FuNsTeR Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I had to laugh at the headline of this story calling Murphy a star lol http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2764690/Is-Jim-Murphy-set-tackle-Nicola-Sturgeon-Labour-lines-No-campaign-star-challenge-SNP-Holyrood-elections.html Labour lines up No campaign star to challenge SNP in Holyrood elections Mr Murphy toured 100 towns in 100 days to campaign for a No vote He could be appointed Shadow Scottish Secretary at next Labour reshuffle Scottish Labour are seen as underperforming in referendum debate Jim Murphy is being lined up to take on Nicola Sturgeon at the next Holyrood election in a bid to revive Labour’s fortunes in Scotland. Westminster bosses want the former Scottish Secretary, currently Shadow International Development Secretary, to run for First Minister at the 2016 Holyrood election. There is disquiet in the party about the performance of current Scottish leader Johann Lamont in the wake of the Yes campaign’s victories in Labour’s heartlands of Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire. Insiders claim she may not be leader by the next election. That would offer Mr Murphy the opportunity to stand for the leadership while still an MP – like Alex Salmond did with the SNP in 2004 – and then switch to the Scottish parliament. Mr Murphy is also likely to take control of the party’s campaign in Scotland at next May’s General Election. One Westminster source said he could be appointed Shadow Scottish Secretary at Ed Miliband’s next reshuffle, replacing Margaret Curran. Mr Murphy, a Blairite who represents East Renfrewshire, was a close ally of Mr Miliband’s brother David and he is unlikely to get his dream job of Foreign Secretary if Ed becomes Prime Minister. But party sources said Mr Miliband recognises the pivotal role Mr Murphy played in the referendum and would be happy to work with him as Scottish leader. Mr Murphy, 47, is credited with helping to deliver a No vote in last week’s referendum after he launched a tour of 100 towns in 100 days, speaking to thousands from a platform of Irn-Bru crates. He was forced to temporarily postpone the tour after being pelted with eggs but swiftly returned to the fray. Meanwhile, recriminations have started in Scottish Labour over the poll results in Glasgow and surrounding areas. One insider said the Holyrood party was ‘dysfunctional’ and had still not recovered from its 2011 Scottish election humiliation, which saddled the backbenches with ‘dead wood’. One high-profile Labour politician said: ‘I have never been so grateful for the Tories. They got their supporters out in middle-class areas and saved the Union, while our people were switching to Yes. ‘For the first time ever, I was so happy the turnouts in the schemes were lower than elsewhere.’ Although Glasgow narrowly voted Yes, the turnout was only 75 per cent – the lowest in the country. But it is still very concerning for Labour that the Yes camp won with 53.49 per cent in Glasgow, 51.07 per cent in North Lanarkshire and 53.96 per cent in West Dunbartonshire. In Miss Lamont’s own seat of Glasgow Pollok, the Yes vote was 53.9 per cent. Across the country, a poll published by Lord Ashcroft last Friday suggests that 37 per cent of Scots who backed Labour in 2011 voted for separation. Labour did have some politicians who excelled, most notably Gordon Brown. His future is unclear and he has still to decide if he will run again for his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath seat next year. Better Together leader Alistair Darling was asked about his future at the weekend and said: ‘I am going to be making my mind up over the next couple of weeks or so. It would be a huge decision for me, whatever I decide to do.’ One Westminster insider said: ‘After those two, Jim Murphy is the stand-out performer. He is one of the best Scottish politicians for a generation and Ed has a huge degree of respect for what he did.’ The source added: ‘There are questions being asked about Margaret Curran. What did she do? She’s a street fighter, she could have been touring cities and towns. And many people don’t expect Johann to still be leading the party in Scotland in 2016.’ Mr Murphy would need to find a new seat to contest for the Holyrood election, as the MSP for the corresponding constituency – Ken Macintosh – is a close ally who he would want as part of his team. Glasgow Central MP Anas Sarwar is currently deputy leader of Scottish Labour but if Mr Murphy replaces Miss Lamont, his deputy would need to come from Holyrood. Rising stars such as Kezia Dugdale, Drew Smith and Jenny Marra would be favourite for this job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brant grebner Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Unlikely. The level of expenses available at Holyrood is tiny compared to what Murphy gets at Westminster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuNsTeR Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 I think he would be a bigger car crash than Lamont Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanhibee Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I think he's just what we need to secure the best for the SNP. Surely Nicola is much more appealing to the scottish voter than Jim murphy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld_Reekie Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 He'll be better than Lamont but I think they are misguided if they think he was a star or is anyway likeable. He's loved in a Neil Lennon kinda way - his own fans loved him getting tore in and didnt care that it was sh*t to watch. Everyone else thinks he's a d*ck. He's been nurtured through the Westminster system and will be looking to protect that system in return for some future promotion for doing his bit. It's another sign that they've lost their way and have no idea what makes people tick. He's hugely dislikeable and wont cut it as leader. So this news makes me happy. I'd genuinely be worried if Gordon Brown took the job although they'll all be constrained by one thing: the Union. Scotland is in limbo with such a dysfunctional and weak parliament, and they cannot find a way to make it work or deal with the SNP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thplinth Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Lamont seems punch drunk to me. Did she bang her head or something, either that or she a closet bleezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86glebestreet Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Bring it on, he is a slimy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningtings Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Doubt he would want it, he's a career politician who was desperate to keep his Westminster job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 The Vanguard Bears will be delighted with their new protector of the union. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Return of Yermaw Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Unlikely. The level of expenses available at Holyrood is tiny compared to what Murphy gets at Westminster. This. He is one of the few still caught up in it all - the herald ran a story on it a few weeks before the referendum yet amazingly, none of the tabloids in Scotland picked up on it. If I didn't know better I would say they were in cahoots with one side of the referendum. Imagine if it had been an SNP MP still embroiled in an expenses scandal.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotlad Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Doubt he would want it, he's a career politician who was desperate to keep his Westminster job. True, but he has been sidelined at Westminster recently. He might view the SLab job as a means to raise his profile. Slimy though he may be, he is a several classes above Lamont as a politician. The fact that SLab would, for the first time in ages, have a leader capable of uttering a coherent sentence would be a major boost for them. In the meantime I think he will wait until Millibean's almost inevitable GE failure and consequent departure to see if any opportunities open up down south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Brown won't do it, too much like actual work. I could see Anas Sarwar in there though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotlad Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Brown won't do it, too much like actual work. I could see Anas Sarwar in there though. That'd be hilarious! I've seen Brown's name touted already but I reckon it is a bit too small time for him; he is most probably angling after a wee gig in the House of Lords (Alistair Darling almost certainly is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peever1745 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Doubt he would want it, he's a career politician who was desperate to keep his Westminster job. As far as I am awair he intends to keep his Westminster job and sit in Holyrood like Alex Salmond did.Mind you he may well be leading his Scottish party from prison once they are finished investigating his expenses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewelk Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I really really hate the thought that Murphy somehow feels chuffed with the job he did. He's a complete joke of a man made to feel good by his pals in the media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotlad Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I really really hate the thought that Murphy somehow feels chuffed with the job he did. He's a complete joke of a man made to feel good by his pals in the media. Murphy's only goal was for his side to win, which it did. In that respect it is easy to see why he is pleased. What is frustrating is that so many people couldn't see what he and others like him were up to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Murphy's only goal was for his side to win, which it did. In that respect it is easy to see why he is pleased. What is frustrating is that so many people couldn't see what he and others like him were up to. I don't think Murphy really believes in things. He's happy to take whichever side serves HIM best. I don't want him in Hollyrood. He's the kind of guy who can fool people by his confidence and conviction, only those who have knowledge of the issues will know he's talking pish 90% of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I don't think Murphy really believes in things. He's happy to take whichever side serves HIM best. I don't want him in Hollyrood. He's the kind of guy who can fool people by his confidence and conviction, only those who have knowledge of the issues will know he's talking pish 90% of the time. Your right about Murphy's beliefs. When he was young he used to be part of some revolutionary communist party apparently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyDenoon Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Slimy though he may be, he is a several classes above Lamont as a politician. I'm several classes above Stephen Hawking as a golfer, but I doubt Rory McIlroy is losing much sleep over it. Murphy would be a dream for us as Scottish Labour leader. An open goal for Sturgeon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thplinth Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Jim Murphy could not tackle a fishing rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ULSTERSCOTAS Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Even l woulnae tackle her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanday Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Murphy would never give up the expenses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I'm several classes above Stephen Hawking as a golfer, but I doubt Rory McIlroy is losing much sleep over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 It's Anas Sarwar folks, it's written in the stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 It's Anas Sarwar folks, it's written in the stars. Hope so It would be an SNP victory guaranteed. How Sarwar managed to pass all the exams to qualify as a dentist is beyond me. Dull as dishwater and thick as mince. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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