Flure Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 From today's "Herald" by Gerry Braiden. " LABOUR MPs fighting for their political survival in a traditional party heartland have been denied financial backing by colleagues on the council. In a clear sign of party fractures amid the most intense pressure it has ever faced in Scotland, North Lanarkshire councillors voted against donating anything to their four MPs who many predict will be unseated next week. A proposals by some councillors who work for North Lanarkshire's parliamentarians for a smaller donation was also rejected by colleagues. The move against any cash backing was led by the authority's leader, the veteran Jim McCabe, who has had numerous run-ins and turf wars with local MPs and MSPs through the years. It was ruled out despite a flood of letters in the past week from Labour pleading for financial resources to help the final campaign push. Some of these were in the name of former First Minister and Lanarkshire MSP Jack McConnell and general secretary of Scottish Labour Brian Roy, son of local Westminster kingpin Frank Roy. The snub also comes on the back of reports around the re-emergence of deep divisions within Labour as the party continues its freefall in the polls. Leader of Unite Len McCluskey and Scottish leader Jim Murphy avoided a meeting at the weekend when the union chief was north of the border campaigning for Labour, while Mr Murphy also appeared to have aimed a swipe at the party's previously leadership for its place in the polls. At last week's meeting of North Lanarkshire's Labour group, Kilsyth councillor Heather McVey requested colleagues give £1500 to each of the party's four local MPs, Gregg McClymont, Tom Clark, Pamela Nash and Frank Roy. The cash would have come from 'group funds', which councillors pay £10-a-week towards and which is used for an annual levy to Labour nationally, local election campaigns and events such as bereavements. However, sources at the meeting said Mr McCabe rejected the idea outright, with support from another veteran, Bill Shields. A proposal supported by one of Mr Roy's staffers Paul Kelly and Frank McNally, who works for MSP John Pentland, recommended giving each candidate £500 from group funds. However, when this went to a group vote Mr McCabe's recommendation to contribute nothing was carried by 17 hands to 11. Last night Mr McCabe said: "I do not discuss Labour group business in public." But one source at the meeting said: "I've never known any MP to contribute anything to our campaign and these people aren't short of money. They're on an 11 per cent rise if they get back, while we're practically on a minimum wage. "I feel sorry for McClymont that he's caught up in this but I wouldn't give the others anything. "The meeting was over in 15 minutes but it said a lot in that time, especially with McCabe leading against giving anything and those in and around the payrolls of the parliamentarians keen to give something." Another member of the Labour administration said: "We've just given the party £20,000 for the privilege of being councillors. "There's no appetite to give them any more money. In fact I'm detecting little appetite amongst many councillors to do anything except a few canvassing photos for Facebook. "Gordon Brown will do Coatbridge in the coming days. Beyond that, nothings happening there. There's real agitation amongst party members over how things are panning out in the campaign." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekfaejapan Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Comedy gold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacWalka Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Owch! That'll be painful for them. They must really be in dire trouble of Gordon Brown is going to Coatbridge to campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Souness' 'tache Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Tom Clarke is my folks MP (and my old one). I'd be amazed if he wasn't returned, having voted in the constituency for years and read the results in the papers the next day. Usually one of the safer Labour seats, but with North Lanarkshire narrowly going Yes, it'd be crazy to see things finally change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giblet Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Tom Clarke is my folks MP (and my old one). I'd be amazed if he wasn't returned, having voted in the constituency for years and read the results in the papers the next day. Usually one of the safer Labour seats, but with North Lanarkshire narrowly going Yes, it'd be crazy to see things finally change. What a bellend Clarke comes across as. Even the Guardian journo taken aback. Good video by the way showing what is going on in labour heartlands. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/apr/30/labour-snp-scotland-election-video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donaldo87 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 What a bellend Clarke comes across as. Even the Guardian journo taken aback. Good video by the way showing what is going on in labour heartlands. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/apr/30/labour-snp-scotland-election-video Cheers for that. He sums up Labour perfectly at the end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacWalka Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 What a bellend Clarke comes across as. Even the Guardian journo taken aback. Good video by the way showing what is going on in labour heartlands. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/apr/30/labour-snp-scotland-election-video Just watched that. He really is a bell end. I've ran into him a couple of times around here and he's just a self important tool living on past glories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stapes Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Just watched that. He really is a bell end. I've ran into him a couple of times around here and he's just a self important tool living on past glories. Lost count of the number of Labour MPs and councillors I've met who do indeed spend half their life talking about the past. Miners' strike this, miners' strike that ... it was 30 years ago FFS, move on. But they never will. They're like the 50 year old who still goes to the disco every weekend and tries to pull to the sound of T'Pau, to cling on to some part of their youth. (nae offence if anybody does that like). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Lost count of the number of Labour MPs and councillors I've met who do indeed spend half their life talking about the past. Miners' strike this, miners' strike that ... it was 30 years ago FFS, move on. But they never will. They're like the 50 year old who still goes to the disco every weekend and tries to pull to the sound of T'Pau, to cling on to some part of their youth. (nae offence if anybody does that like). Hey you, less of this fukin "tries" pish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Of Paisley Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Given the amount of camera shots I'm surprised Sinn Fein have missed a trick and not fielded a candidate there. It would win by a landslide. On a serious note, the sight of Clarke in that Hibs hall was pathetic. Going round and almost demanding that the poor souls vote Labour. A person who knows of the shitstorm coming his way and will do anything to hold onto his seat. Personally, I think the Labour faithful is too deep rooted in that part of the world and expect Clarke to be returned, but he won't have a thumping majority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holty Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) That is one of the weirdest documentaries I have ever seen on modern day politics, let alone Scottish politics. If that was shot in Russia, North Korea or Syria the media would ridicule it. I now have a new No1 target (Danny Alexander aside) that I wish to see losing his seat. I think he'll hold on though Edited May 1, 2015 by Holty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydoo Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 What a bellend Clarke comes across as. Even the Guardian journo taken aback. Good video by the way showing what is going on in labour heartlands. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/apr/30/labour-snp-scotland-election-video Half those who Clarke spoke to seemed embarrassed for the guy. And he came across as a right plank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilly71 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 "this guys an ex miner" therefore assuming he'll vote the way they tell him to. didnt like it when the guy was actually being asked his thoughts..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacWalka Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Lost count of the number of Labour MPs and councillors I've met who do indeed spend half their life talking about the past. Miners' strike this, miners' strike that ... it was 30 years ago FFS, move on. But they never will. They're like the 50 year old who still goes to the disco every weekend and tries to pull to the sound of T'Pau, to cling on to some part of their youth. (nae offence if anybody does that like). It's ridiculous, his whole "There's not a family in Coatbridge that hasn't been helped by Tom Clarke" was just embarrassing. I could name a lot of folk that he hasn't helped. Given the amount of camera shots I'm surprised Sinn Fein have missed a trick and not fielded a candidate there. It would win by a landslide. On a serious note, the sight of Clarke in that Hibs hall was pathetic. Going round and almost demanding that the poor souls vote Labour. A person who knows of the shitstorm coming his way and will do anything to hold onto his seat. Personally, I think the Labour faithful is too deep rooted in that part of the world and expect Clarke to be returned, but he won't have a thumping majority. There is actually a Sinn Fein office in Coatbridge, it doubles as an Irish history centre and is joined to a pub. You could tell the folk in the Hibs hall were just telling him what he wanted to hear to get rid of him, something that I think happens a lot with politics. I didn't before but I honestly now think the SLabour want to keep people poor and dependent in order to keep their support with the way that he was going on about the ex-miner stuff. The one thing the SNP has in it's favour is youth, most of the under 30s and indeed probably under 50s around here don't vote Labour. So many folk I know who were massive anti-SNP pre-referendum now planning to vote for them, not to mention Coatbridge and Airdrie voted Yes shows that even if Labour hang on, it won't be by much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I liked the way Tom Clark says in that video that the working people in Coatbridge have more in common with working people in Newcastle and Bristol than they do with the lords and toffs who run Scotland... aye, that might be true of the working people, but Tom Clark, long time Westminster veteran with his expenses and sense of entitlement, fails to see he has more in common with a life peer in the House of Lords than he does with the ordinary working people of Coatbridge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 It's ridiculous, his whole "There's not a family in Coatbridge that hasn't been helped by Tom Clarke" was just embarrassing. I could name a lot of folk that he hasn't helped. Fair play to him, he would have voted for the minimum wage... eighteen years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I liked the way Tom Clark says in that video that the working people in Coatbridge have more in common with working people in Newcastle and Bristol than they do with the lords and toffs who run Scotland... aye, that might be true of the working people, but Tom Clark, long time Westminster veteran with his expenses and sense of entitlement, fails to see he has more in common with a life peer in the House of Lords than he does with the ordinary working people of Coatbridge... Also, his insinuation that the SNP's support comes from these Lords of the Manor is ridiculous. I doubt the SNP support is very high amongst the most well off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 He reminded me of Boss Hogg standing for election. Also, his insinuation that the SNP's support comes from these Lords of the Manor is ridiculous. I doubt the SNP support is very high amongst the most well off. Aye that's a tired old Labour line. Did they not notice all the No Thanks posters erected by the land owning gentry? I think the many of the English working class would vote SNP if they could... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe545 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I'm from Coatbridge and his "you'll be voting labour, so you will" patter didn't sound particularly demanding to me. That's just the way folk speak round there. Reminded me of a drunk uncle at a wedding - nice but misguided. He needs to get shot of the advisor that suggested taking the journo to ex-miners. Made Clarke seem totally out of touch with modern society. Still that'll be why the only times he has rebelled the whip has been to do with reproduction or sexual orientation as he is from a bygone era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weekevie04 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Clarke reminded me of a ruddy-faced mix of Jim McLean & Ian Paisley with Billy Connolly's accent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe545 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Clarke reminded me of a ruddy-faced mix of Jim McLean & Ian Paisley with Billy Connolly's accent. To me he seemed like Alex Ferguson impersonation on Only an Excuse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 To be fair to him he was happy to embrace his opponent. Can't see all Labour and SNP candidates being as convivial there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 To me he seemed like Alex Ferguson impersonation on Only an Excuse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbcmfc Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 To be fair to him he was happy to embrace his opponent. Can't see all Labour and SNP candidates being as convivial there... I know at least one of his Lanarkshire colleagues refused to attend an event because Alex Salmond was a guest. (A grown man!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weekevie04 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 To me he seemed like Alex Ferguson impersonation on Only an Excuse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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