Press Release

Campaign for Socialism Executive

Labour Left say Democratic Deficit must be tackled

Describing the one horse race to be Scottish Labour leader as an "unacceptable anachronism", the Campaign for Socialism have said that changing the rules for the election of Scottish Labour leader is an urgent task for the party. They called for rule changes to allow other sections of the Labour Party, rather than just MSPs to be allowed to nominate candidates.

Over three hundred thousand people; Parliamentarians, individual party members and affiliated Trade Unionists would have been given the chance to express a view but instead because Jack McConnell is the sole candidate their will be only a confirmatory ballot involving the Scottish Labour Party Executive and MSPs - less than a thousandth of the total electorate.

Vince Mills, Secretary of the Campaign for Socialism commented:

"An election which should have involved several hundred thousand people will now involve less than eighty. A new leader will be chosen without the participation of individual party members or the wider labour movement. Can an election where 99% of the electorate has been disenfranchised be described as satisfactory?

"The "great and the good" have decided by themselves who is to lead the Party and the country. Effectively a leader has "emerged" behind closed doors,such procedures are an unacceptable anachronism more suited to the Tory Party in the 19th Century than the Labour Party in the 21st.

"This democratic deficit has to be tackled. Labour MSPs have effectively decided not just who they will support but who every one else will support. They have acted as political police, keeping the rabble of ordinary party members in line, and making their decisions for them. The system which allows this has to be changed and changed as soon as possible.

"It is unacceptable that only MSPs have the ability to nominate potential candidates, the wider party in the form of Constituency Labour Parties and affiliated unions and societies must gain the right to nominate, only then will the range of views present in the whole party

"We should never be in the position again where a potential candidate with wide support in the Party and the country is unable to get on to the ballot paper because of the reluctance of parliamentary colleagues "whose minds are fixed on pelf and place", to quote the Red Flag.

"Socialists do not believe that democracy is such a precious commodity that it should only be found in small quantities and we call on all sections of the Labour Party to support a change in the Party rules so that in the future we have elections not assumptions.