Dear All
Yesterday, Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie stood before the television cameras and gave what can only be described as the weakest defence of what is going on in the Tory Party’s history.
Her claims that her campaign hasn’t imploded seem scarcely credible.
3 Tory MSP Candidates have resigned in a matter of days.
As she launched her manifesto one of her candidates quit in disgust at the party’s failure to investigate vote-rigging allegations.
Vote rigging is very popular in the Glasgow regional list it seems where you can buy your way to Holyrood.
David Meikle is Glasgow’s only Tory councillor.
But he has the integrity to withdraw from the city’s regional ballot for May’s election after his complaints about a recent internal selection contest had been stonewalled by the party hierarchy.
He is however still standing in Glasgow Southside.
Annabel Goldie’s leadership is dying and dysfunctional, her defeat at the ballot box with trigger an expected leadership challenge.
Anyone but Goldie!
And the Tories are right, she has done well in Holyrood but outside she is floundering as she is unable to lead.
Meikle and another Holyrood candidate, Richard Sullivan previously had demanded an investigation into the ranking of candidates for the party’s Glasgow list, alleging “electoral malpractice”.
And nothing was done as the Tory Party buried its head in sand.
The pair claimed a sudden influx of new members had skewed the result, and that numerous ballot papers bore similar handwriting.
Their party’s headquarters refused to instigate a probe, arguing there was no need for one, no need when allegations of vote rigging are flagged up?
What planet are they living on?
Meikle has confirmed he had refused to sign nomination papers for the regional list as he felt the process and the result were tainted.
But out of loyalty to his local association, he would remain the candidate for the first-past-the post seat of Glasgow Southside.
Being sixth on the regional list he stood no chance of being elected but he did stand up for the principle that everyone standing for election should be treated fairly.
As well as Meikle standing down, last week saw Malcolm Macaskill, who had been top of the Glasgow list sacked after past financial troubles emerged, including two bankruptcies and unpaid income tax in the 1990s.
He was pushed out so that Ruth Davidson, an aide to Goldie could put into pole position.
Since then Tom Coakley, a former footballer who made a fortune in property has now withdrawn a pledge to give the Tories £100,000 a year for a decade.
And rumours say that a second major Tory donor, John McGlynn, the airport car park magnate, no longer wants to contribute to party funds in protest at the treatment of Macaskill.
Macaskill was badly treated; he was denied natural justice and the right to a fair hearing.
Heather McLeod, a former Tory PPC put it aptly, the Scottish Tories are a nest of vipers.
After the Holyrood debacle, the next fight is to get rid of Goldie; one could say that election is more important than Holyrood.
Ruth Davidson will prove no bargain for the Scottish Tories, she is publicly unelectable in Glasgow.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
1 comment:
another party has a man of integrity who refuses to go on the regional list. Yes, it's shameful the way it has been accepted that it's ok to buy your way on to that list.
And for one nonenity it blew right back on his face. Famous for the fact no one has ever heard of him.
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