 | 'He's a parliamentary operator of great experience, but he seems to have lost the plot. I wouldn't mind betting that he sometimes goes home at night wondering why he gave up his position at Westminster.' George Galloway MP (Labour, Glasgow Kelvin) on the First Minister, Donald Dewar MP MSP (Labour, Glasgow Anniesland), 4 th March 2000. |  |
The Secretary of State made his plea for unity as party chiefs face possible defeat a week on Thursday in the mid-term Holyrood by-election in Ayr, a seat Labour holds with its slimmest Scottish majority of just 25.
The governing party is hoping to keep the seat, but pundits suggest they are fighting hard to avoid the embarrassment of coming third behind the SNP and the Tories.
Dr Reid's call also follows yesterday's poll in The Herald, which showed Labour just one percentage point ahead of the Scottish Nationalists with 10 days to go before the Ayrshire ballot.
Over the last few days, Scottish MPs at Westminster have expressed criticism of Mr Dewar's leadership, which party chiefs believe will do nothing to enhance Labour's chances in Ayr.
Last week, Ian Davidson, MP for Glasgow Pollok, doubted Mr Dewar's ability to control members of the Scottish Executive and likened his leadership to "the worst days of John Major's". On Sunday, George Galloway, MP for Glasgow Kelvin, called on the First Minister to step aside, insisting he had "lost the plot".
But last night, Dr Reid hit back, insisting it was vital the party concentrate its efforts on supporting Labour's candidate for Ayr, Rita Miller, and getting across the positive story about what a Labour Government was doing to reduce unemployment and poverty and the help it was giving to working families and pensioners.
Significantly and without naming names, the Secretary of State added: "Disunity and division merely plays into the hands of those who seek to do down Labour's achievements in Scotland. While people are entitled to their views, individuals must remember that only a united party can ask for the support of the electorate."
7 th March 2000
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