Falkirk West By-election 2000

'Dennis's support is like Donald Dewar's - about 98%. If he is not our candidate, there is every chance the seat will fall to the SNP.' Jim Lapsley, agent for Dennis Canavan, 4 th November 1998.

D-Day for Canavan

By Murray Ritchie, Scottish Political Editor in Herald 5 th November 1998

Mr Canavan's controversial exclusion from the party's list of approved candidates - despite his strong local popularity - has caused a series of resignations among office bearers in the constituency which he has built into a safe Labour seat since winning it after a recount in 1983 when it was West Stirlingshire.

The left-winger won backing from more than 90% of the constituency as their choice for Holyrood candidate. His agent, Mr Jim Lapsley, who quit as secretary in protest, said: "Dennis's support is like Donald Dewar's - about 98%. If he is not our candidate, there is every chance the seat will fall to the SNP."

Mr Canavan, who is abroad on parliamentary business, is considering whether to take legal advice that he has a good chance of winning a judicial review in the Court of Session. If he was successful he could block Labour's entire selection process temporarily, throwing the party's plans for the elections into confusion.

But such a move could also signal the end of his colourful career. Many activists believe the party would not forgive him and would engineer his deselection from Westminster at the next General Election.

Mr Lapsley said Labour had not responded to Mr Canavan's request for a meeting to discuss the impasse over selection and he predicted that an unwanted candidate would be parachuted into Falkirk West by Labour's HQ.

"We asked for a meeting and hoped the party would come just a wee bit down our road but all that happened was that Alex Rowley [general secretary] came along one night and ordered us to do as we were told."

Turmoil in Falkirk West reached new heights when rebels including the chairman, secretary and several executive members resigned from their posts.

The crunch could come tonight when activists from Falkirk West and its twin constituency, Falkirk East, meet to start selection proceedings, without Mr Canavan's name on the list of available candidates.

Mr Lapsley said: "We are all morally offended by this whole affair and the way it has been handled and by the lack of willingness to see our point of view."

He predicted chaos if the party did not relent. "I don't think we will all resign from the party if they foist another candidate on us but we will certainly not be out their campaigning. We would take nothing whatsoever to do with it. In our view it is the party which is bringing the party into disrepute by ignoring our clear wishes. Labour candidates should be chosen on ability - and Dennis's name comes top of any lists which are based on ability."

He added: "We believe we should stick by our principles and stick by our friend. We feel insulted by the party's decision to ignore what we want.

What the Labour Party has done is similar to dropping your star striker from the cup final when you know he is going to score.

"I have no doubt that they are going to lose the election next year, and for some strange reason they don't seem to be very interested in doing anything about that."

Ms Kate Arnot, who resigned as constituency party chair, accused Labour of being "wicked and cruel" to Mr Canavan. "This whole process has been flawed and corrupt. It is distressing because Dennis supported the idea of a Scottish Parliament for years and years at a time when a number of his colleagues, who are now on the list, did not."

Mr Canavan has criticised the work of a "cabal" of people at the party HQ telling the members in Falkirk West that they cannot have vote to decide who they want.

"All I was asking for was that the members could be asked to decide the matter rather than a handful of people sitting at party headquarters. I do not have the right to demand a seat on the Scottish Parliament but I would not have put my name forward if I did not think I could do a reasonable job."

A Labour spokeswoman said: "We have made it clear that they will have to choose a candidate from the Labour Party's approved list." - Nov 5