Labour leader loses grip on home turf

The scale of the problems within the Labour Party in Glasgow continues to grow as it has been revealed that the constituency of the leader of the party in Scotland, Johann Lamont, is at the centre of Labour’s meltdown.

It has now emerged that four of the six rebel Labour councillors represent wards in Johann Lamont's Glasgow Pollok constituency.

Four of them - representing all three Glasgow Pollok wards - voted against Labour's Budget; Ruth Black – Craigton, Stephen Dornan – Govan, Tommy Morrison - Greater Pollok and Willie O'Rourke - Greater Pollok.

Humza Yousaf, Glasgow SNP MSP, said: “How can Johann Lamont hope to run the opposition when she can't even stop the civil war in her own constituency party?

“Ms Lamont’s own constituency is the centre of Labour’s meltdown.  No wonder under Ms Lamont’s leadership Labour in Scotland have sunk to an all-time low of 23 per cent.

“Ms Lamont has been the MSP since 1999, and was deputy leader of the party for three years – she has to accept personal responsibility for Labour’s shambles in Glasgow.

“What an embarrassing mess the Labour Party have become – Glasgow deserves so much better.

“Pollok is formerly a Labour heartland but there is now no such thing, anywhere across Glasgow.

“Labour has taken this city for granted for too long, and the people will have their say at the local authority elections in May – when I trust they will put their faith in the SNP, who have a first class team of councillors working night and day to move Glasgow forward."

Notes:

POLLING The MORI-Ipsos poll of 27th to 29th January 2012 has recorded the lowest ever Labour support in a Scottish Parliament election – 23%. Just over one month into the job as Labour leader and Johann Lamont has recorded the lowest ever level of support for Labour.

The lowest for previous leaders was 27% for Jack McConnell in March 2007, 29% for Wendy Alexander in November 2007 and January 2008 and 25% for Iain Gray in September 2009.

The poll deficit under Johan Lamont is also the worst ever at -26%. This compares to  minus 18% for Iain Gray (April 2011), minus 14% for Wendy Alexander (April 2008) and minus 16% for Jack McConnell (August 2007

EX-LABOUR COUNCILLORS GO PUBLIC ON THE MESS

Ex-Labour Cllr Stephen Dornan: “The fact is the Labour Party’s lost its way. When it gets rid of the heart of its membership, i.e. when it ignores the branches in relation to selections and doesn’t give them the choice to pick its candidates, and leaves that up to officials from London and individuals from Glasgow…then that’s not right.

Ex-Labour Cllr Andy Muir: “I don’t believe a lot of what the Labour party are doing in Glasgow is for the best interests of Glasgow…I blame London Labour, because let’s be honest this is London Labour running Glasgow Labour. I blame [Gordon] Matheson, I blame the regional director who’s up here – a guy called Ken Clarke.

Ex-Labour Cllr Tommy Morrison: “What makes this important is the way in which the Labour Party in Glasgow is being run. The way that the Labour Party in Glasgow is being run is it’s being run by bullying, by intimidation, by harassment…I believe that 30 of the 40 members that voted today would not vote for the Leader, or for senior members of the administration.”