 | 'When asked, the Scottish Secretary was circumspect. Mr Canavan is 'not an issue' in this by-election contest, said Dr Reid. He would not admit that Labour had made a mistake in its treatment of a popular maverick, preferring to stick to his expression of regret as though the mess in which the party found itself was not of its own making.' Iain Martin in the Scotsman, 30 th November 2000 |  |
It could be a general comment on world history. John Reid is, after all, a former sworn Marxist. The Russian Revolution turned out to be a bit of a failure in the end and is the subject of widespread regret - especially in Russia and eastern Europe. Or was he talking about the progress of the Scottish executive? It has not been without its troubles and as a result some souls even regret having voted for devolution in the first place.
Sadly, his quote referred to matters far more mundane. Dr Reid was asked whether his party had mishandled L'Affaire Canavan. In short, had a terrible injustice been done to the left-wing MP who was refused the chance to be a Labour candidate for the first Scottish parliament elections? Famously he resolved to stand as an independent, delivering a humiliating gubbing to Dr Reid's party.
It was the spectre of Canavan which stalked Falkirk West yesterday as both Labour and the SNP launched their by-election campaigns.
Glasgow Anniesland was a by-election which failed to ignite. Labour expected to win, the SNP knew it would lose. The wide margin of the eventual victory had as much to do with the Nationalists' failure to organise effectively as it did with an enthusiastic endorsement of Labour.
Falkirk West is different and, love or hate him, that is due to the reputation of Mr Canavan.
The SNP believes it can win even if party leader John Swinney admitted yesterday that he and his candidate - BBC journalist David Kerr - have a "mountain to climb".
But the ghost of the retiring Westminster MP, who will remain an independent MSP for the seat at Holyrood, makes this contest potentially highly volatile and unpredictable.
When asked, the Scottish Secretary was circumspect. Mr Canavan is "not an issue" in this by-election contest, said Dr Reid. He would not admit that Labour had made a mistake in its treatment of a popular maverick, preferring to stick to his expression of regret as though the mess in which the party found itself was not of its own making.
Former army major and ultra-Blairite Labour candidate Eric Joyce tried not to look too frightened when the subject came up. As an ex- military man (Education Corps, retired) he has faced down worse foes than Mr Canavan. Much more difficult to contend with must have been the confused officer types who did not understand his lectures on why the British army, part organised killing machine and part peacekeeper, should be more politically correct when going about its business.
At the SNP campaign launch, the subject of Mr Canavan also dominated. Mr Kerr held out the possibility of working alongside the MSP for the good of the area. Mr Swinney was respectful.
Over Canavan, and other matters the two front-runners in the seat fought each other to a standstill yesterday. Both Labour and the SNP have talented candidates who put on a good showing yesterday. Labour will be happy if that continues to be the case, expecting enough of its core vote turning out to guarantee a pre-Christmas victory.
However, the decision by the Labour leadership to opt for a date three shopping days from Christmas was deeply cynical. It really is an insult to the intelligence of voters in Falkirk West. Rather than waiting until the third week in January with festive celebrations out of the way, Labour called an early poll to avoid the deterioration of the electoral roll, said Dr Reid. It is true that about two per cent of voters "disappear" from the lists every month, making the roll increasingly out of date with every passing week. But in this case, rubbish is being talked by Labour. Is Falkirk West famous for mass emigration around the festive period? I think not.
Labour decided to "go early" because it thought it could sneak through a by-election when the population are too busy shopping.
And that may be, along with Mr Canavan, the deciding factor. Can the SNP persuade enough voters to take part in a backlash against more Labour shenanigans? Mr Swinney is banking on the citizens of Falkirk recognising, yet again, when Labour is taking the Michael.
- Nov 30
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