 | 'At the very least, Watson leaves his former party with a headache. Any by-election that is triggered by the sitting MSP resigning after being caught fire-raising would cause problems for any party.' Paul Hutcheon, Scottish Political Editor, in the Sunday Herald, 4 th September 2005. |  |
THE collapse of Mike WatsonÕs life and career vindicates the advice of party spin-doctors that it is unwise for politicians to drink with journalists. Not only did the disgraced peer get drunk in front of countless hacks, but he nearly torched the building that housed them and was caught on closed circuit television trying to do it.
The events surrounding WatsonÕs moment of madness are rather well- documented. On a chilly November evening last year, the MSP for Glasgow Cathcart used the private party that followed the glittering Politician Of The Year Award to guzzle wine, verbally abuse staff and set fire to a pair of curtains in the Prestonfield Hotel, the historic venue for the prestigious event.
After being accused of wilful fire- raising, Watson denied any wrongdoing for 10 months before changing his plea to guilty last week. As well as facing a possible custodial sentence, the former MP has had to resign from his day job at Holyrood and his part-time director's post at Dundee United FC. Calls to strip the one time Culture Minister of his peerage are growing by the day.
Theories that try to explain WatsonÕs actions range from the bizarre to the preposterous. One such rumour is that the MSP nursed a grudge against Prestonfield owner James Thomson, a grievance that ended with singed curtains and a career in flames. File under implausible.
Then there is the 'grassy knoll' theory that he was egged on by another guest who had consumed similar quantities of alcohol. Or the one that WatsonÕs fire- raising was sparked by old foe Margaret Curran winning an award that evening. Curran was a prominent member of the local Labour Party which finally selected Mohammed Sarwar as its candidate at WatsonÕs expense in 1995. According to this logic, the peer was so angry with the Politician Of The Year judgesÕ decision that he decided to burn down a hotel full of guests. Far-fetched doesnÕt begin to cover this one. So why did Watson torch the curtains?
The truth, it appears, is that even he doesnÕt know. At least one source close to Lord Firestarter believes that having got tanked up on wine and other refreshments for seven hours, Watson canÕt remember anything about the evening. He drank, aggravated staff, lit matches and woke up the next morning with a hangover and a patchy memory.
'It would be fair to say that he has no recollection of events that night. ThatÕs why it is so difficult for him,' says one colleague.
Even so, he wasnÕt a first-time offender when it came to drunken behaviour. At 19, Watson was involved in a fight inside a car which spilled into Perth High Street, a fracas that saw him fined £3 for breach of the peace. He was also said to be among the rowdier of Dundee Utd fans at away games.
One charitable interpretation of his career is that he is an unfortunate Labour politician who was slightly brighter than the average MSP. He spoke out against the Gulf war in 1991 when others kept silent, wrote books, piloted a controversial bill through Holyrood and didnÕt do a bad job as a minister. It wasnÕt inconceivable, before November last year, that he could one day make a comeback in the Executive.
Alternatively, the curtains incident was a big dip in a career marked by numerous lows and the occasional high. One such moment was winning a Westminster by-election in 1989, followed by his effective deselection in 1995. Similarly, the euphoria at being elected to the Scottish parliament in 1999 was followed by Donald Dewar overlooking him for a Cabinet place.
Once in Holyrood, his successful bill banning hunting with dogs was marred by his affair with Clare Thomas being flushed out by the media. Even after Jack McConnell, whom Watson considered to be an ally, was elected as First Minister the MSP for Cathcart was quickly hired and fired. His career was more snakes than ladders.
More damningly, his handling of the accusations reveals Watson's awkward relationship with the truth. When, on the day after the fire-raising incident, the MSP was confronted with the CCTV stills of him playing with matches, he tried to snatch the images from the hands of a journalist. Even after studying the print-outs, he refused to accept responsibility, a tactic pursued in court until the last minute.
At the very least, Watson leaves his former party with a headache. Any by-election that is triggered by the sitting MSP resigning after being caught fire-raising would cause problems for any party. So the race in Glasgow Cathcart, especially for Holyrood, should present the SNP with a chance to exploit Labour difficulties. It should be remembered that, at the last general election, the SNP won a number of first-past-the-post seats off Labour.
But Labour will be confident of seeing off the Nationalists' threat in Cathcart for a number of reasons. Firstly, the party cut Watson loose last year by suspending him, so criticising him on the doorstep won't be a problem for local members. Watson has become, in the words of one activist, a 'non-person'.
Secondly, it appears that for once Labour are assembling an impressive list of candidates to fight the by-election. Former Glasgow City Council leader Charlie Gordon Š 'my hat is firmly in the ring' Š and one-time MEP Bill Miller are capable politicians, while McConnellÕs choice, the ex-curry 'king', entrepreneur Charan Gill, adds glamour to the contest. A Gill candidacy would be a shrewd move. A millionaire who made his money in the restaurant trade, he would bring much needed business experience to a parliament full of ex-councillors and trade union officials. The prospect of electing ScotlandÕs first Asian MSP might also make some voters forget about the acts of the previous post-holder.
However, although Gill seems to be the First Minister's hand-picked choice for Cathcart, the one-time shipyard worker is not without his problems. For one thing, he is not even a member of the Labour Party, a fact that is unlikely to endear him to the membership. In an interview with the Sunday Herald, Gill said the fact that he was a Labour supporter should be enough for the doubters.
'I am interested in standing and I will put my hat in the ring tomorrow. I am not a member of the Labour Party, but I have always voted Labour and my heart is Labour. I have never in the past thought that being a member of the Labour Party would help me make a better contribution. But I am a Labour man through and through. That's more important than being a member of the party,' he said.
The third reason to expect a Labour hold is that Cathcart isnÕt amongst the SNP's most favoured target seats. With a solid Tory and SSP presence in the constituency, the SNP should struggle to eat into Labour's 5000 majority. Govan in 2007 will be a better bet for the SNP than Cathcart in 2005. 'We could run Labour close but nobody is in doubt that theyÕre favourites to retain the seat,' said one SNP strategist.
Not that this matters to Watson anymore. Majorities, swing votes, constituents, fundraising and the rest are now no longer his concern. His immediate prospects Š maybe imprisonment, possibly community service, definitely media hounding Š are the stuff of nightmares. Alone, tormented and confused, Thursday's disaster looks like the start of his troubles, rather than the end.
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