It was just over a week ago at the Scottish Labour Conference in Dundee, when Iain Gray introduced his new front bench team, including Margaret Curran as policy maker.
David at Clampdown has an interesting update. Ms Curran has now stood down because she's been selected as the labour candidate for the Glasgow East seat and will challenge John Mason at the next general election. It would appear Ms Curran's only policy in her week of office was to get out of the Scottish Parliament and into Westminster. There's nothing like getting your name in the frame early but surely she told Iain Gray beforehand or perhaps she did, who knows. According to David she's certainly put the cat among the pigeons in the Holyrood labour ranks.
My thanks to David for bringing this to my attention.
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26 comments:
Subosa
I have known Margaet Curran for 30 years - was in Glasgow Uni Labour Club with her. She has lost her way a little under Blairism, McConnelism etc, but at heart I think she remains a good person, and most certainly an able one, very able.
Indeed one of the underestimated aspects of John Mason win in Glasgow East last year was he was up against one of the best Labour by election Candidates I have ever see, And Ive seen many, including that clown in Glanrothes, Roy.
Indeed, aside from the shambles that preceded her selection, Maggie is the best Scottish Labour by-election candidate i can remember. John Mason, enjoy London, but be anticipating an new career.
But Sunbrosa you are misinfomed , nae underinformed, as to the reasons behind Maggie's move. Due to Holyood boundary reorganisations her Glasgow Holyrood seat is to dissapear at the 2011 elections. And able though she is ( this is in labour ranks a disqualification!) she had no chance of winning selection for the reorganised seats, Frankie boy And Paul Martin having the votes in the bag.
This is why Maggie is moving south Believe me, common knowledge in Labour circles.
And well flagged up - Ian Gray knew of this when she was appointed his policy development wont, But now safely slected, both can see this strategic role is now incompatible with her new ambitions. No big deal - her work in this area was well advancede paramaters have been set.
And Westminster beckons. Good luck to John Mason, but this is Glasgow East, John Wheatley country - Labour heartland with a capital H. And now with a first class Labour candidate already with a higher profile and in place a full year in advance - and watch hher profile now grow, as poliing day approahes. Labour's main face in Glasgow.
And, Labour UK win or defeat ( and defeat now near certain) Maggie is not going there to make up the numbers for sure.
But, like so many of her generation and tradition , she'll be an anti-nat until the day she dies. You will never convince her, no matter how strong your case, how hard you try.
Sad but true
And Ian Gray appointed her on his election in Septemnber -she'd been informally doing the policy development work in wendo's last few months. The was no "appointment" of her in Dundeee asltweek. Other folk yes, but not her - indeed these new others were put in place in anticipation of magies Glasgow east selection and departure from her policy development role at holyrood.
I new about the boundary changes AWC but didn't put that in my post because David blogs about it.
All I can say is that Iain Gray didn't handle it well then by 'announcing' it on a televised programme. It certainly wasn't clear to me and I take an interest in politics as you know.
Having never met her I can't comment at all but I will be campaigning again in Glasgow East for John Mason. That's because I respect the man, he's not a thoroughbred politician and of course I couldn't possibly campaign for Margaret could I.
It was going round the blogosphere a few months ago that she would move and make way for Frank so really she's nowhere else to go.
That should be 'knew' of course not new. Long day.
A beautiful lady with a beautiful mind whose only interest is the welfare of her constituents.
Oh brownlie how profound.
subrosa,
I understand her campaign slogan is going to be "Ich bin ein Eastender".
Brownlie, I hear that too. Amazing how so many of the labour party are so linguistic. There's Gordon with his 'I saved the world' of course and Jim Murphy 'togetherness and not separate is the answer'.
Ich bin erstaunt.
Ich bien ein Pfannkuchen.
As I mentioned on Blether with Brian, the Beeb reported Mags being unanimously selected for Glasgow East, while the Labour website added the trifling detail that she was elected unopposed. Oberaffentittengeil.
Aye we can, its Iain Grey not (Ian). I know my spellings bad but thats not the talking point.
BTW Curran is an old bat, she is old typical rotten labour, an old fart to the core. It is her type that would keep the masses in poverty so she can turn round and say, blah blah blah Labour will look after you so dont vote for the SNP becouse you will let the concervitives in.
Aye we can, you still have that old Labour rat attack yack mantra about you, i think you fancy Maggy moo, infact you are Maggy moo in SNP drag.
This old bat lied to the people of Glasgow east just like so many of the other labour half wits.she talks like a bloody express train going down hill.
Labour had Glasgow east fo over 90 years yet look at the health of the population, the crime etc. Why people continue to vote for the likes of Maggie curran is beyond me.
Labour only get elected in Scotland becouse of the fearty factor of the big bad concervitivers.
Time the people of Glagow walked away from the likes of curran hyper bunny for good.
Nattet natter natter curran, god that voice if hers, swear.....
"A beautiful lady with a beautiful mind whose only interest is the welfare of her constituents."
This is irony, yes? We are talking Labour here. Must be.
Brownlie
Or sudseider but just maybe oerhaps suisider.
Maggie is in it for Maggie, flat screen TVs, turn up vote as told, two hooses, pension fund, oh the joys of being a career politician.
Spook, I see you've met Ms Curran during your political activities :)
Faux Cu, tut tut. The woman has difficulties understanding the points of the compass. I thought you'd be more compassionate.
Forfar loon, do you know what that translates to? I didn't recognise the word but then it's 30 years since I worked there. Says on free translation ' waiter ape tit lecherous'. I won't say I laughed when I read that because that'd be cruel.
Conan, Erdbeerenkuchen mit Schlagsahne schmeckt viel besser als Pfannkuchen.
Sir ist so dumm wir eine blinde Kuh. Sie sieht wie ein ausserdem aus.
Das sollte lesen: sie.
subrosa: Oberaffentittengeil bedeutet super-mega-cool. Warum? Keine ahnung (ich kann forfar-quine spaeter fragen...sie ist gar kein quine aus Forfar...die ischt ein Schwaebisches Maedle, weisch?)
Schaffe, schaffe, Haeusle baue!
Butterbrot statt Schnitzel kaue!
(The Schwaebisch are the Scots of Germany it would seem, a bit of a reputation for parsimony!)
Jungen jungen, wir mussen Englische sprechen!
I'm so pleased that so many of you speak German as it's my favourite language after my own type of Scots.
Yes forfar loon, I know Bad-Wurttenberg as I had a friend there and visited a few times although I worked in the north.
To be truthful my German is seldom used these days. The internet is a good help though because I read the weekend newspapers as best as I can.
The Germans I come into contact with through work all speak English although they still learn that awful 'e' instead of 'a' for example they speak about an epple instead of an apple. I'm told that is thought of as Oxford English.
Forfar loon, does your wife speak with a Scots accent? My German friend, with whom I worked both in England and Germany, still speaks English with the broadest Glasgow accent I've ever heard.
Not really, though she's picked up a few bits and pieces and sometimes people (non-Scots!) think she has a Scots accent. She studied in America for a year and it took quite a lot of work to drum that accent out of her! After 10 years here she doesn't have a German accent - people usually guess she's Scandinavian or South African (or Welsh rather bizarrely on one occasion), though that's partly on appearance too.
Interestingly she thinks that British babies tend to have very square heads - "betonkopf" (concrete head) she always says. Anyone agree? Or do we all think foreigners have weirdly spherical heads?
Sorry subrosa, I'm taking over your blog! Lebensraum and all that ;o)
Forfar loon it's a delight to hear from you. If she's spent time in the US then she has little chance of picking up a Scots accent to any degree. I find anyone who has experienced the US accent when young find it a hard accent to shake off. It's much stronger than European ones.
Can't say I've noticed babies here have square heads but then I'm a generation older than you (and perhaps some) so I don't really look so closely at babies these days.
Have to admit, when I worked in Germany in the 70s, I seldom saw babies except totally encased within massive prams which resembled mini-coaches. Babies seemed to have been confined to home until they were capable of walking and not peeing themselves in the street :) I'm sure your wife will say I'm quite wrong.
subrosa, look out for any babies that Margaret Curran tries to kiss come election time - see if they have square heads! I'm sure the parents will be "betonkoepfe" if they're voting for her ;o)
Forfar loon, when I go to Glasgow East for a day or two's campaigning, if I even see a wifie in red I'm running the other way.
But I'll keep my eyes open for the baby photos all politician seem to like. Don't they realise how ridiculous they look yet?
Also you've made me aware of the shape of babies' heads so I'll be peering in prams from now on.
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