13

Leadership Race: December 2014

1 DECEMBER: Up to Aberdeen on the train with Colin Stewart of Unite, and had a meeting with Katy before taking part in a pre-hustings event with left activists, which was hosted by Councillor Nathan Morrison. Around 25 activists turned up and were hugely supportive. Then to a neighbouring hotel for a packed hustings – the best one yet. The atmosphere was good and there was plenty of humour and an excellent debate; I enjoyed it immensely.

Spoke to Tommy. So as not to be left completely flatfooted if I win, I will have to give some thought to who I appoint to the many political and key advisory roles. My key Shadow Cabinet appointments would be Hugh Henry, Drew Smith, Alex Rowley, Patricia Ferguson, Elaine Murray and others who didn’t support me but who I respect, such as Graeme Pearson, Neil Bibby, Mary Fee, Richard Simpson and Rhoda Grant. I won’t appoint any of the crew who did the dirty on Johann Lamont.

Today, a video of three Renfrewshire SNP councillors has been released showing them burning copies of the Smith Commission. One of them works for Derek MacKay, the Transport Minister. The image of nationalists burning books is not a particularly pleasant one.

3 DECEMBER: To Thompson’s in Edinburgh for a team meeting to discuss PFI buy-out policy proposal. This is looking really good. By using new borrowing powers we could look at each PFI contract and, where beneficial, refinance it and save money. We would move from interest rates at eight per cent on average to around two per cent, potentially saving hundreds of millions of pounds. It’s a no brainer and would end the great PFI/NPD rip-off. This will have quite an impact when we launch it.

Labour business today included the NHS. I led for us in the debate and spoke about the huge pressures on general practices, the crisis in social care, delayed discharge, waiting times, boarding out etc. and repeated our call for a wholescale review of the Scottish NHS to make it meet the demands of our times and ageing population. There are problems from the front door to the back. The government of course deny all of this and use their usual patronising get out, saying Labour is talking down our NHS and its staff, but they are in denial.

Went to a round table meeting on lobbying, but it was awful. Stewart Stevenson MSP, John Downie of SCVO and lobbyist, and ex-Tory MP, Peter Duncan were the speakers. A complete waste of time.

Sturgeon suspended the Paisley book burners today.

4 DECEMBER: After hosting a tour of the Scottish Parliament for pupils from Whitburn Academy I went to the chamber for FMQs. Jackie Baillie led for us and spoke about the NHS. She is doing well at FMQs. Sturgeon’s tactic appears to be acting all consensual when she gets a difficult question – won’t last!

I asked a question on TTIP, urging unity and asking everyone to join together to write to Cameron opposing this appalling proposal, which threatens our public services.

It was then off to Kilsyth for the Lanarkshire hustings. Deputies first and Katy received hostile questions about Trident from a Better Together Tory type, no doubt a new recruit after the referendum! Of the leadership candidates, I was up first. Given this was the last one, I was determined to go out on a high and enjoy it – and I did.

Afterwards, I headed straight to BBC Scotland to appear on the Scotland 2014 programme. The topic was the policy on PFI. They had put up right wing economist Jo Armstrong against me in an attempt to rubbish the policy, but she couldn’t as it’s sound and as long as we take each NPD/PFI project on a case-by-case basis we could save hundreds of millions of pounds. We should set up a debt reduction unit in the Scottish Government to do this. I was very pleased with the interview.

5 DECEMBER: Enjoyed a rare long lie – luxury, and then to Glasgow for STV online Facebook interview with Stephen Daisley. Going in I sought out John MacKay and gave him a presentation gift bag (he obviously thought it was a bottle of wine), and said, ‘Oh thank you very much.’ Of course, when he opened it, it was a Barr’s bottle of chippie sauce. There were sincere thanks all round for such a wonderful and culturally sound gift!

I did the online interview which was great fun. Once we got through the mad people ranting about every subject under the sun, and offering the full dictionary of profanity (some of it very funny, mind you), I was able to answer lots of questions. Afterwards, I did a one-to-one interview for the website.

From STV it was over to the STUC for a campaign rally and Christmas party for the team. Beforehand we had a meeting with a few key allies and some of the campaign team. We have fought a great campaign, even though we know we won’t win, but we all agree this is the start of a new lease of life for the left and we must build on it. The event itself was fantastic. We had Stephen Wright, Fraser Speirs, Vince Mills and Eddie McGuire playing some great music. All the young people involved in the campaign were there, as well as my family, including Fiona and Chloe. Lots of my oldest mates, and trade unionists, MSPS, MPs, councillors and many of my Campaign for Socialism pals showed up. It was great fun. There was a tremendous atmosphere, and a feeling that whatever happens with the result, we have rebuilt the left and gave people their confidence back. That, if used and developed properly, is the greatest legacy of the campaign.

6 DECEMBER: For the first time in ages I had a quiet day and then went to my brother John’s 50th birthday bash in the local pub, the Grange. Brilliant to see so many old school friends.

7 DECEMBER: To Pacific Quay to participate in the Crossfire programme with the other candidates. After the interview, Murphy asked me, ‘What will Unite [the union] do if I win? How should I approach them? Not that I am taking it for granted that I will win of course.’ What a bizarre thing to say. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I don’t know, but I could make a suggestion. Why don’t you do something unique and go and meet Len McCluskey and sit down and have a chat rather than engage in gunboat diplomacy through the newspapers?’ Don’t think my advice went down too well!

8 DECEMBER: At Stoneyburn Community Centre for the annual pensioners’ party. It’s a great event run by community nurse Doreen and her team. She is a hero in the community, and organises holidays, day trips and a lunch club for pensioners in addition to her job as a nurse. She is magnificent. I knew lots of people there, and many are Fiona’s relatives and people her mum knows.

9 DECEMBER: At the Scottish Parliament for a Shadow Cabinet meeting to discuss local government finance, as this had been raised by both Alex Rowley and Hugh Henry at the group meeting. The discussion was dreadful, summarised as ‘well, we can’t call for more money for councils because that is not popular.’ This despite social care being in crisis and council services and jobs being lost on an unprecedented scale. So we will end up arguing for more money for the NHS to keep more people stuck in hospital at £3,000 per week as opposed to getting them looked after in their own home at a cost of £350 per week, and in a place where people want to be. This is so awful and short sighted – completely conservative. It is the SNPs line and we just repeat it.

MP Margaret Curran came out in favour of Murphy today, despite saying she would remain neutral. I couldn’t be less surprised.

Met Johann Lamont for a chat. She was scathing about former close colleagues who had put the boot in, and so she should be. She also gave an interesting insight into Miliband and his main weakness, which is a complete lack of confidence.

Curran said she was supporting Murphy ‘because he is good on women’s issues’, which is utter crap! Johann is going to support Katy and me, which is a huge boost.

Did an interview with Gary Gibbon of Channel 4. He said he had spoken to 100 people at an SNP branch meeting and in the street, most of them Labour voters or former Labour voters, and they said Labour doesn’t represent them anymore. He was genuinely shocked at the extent of defection, which I think is very real and very worrying. We are heading for an electoral nightmare.

10 DECEMBER: After our health team meeting I took Elaine Smith, Louise from her office, Annaliese, Stephen Low, Tommy and Colin Stuart to lunch to thank them for their hard work. After the vote we went to the Café Royal where we had a nice night. Voting closes today, and there is relief all round.

11 DECEMBER: At the Scottish Parliament there are lots of good wishes from Jim Hume and Tavish Scott, both Lib Dems, Patrick Harvie and Alison Johnston of the Greens, Cameron Buchanan, a Tory, and a number of others.

Just a fortnight till Christmas and I’m home early. This is what I call luxury!

12 DECEMBER: I was at the office in West Calder this morning. My first job was to write and send out all our Christmas cards, and it took hours. I then headed home and penned a speech just in case of victory (which our phone canvassing shows is increasingly unlikely). The Murphy camp have really upped their game in the last fortnight and it is showing in our returns.

I went over to the Fauldhouse Miners’ Welfare Club for the pensioners’ Christmas party. All my pals’ mums and dads were there, as was my own mum. Christine Cook, who does an amazing job organising the over-50s club, took the mic and asked everyone to wish me well tomorrow, which was nice but embarrassing. Then over to Tommy’s for his daughter’s 21st birthday party. If anyone deserves a celebration after what she has been through it is her. Lovely to see her healthy, well and enjoying herself.

13 DECEMBER: It’s D-Day. Well, R-Day. Results day at the Emirates Arena in the east end of Glasgow. I headed there with Fiona and Jimmy Thompson. As we pulled into the car park, Sean Clerkin (mad as a hatter, and serial abuser of Labour politicians) was walking beside Murphy, shouting in his face and trying to provoke him. It was a certainty he would be there.

When we walked in the front door, I had a wee peek into the room and it was packed. It was great to see so many friendly faces, but it was tense as we awaited the results. Party officials announced, privately to us in a back room, the deputy leadership result first, which Kezia won with just under 63 per cent of the vote. Katy received 37 per cent.

Then it was time for the leadership results. I won the trade union affiliated vote, but not as comfortably as I would have liked. I polled 17.34 while Murphy took 13.26.

Then the overall result, which Murphy won with just over 55 per cent. I scored 35 per cent, while Sarah Boyack received a little over nine.

My first emotion was one of relief that it was over. We fought the best campaign by a long shot, we had innovative policies and managed to remain positive throughout, staying clear of public acrimony. The team we assembled was superb and there is no doubt at one point we had the Murphy camp reeling. However, the party machine then clicked into gear. They pulled every trick in the book to ensure their man won! Fiona Stanton and Iain McNicol, as officials, and Davie Hamilton and James Kelly as politicians, delivered for Murphy.

I don’t regret standing one bit, and feel proud of what we achieved, but the reality is we were well beaten. We now have to ensure we organise the left and make it an organisation with much broader appeal than just the Campaign for Socialism (although it is an organisation I am extremely proud to be a member of).

Afterwards Murphy and Kez were all smiles and he gave his speech, which was all about patriotism and social justice (we dragged him into social justice territory). It was pretty flat to be honest, and that’s not sour grapes. Later, we all went into a pub in town for a party. It was great just to relax with the team. Then who should phone to commiserate – Ed Miliband. To be honest, I couldn’t get him off the line quickly enough. Murphy also phoned, but I didn’t take it. I will speak to him tomorrow.

14 DECEMBER: TV this morning is full of Jim’s election, showing him in a Scotland football top running along the banks of the Clyde. It’s just so contrived – ‘look at me and how Scottish I am!’

No time to feel sorry for myself as I headed for Stirling County Hotel, and a meeting between MPs and MSPs. A number of colleagues avoided eye contact. We had a presentation from a party pollster, then one from Murphy and another from Kezia. The polling is dreadful – we are in very deep shit but some of them really don’t get it and believe it’s merely a temporary blip. Clearly given the length and content of Jim and Kez’s speeches, they had been tipped off they had won – either that or they were up all night writing lengthy and detailed presentations!

15 DECEMBER: To Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh to hear Murphy’s speech about his plans for the party and country. He then announces – straight out of Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson’s 1997 manual – that he is going to rewrite Clause IV and make it reflect Labour’s patriotism. Pass the sick bucket! This is the guy who toured the country shouting ‘Better Together’, and now he’s screaming ‘hoots mon, we’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns and there’s a moose loose aboot the hoose’ whilst wearing a Scotland top and drinking Irn Bru! It is utter, utter bollocks. Who advises these folk? Well, of course, the answer is the world’s worst political strategist, John ‘the serial loser’ McTernan. I despair. Before the leadership election I was under the impression the likes of Murphy and McTernan were some sort of political clever clogs, master tacticians who could win over the people we previously couldn’t reach, but the reality is very, very different.

Back to the sanity of my office to answer hundreds of emails, texts, phone calls and good wishes etc. from party members, family and friends. Spoke to Murphy who says he wants me on board in his team. I would rather pull my own teeth out with pliers but I know the people I rely on for advice, and who are rarely wrong, will tell me I have to be in there arguing the case for sanity and a leftward approach to tackle the SNP. Joy!

16 DECEMBER: At the parliament, there are kind words and commiserations from people across the political spectrum, from the posties Alan and Jimmy, Jim Hume, Tavish Scott, Jackson Carlaw etc. I met with Murphy at 11. He is appointing his team and wants me to do the Shadow Fair Work and Skills job – which is logical, given my interest in these issues. He is moving everyone. Jenny Marra will replace me at Health. Drew Smith looked like someone had just pissed on his bonfire as he is being made Murphy’s PPS. What a shame, you wouldn’t do that to your worst enemy. I really do feel for him. Jackie Baillie is running about like the cat who got the cream – she really thinks she is the fixer. Hugh Henry is back at Justice, which is good. All Murphy’s supporters have been rewarded – Kez, Clare Baker, Ken McIntosh, Iain Gray, Mary Fee, and Sarah Boyack, who is also back in.

In the backroom team it is the Better Together tribute act with Blair McDougall on lead vocals.

17 DECEMBER: Met with Rhoda Grant and Richard Simpson – they are remaining at Health which is good. I thanked them and their staff for their help over the last year or so and urged them to continue with the health inequality and social care work I began, as this is crucial. It emerged that Siobhan McMahon will work with me on the employment portfolio, which is good as Siobhan and I get on well and she is a straight talker, which I like.

Chloe got her tonsils out today – she is fine, but very sore. Afterwards, I went to the annual Labour group Christmas party. It was good fun and turned into a late night.

18 DECEMBER: Met Patients First to talk through a whole range of NHS issues they are concerned about. Jane Hamilton was there. She has been told she will have her contract terminated and will be paid a significant amount to go away. The treatment of her has been outrageous. She doesn’t want the money; she wants her life and career back. Sadly many other NHS staff have been treated the same way. She has done nothing wrong but has been treated as though she has.

To FMQ’s for Kezia Dugdale’s first offering. She did well on falling oil prices, job losses and the crisis in the North Sea, as a result of oil selling at less than $48 per barrel. Sturgeon not confident and trying to be consensual – it doesn’t suit her.

It was then over to Edinburgh University, to their ‘grand room’, for the Shadow Cabinet meeting. All of this is part of Murphy’s spin to make us look like ‘the Cabinet in waiting’. Every single thing they do is about spin and presentation and nothing to do with policy or people in the communities we represent. The reality is the people in Fauldhouse, Addiewell or Craigshill don’t give a toss about whether or not we look good on Reporting Scotland, sitting in some ornate and opulent room, but do care if we can make their lives better.

We had a presentation on polling and focus groups, which said, ‘The voters can’t wait to give us a kicking!’ Sounds ominous. Murphy said Shadow Cabinet meetings would be business-like and last an hour, as this worked well under Tony Blair. Oh well, we must follow.

Heard today that Murphy is set to dump my Beveridge 21 proposal for a full review of the NHS that my health team developed. The reason given is that it doesn’t allow us to attack the SNP on health. This is just ridiculous. We must look at health care in the 21st century and ensure it is fully fit for purpose and not just look at how we attack our opponents.

Just spoke to Chloe and she is still in agony after her operation.

19 DECEMBER: Went for a lovely lunch with my mum, John and Sharron, Anna and Jim and Fiona – great time had by all. Ah, normality!

20 DECEMBER: Murphy on Off the Ball, the irreverent radio football show, where he said he wanted a return to drinking at football matches. Where on earth did that come from – just what we need in Scotland!

22 DECEMBER: Had planned to go to Glasgow with Chloe to do some Christmas shopping, but decided to go to Braehead instead of the town. We then heard there had been a big accident with an out-of-control bin lorry mowing down people near George Square. This is absolutely awful. Six people are feared dead; students, a primary teacher, and members of the same family. Just terrible.

23 DECEMBER: Survation poll shows a negative ‘bounce’ for Labour following Murphy’s election – he seems to be very unpopular. The poll suggests Labour would win only four seats at the election, which I think is pretty accurate. Scottish Labour MPs will now be incredibly nervous. I don’t think Murphy will be leader for long. The election will probably see him off if the polls are right.