Scunnered Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Heard some unsubstantiated talk that Boyack is Murphy's pal and has only put herself forward to help him out by splitting the MSP vote.... Murphy has pals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 That's why I said unsubstantiated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scunnered Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Just put a small lump on Findlay. The TU's can be blamed for Ed, but I think it could be them who keep Murphy oot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Did glamour girl Lamont not have substantial TU backing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlyscot Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Just put a small lump on Findlay. The TU's can be blamed for Ed, but I think it could be them who keep Murphy oot. The main problem for Murphy is he is never going to the left of the snp. That poses a huge conundrum for people/unions voting for him as he is the most robust candidate out of the 3. Do they choose him and watch the party commit electoral suicide or change direction and watch an incapable leader struggle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 The main problem for Murphy is he is never going to the left of the snp. That poses a huge conundrum for people/unions voting for him as he is the most robust candidate out of the 3. Do they choose him and watch the party commit electoral suicide or change direction and watch an incapable leader struggle? Indeed. All in all, happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Reading now that Murphy has supposedly said he intends to force some MSP to resign so he can contest a Holyrood by election on the same day as the UK general election in 2015. If so this is a genius idea, as the SNP will be marginalised by the media who will be talking only of Westminster and Cameron vs Milliband vs Farage. He'd have a much harder time trying to get in in 2016 when the media focus will be on Scotland, or in a by election at any other time. The question is, what happens to his Westminster seat? Surely the electorate wouldn't stand for him and Ken Macintosh, for example, doing a swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 The question is, what happens to his Westminster seat? Good chance it'll be returning to the Tories next year. Possibly the right time for him to bail out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Certainly a marked difference between the Herald and the Scotsman in the tone of the comments on this story.... http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/murphy-announces-leadership-candidacy.25736226 http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/scottish-labour-leadership-jim-murphy-to-run-1-3588225 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Good chance it'll be returning to the Tories next year. What a fecked up country we live in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Well we're talking about Newton Mearns here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan Blackheart Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 (edited) Murphy's only doing it because he reckons he'll do a better I.M. Jolly than Salmond. Edited October 30, 2014 by Duncan Blackheart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Good chance it'll be returning to the Tories next year. Possibly the right time for him to bail out... Nah, he's pretty safe here. The wankshaft is quite popular in Newton Mearns, Clarkston, Giffnock and Busby. He's safe, right wing Labour to many folks here, the Tory in a red rosette. The pensioners vote in particular is his private preserve. It shouldn't be forgotten that we also have Barrhead in our constituency which is solid Labour. If UKIP stand a candidate here in East Ren, they'd split the Tory vote as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotlad Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 The main problem for Murphy is he is never going to the left of the snp. That poses a huge conundrum for people/unions voting for him as he is the most robust candidate out of the 3. Do they choose him and watch the party commit electoral suicide or change direction and watch an incapable leader struggle? I think now that Sarwar has been jettisoned as deputy they will field a couple of left-wingers (or whatever passes for left-wing in Labour these days) as his potential replacement. That way the unions will feel there is someone in there protecting their interests, making them less reluctant to vote for the Blairite Murphy in the leadership contest. Or so Labour will hope anyway. To be honest, if Murphy gets it I don't think it will be a disaster for Labour. Far from it. For the first time in years Scottish Labour will have a capable leader. Not a great leader - and certainly not as good as he is being talked up as in some quarters - but a perfectly capable one. He'll have most of the MSM on his side, no doubt elevating him into some kind of hybrid of Keir Hardie, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa, and there will be plenty of sheeple out there who will buy it. The appointment of Murphy alone won't be enough to completely turn his party's fortunes around but it should stop the rot. For the time being anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld_Reekie Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I dont think Murphy will be quite the disaster people are expecting. He'll be a decent challenge for Nicola but he's got his work cut out coming across as anything other than an abrasive ph@nny in debates like FMQs. And the leaders role is about more than just being a figure head - he'll need to ensure his MSPs and MPs get on and he'll need to formulate distinctive policy - something Labour havent had for years. This is where he'll really struggle - instinctively I dont think he believes in devolution or allowing more powers to put the Union in danger. That puts him at odds with the majority in Scotland so he's got a huge job in front of him. Where Nicola will need to be on her toes is when it comes to using the powers we already have. I dont think the SNP have done anything radical in the last few years and Murphy will cause some damage if he can pursue some good policies with the powers we have or are getting. He's a right winger and hated by some in his own party so I think there's a good chance he'll be a disaster. But at some point, one of their leaders is going to have a good turn and stop the current SNP momentum. Important Nicola and the SNP up their game and really deliver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 instinctively I dont think he believes in devolution or allowing more powers to put the Union in danger. I don't think Jim Murphy believes in anything other than doing what is best for Jim Murphy. He's a truly reprehensible individual IMO. No amount of oratory skill and statesmanship will change how much of a scumbag he is, im sure the people of Scotland will, in the main, see through him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the lunger Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Is it true that he (Murphy) was at Strathclyde for nine years and didn't finish his degree ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Is it true that he (Murphy) was at Strathclyde for nine years and didn't finish his degree ? It was all Alex Salmond and the SNP's fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perthTam Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Is it true that he (Murphy) was at Strathclyde for nine years and didn't finish his degree ? If that is true then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilScotsman Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Is it true that he (Murphy) was at Strathclyde for nine years and didn't finish his degree ? Four years as sabbatical officer (2 years president of the Scottish NUS, 2 years president of NUS), so 5 years of studying. Didn't graduate though, you're right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotlad Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I don't think Jim Murphy believes in anything other than doing what is best for Jim Murphy. He's a truly reprehensible individual IMO. No amount of oratory skill and statesmanship will change how much of a scumbag he is, im sure the people of Scotland will, in the main, see through him. I'm not. After the referendum result I lost a lot of faith in the general Scottish public's ability to engage their little grey cells. Many people out there will be blissfully ignorant of Murphy's past, and, once the BBC, the Record, the Scotsman et al have transformed Skeletor into He-Man, there will be even less chance of the truth coming out. I agree with Auld Reekie though. I think Murphy will struggle when it comes to formulating actual policy, so if he gets the job I think Labour will try and play personality politics. A few Labour-types have already expressed delight at the fact that their opponents hate Murphy; perhaps because they think it mirrors their own bitter hatred of Salmond, which stemmed from the simple fact that he was so much better than anyone on their side. If so, then they are wrong. But it will be a shame for democracy if the debate in 2016 becomes mired in petty mud-slinging. Is it true that he (Murphy) was at Strathclyde for nine years and didn't finish his degree ? Jim Murphy - the Arnold Rimmer of Scottish politics! To be fair, he was too busy selling the Scottish NUS down the river to do any actual studying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Unison backing Neil Findlay:- http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-29862067 Murphy's not going to get it all his way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffer Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Unison, ASLEF and TSSP all backing Findlay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 How does the ballot work? Is it just a straight vote between the 3 of them, or transferable votes after one is eliminated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffer Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Its counted in whichever way is required for Murphy to win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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