THE SNP’s loss of North Lanarkshire Council after a mere three months of control is a disaster which was completely foreseeable and completely avoidable. Yet the red warning flags which the membership waved were ignored by all and sundry and this is the result. The Jordan Linden debacle was an open secret, and while others in the SNP failed vetting for the most spurious of reasons, Mr Linden had a path cleared for him, one he was most clearly unsuitable for.
Even less of a surprise was the defection of Councillor Michael Coyle. In 2017 he was quoted after the council elections as saying that “the people have shown they do not want independence” in response to being asked why the SNP failed to win control of North Lanarkshire Council. In reality, it was the infighting, backstabbing and pursuit of personal gain within the party which saw the SNP come up short.
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It is amusing to see the mugs who shouted down the people who tried to warn the party of such behaviours now standing open-mouthed in horror as their rock-solid councillor moves to the British nationalists. On Thursday Anas Sarwar crowed of his victory and said Labour were taking back control after months of “sleaze”. It will be interesting to see whether Mr Coyle is rewarded with a paid convenorship for his duplicity (not to mention the loss of his job with SNP MSP Neil Gray).
A number of years ago I raised a petition with the Scottish Parliament with the aim of ensuring that if an elected representative resigned from the party they were elected to stand for, that should automatically trigger a by-election. The SNP-led parliament rejected this. I am now seeing much wailing from SNP members that Cllr Coyle should resign and force an election. That ship has sailed, and there is as much chance of Cllr Coyle resigning as there is of me winning the Tour de France. Perhaps now the members of the SNP can force a much-needed change in our democratic system from within their party, lest this type of thing happens again. Until that day though, the rules of politics are that there are no rules.
James Cassidy
Airdrie
SCOTTISH Labour have joined forces with the Scottish Tories and a far-right British nationalist to wrest control of another local authority from the SNP. Again, this is low and underhand. However, I say this as a loyal SNP member: on this occasion, this is wholly an own goal.
Taking control of North Lanarkshire Council for the first time was a momentous achievement for the SNP. A mere three months later, we lost control due to yet another sexual harassment scandal – perpetrated by the council leader on this occasion. For the avoidance of doubt, this letter is not to publicly eviscerate the gentleman in question. I do not for an instant condone his actions; still, I realise that this will be a challenging time for his family.
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My thoughts also go out to the allegedly molested party. Coming forward is not easy, and we should applaud his bravery. I also extend my commiserations to fellow SNP activists in North Lanarkshire, especially in Airdrie South, where one of our own defected to Labour and ultimately cast the deciding vote that placed the area into Unionist control.
The defection baffles me. I could rationalise defection to another pro-independence party or no party affiliation, but to a party that has yet again nailed its Unionist colours firmly to the mast (despite 40% of its supporters backing independence) defies logic.
The SNP is not the independence movement, nor has it ever claimed to be so. Nevertheless, like it or not, it is a significant load bearer. Indiscretions such as Patrick Grady MP and North Lanarkshire give the Unionists a colossal stick with which to relentlessly beat the SNP and independence movement. This must stop. From the top down, firmer vetting of candidates is essential. No smoke is without fire; we must scrutinise even the most minor indiscretion.
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Most importantly, we must all be mindful to keep our hands to ourselves. It is inappropriate to touch somebody without their consent, even if you consider it innocuous. Yes, people can misread a situation and misbehave by accident. Having said this, we should all know what constitutes appropriate conduct and what does not. The Patrick Grady scandal was damaging and embarrassing for the party; losing North Lanarkshire on the back of a similar issue has re-opened this wound, not to mention rubbed salt in by the fact that it was ultimately avoidable. As a party and as independence activists, there are important lessons that we must learn from this debacle as so much is at stake.
Andrew Scobie
Comrie
THE SNP – Scotland’s elected government, that is – is under attack. The Tories and the increasingly right-wing Labour party are joining together to defeat our government, simply so that that they can preserve not only the Union but also the entrenched class system which exists north and south of the Border.
It seems to me that these two right-wing organisations are hell-bent on preserving the superiority of the ruling class at the expense of the workers. Last week’s pantomime of three energy moguls sitting at a meeting with the Prime Minister and deciding to do nothing to help the lower-paid was described as entirely predictable “theatre”. I read the next morning that Nicola is proposing to help where possible, in the absence of any action from Westminster.
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We are well overdue to leave this manipulative Union. Let’s leave its huntin’ shootin’ fishin’ toffs behind – and English royalty, whose patronage enables them. Practically all of the wealth enjoyed by Unionists was blood money from grateful monarchs whose dirty work they did. Why do we tolerate the monarchy hobbling our laws so that they can make even more money?
Some readers may know that I was born in Grantham. I can’t begin to tell you how ashamed I am. I am, however, proud to live in Scotland, and proud, too, to have been so welcomed here for the last 40 years.
Tony Kime
Kelso
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