 | 'I thought that, by this time, the Labour Party leadership would have learned some lessons, not only from the people of Falkirk West but also from the people of Wales and the people of London who gave similar verdicts on the ballot-rigging attempts to stop Rhodi Morgan and Ken Livingstone. But there is no sign that any lessons have been learned.' Dennis Canavan in the Herald, 2 nd October 2000. |  |
When I was elected to the Scottish Parliament, I announced by intention to give up my seat in the House of Commons.
No-one can do two jobs indefinitely. It is impossible to be in two places at once and my constituents need full-time representation at Westminster as well as Edinburgh because both Parliaments take important decisions affecting the lives of the people of Scotland.
My own inclination was to give up my Westminster seat sooner rather than later by I was persuaded to hang on in order to give members of the Falkirk West Constituency Labour Party the opportunity to chose another candidate. Party headquarters had denied them that opportunity in the selection process for the Scottish Parliament. More than 95 % of constituency Labour Party members voted for me to be on Labour's list but they were over-ruled by a cabal of control freaks at party headquarters. I felt I had no option but to let the people decide, and they decided by electing me to the Scottish Parliament with the biggest majority in Scotland.
If I had given up my Westminster seat immediately after being elected to the Scottish Parliament I have no doubt that, for the resultant by-election, the Labour Party leadership would have parachuted a puppet candidate into the constituency and local Labour Party members would have been back to square one.'
Although I have no respect at all for the people at party headquarters, I still have a lot of respect for local party members, many of whom had campaigned for me over many years and some of whom had risked expulsion by helping me in last year's campaign for election to the Scottish parliament.
I thought that, by this time, the Labour Party leadership would have learned some lessons, not only from the people of Falkirk West but also from the people of Wales and the people of London who gave similar verdicts on the ballot-rigging attempts to stop Rhodi Morgan and Ken Livingstone. But there is no sign that any lessons have been learned.
In my victory speech at the count last year, I held out an olive branch in expressing the hope of some reconciliation between the Labour Party and myself. I am now forced to conclude that that was a forlorn hope because of the continuing arrogance and intransigence of the present leadership of the party.
I have made several attempts to initiate dialogue with the Labour Party at local and national level but there has been no reciprocity. A year ago I requested a meeting with members of the Falkirk West Constituency Labour Party to discuss matter of mutual concern. My request was rejected forthwith on the grounds that I was not a party member, having been expelled for standing against the official Labour candidate for the Scottish Parliament.
In another bridge-building effort, I wrote in July of this year to Tony Blair, as leader of the Labour Party, asking for a private meeting. His political secretary replied from 10 Downing Street as follows:
'Membership of the Labour Party is a matter for the Labour Party's National Executive Committee and I will contact the general secretary to ask her to reply to you.'
Three months later I am still awaiting a reply from the general secretary, Margaret McDonagh. I was promised a meeting with David Evans, assistant general secretary, but despite repeated phone calls between my office and Labour Party headquarters, no such meeting has taken place. It's as if the party leadership is pretending that I do not exist and that last year's election result in Falkirk West did not happen.
I feel again that I have no option but to let the people of Falkirk West give their verdict. I have kept my commitment to allow time for the constituency Labour Party to chose a candidate, which they have now done. It is time, therefore, for the people to decide. Having been a member of the House of Commons for more than a quarter of a century, I intend giving up my Westminster seat with effect from the end of this month so that I can concentrate on representing my constituents in the Scottish Parliament.
- Oct 5
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