"People just don’t want to vote Labour"

A report from inside the Labour campaign in Glasgow East by the Sunday Times has exposed the chaos and disaffection in Labour’s campaign.

A senior member of the Labour party in Glasgow, Martin Rhodes Secretary of Glasgow North CLP who is described as one of the campaign organisers admitted the result will be “scarily close”, that “people just don’t want to vote Labour" and that Gordon Brown’s leadership has been “disappointing”. In the report Margaret Curran said she has not read the letters being sent on her behalf and ex-MSP Christine May describes Curran as a “scary woman”.

SNP Business Manager and Westminster leader Angus Robertson MP said;

“With activists downhearted, disappointment in the Prime Minister and the candidate described as a “scary woman” by one of her former colleagues Labour’s campaign is clearly in chaos.

“From having no candidate to having no clue Labour’s campaign is descending into farce.

“Senior party members in Glasgow being so openly dismissive of Gordon Brown’s premiership will not encourage any of Labour’s few remaining voters to turn out for them this week.

“Why should the voters of Glasgow East support a Prime Minister who can’t get the support of his own party?

“Why should voters in Glasgow East support a candidate who can’t even be bothered to read the letters she is sending out?

“With the opinion polls showing the SNP’s vote has doubled and people across the constituency calling for action on rising energy costs, rising fuel prices and unfair taxation the Labour party has every reason to be worried.

“The contrast between the SNP Government in Scotland delivering lower prescription charges, cuts in business rates, police on the beat and a freeze in the council tax and Gordon Brown’s government of increased taxes, high fuel costs and energy inaction could not be clearer.

“Labour has got one thing right in this by-election, Thursday’s result will scare the Labour party. The SNP is working hard to win Thursday’s election and to send a message from Glasgow East to Gordon Brown that enough is enough.”

ENDS

The Sunday Times report can be found here.

1. Martin Rhodes is Secretary of Glasgow North Constituency Labour Party.

“Martin Rhodes, one of the campaign organisers, was predicting that the result would be “scarily close”.

He added: “Gordon [Brown’s] leadership has been disappointing — they should have had an election straight after he got into power. There is a strong anti-Labour vote which we saw form in the general election. It’s not that the SNP are strong, it’s that people just don’t want to vote Labour.”

2. Reporting a conversation with Labour’s candidate over the quality of a letter the reporter states “She replied: “Somebody said, ‘Oh Margaret, I got your letter, thanks very much, it was brilliant.’ I don’t know what the letter says, but I’m sure it’s very good.”

3. “She can also be difficult to get along with, as Christine May, the former Labour MSP attested: “She’s nice, just don’t get on her wrong side. Scary woman.”