituency, her views chime with many Labour voters and with the views expressed my [sic] myself, Monica Lennon and many members.”
Meanwhile, a new collection of essays published today by left-wing group Open Labour and the Politics for the Many campaign argues Labour “should not shy away” from the independence debate.
Declan McLean, a Scottish Labour activist, wrote: “That means we should not deny Scots the opportunity to discuss independence if it is the desire of the majority.
“We may disagree on the timing, but we should not be seen to be standing in opposition to democratic wishes.
“While we might hope and expect that under a new, federal relationship, most Scots would vote to remain within the UK, we should also be prepared to address the feelings of many that this issue is unending.
“We could do this by approving the Welsh Government’s ‘voluntary association’ stance and providing the Scotland Act with a provision which allows the Scottish Parliament to hold a referendum, which could then be caveated by the inclusion of a time bar that would prevent a referendum from being held more frequently than is desirable, or in contrast to a majority’s opinion against one.”
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