 | 'Anniesland itself is part of
Glasgow where Labour won less than half of the vote in the last council
elections but took about 95% of the seats, a result opposition parties
condemned as an "affront to democracy.' Murray Ritchie in the Herald, 15 th November 2000. |  |
Left-winger Bill Butler, fighting the Holyrood contest, said he would resist calls for electoral reform in local government despite clear indications this week that the First Minister is putting his personal weight behind scrapping the existing voting system in favour of proportional representation.
And Mr John Robertson, fighting the Westminster seat, pointedly declined to endorse Mr Blair's support for privatisation of air traffic control as last night's rebellion by Labour back benchers in the Commons was taking place. Mr Robertson said he would decide later how to vote only on the basis of how privatisation affected safety.
Part of Anniesland lies below the flight-path to Glasgow Airport and many air traffic controllers are thought to live locally. Anniesland itself is part of Glasgow where Labour won less than half of the vote in the last council elections but took about 95% of the seats, a result opposition parties condemned as an "affront to democracy".
Liberal Democrats set the ball rolling by attacking Mr Butler as a dinosaur who supported the "one-party state" of Glasgow. Holyrood candidate Judith Fryer said 74 of Glasgow's 79 councillors were Labour but fewer than half of Glasgow's voters had backed them. Calling for electoral reform, Ms Fryer said: "The present system is undemocratic. It damages the reputation of politics and of councils like Glasgow which does not have the slightest pretence of accountability to the people."
Insisting that if a PR voting system was good enough for the Scottish Parliament it should be good enough for Glasgow, she said: "It is therefore a pity that Dinosaur Bill does not support the introduction of electoral reform into local government."
As he visited a Yoker community centre, Mr Butler maintained his stand on PR. "My position is on the record," he told The Herald. "I am for retaining first-past-the-post voting in local government." And he called for a discussion on the issue in the Labour Party and across the Labour movement.
He dismissed Mr McLeish's heavy hints that Labour should endorse PR for local elections as a call for discussion and not necessary for reform.
The SNP also waded into Labour on both issues. Mr Tom Chalmers, Nationalist challenger for Holyrood, condemned Labour's low-profile campaign and accused Mr Butler of dodging voters and public debate. "I am challenging Bill Butler to outline his policies on PR. Is he, like so many Labour dinosaurs, opposed to democratic change?"
Mr Grant Thoms, SNP challenger for Westminster, said: "I want to know if he will battle the Government's proposals to privatise air traffic control or back the Labour rebels. The SNP vigorously oppose privatisation of the service"
Asked if he would vote for the privatisation of air traffic control, Mr Robertson said the safety of the people of Anniesland was of paramount importance. "I have still to hear all the arguments. I am very open on this at the moment."
Scottish Socialist candidates Rosie Kane (Holyrood) and Mr Charlie McCarthy (Westminster) claimed their party was forcing a review by the Scottish Parliament of the council tax. They claimed voters in Anniesland, where almost half the housing is municipal, could benefit from their campaign scrap council tax and replaced it with a local income tax.
Tory Westminster candidate Dorothy Luckhurst accused Labour of abandoning the voluntary sector. "New Labour promised the voluntary sector and community health projects more funding. The reality is that the voluntary sector is still struggling. "
- Nov 16
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