 | 'This is the biggest huff in history. Politics is littered with people who believed they were bigger than their party.' A scathing attack on Dennis Canavan by Scottish New Labour's general secretary Alex Rowley, 11 th November 1998. |  |
| 'This is the biggest huff in history. Politics is littered with people who believed they were bigger than their party.' A scathing attack on Dennis Canavan by Scottish New Labour's general secretary Alex Rowley, 11 th November 1998. | |
Expulsion from the party is guaranteed, sooner rather than later, but with some local party officials poised to support him, Mr Canavan could become a volatile candidate, and a split Labour vote could deliver the seat to the SNP.
But he told The Herald last night he was "fighting to win," against whoever is put in place by the party centrally, and accused the party hierarchy of "Stalinism" in trying to exert central control and deny the right of parties locally to pick their own standard-bearers.
The Prime Minister yesterday made it clear Mr Canavan was heading for political oblivion and robustly defended the selection process for the Scottish parliamentary candidates.
Mr Blair, who is in Scotland today to begin a two-day visit, refused to be sidetracked by Mr Canavan's declared intention to stand as an independent.
Although it is understood that the Prime Minister was not totally enthralled by the selection process - particularly MPs sitting on judgment on one another - he dismissed the suggestion that the rules could be changed to suit Mr Canavan.
The MP's final discussions with his local party, where 11 officials recently resigned en masse in protest at his exclusion from the list of eligible Holyrood candidates, were said to be emotional.
He described his letter announcing he was prepared to stand against an official Labour candidate as "the most difficult letter I have written in my political career". But controversially, the letter included a tear-off slip inviting supporters to join him in his stance.
However, former constituency chairwoman Kate Arnott indicated yesterday that although she had resigned in support of Mr Canavan, she wanted to continue to fight for her beliefs within the Labour Party and would not be risking certain expulsion by supporting him publicly.
The credibility and force of Mr Canavan's campaign will depend on how many of the 11 go with him.
Mr Canavan spoke to The Herald yesterday about his grandfather Frank Canavan, a councillor in Fife in the 1920s who was a life-long trade union activist. "He must be turning in his grave when he sees these control freaks running the Labour Party these days."
The party moved quickly to marginalise Mr Canavan yesterday, suggesting that the swiftest possible moves were under way to expel him.
At the Commons, some colleagues privately supported him but, from the Prime Minister's office down to the Scottish general secretary in Glasgow, the official advice and warnings were the same: "Get real. No-one is bigger than the party. You are taking the huff."
Scottish New Labour's general secretary Alex Rowley was scathing about Mr Canavan last night, saying: "This is the biggest huff in history. Politics is littered with people who believed they were bigger than their party. This was not any kind of witch-hunt."
There was reportedly considerable sympathy among many fellow back benchers at Westminster for Mr Canavan's plight, if not his drastic action, but colleague Ian Davidson, who was also excluded from the lists of eligible candidates, expressed hope that an accommodation might yet be found.
"Even at this stage I hope the Labour Party will repent, recognise that an injustice has been done and accept Dennis as candidate. Many are concerned about the centralising tendencies that seem to be increasingly prevalent."
The SNP seized on the row, with chief executive Michael Russell claiming it showed a "deep and serious split within Labour ranks".
Scottish Liberal Democratic leader Jim Wallace claimed it was a sad reflection that Scottish New Labour could not find a place in its Holyrood ranks for a "man of principle, conviction and such long-term commitment to the creation of a Scottish Parliament".
The Scottish Socialist Party challenged the other parties to field no opponent to Mr Canavan in the elections to allow the people of West Falkirk to "recognise his dignity and principles". - Nov 12
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