 | 'Dennis Canavan has been a constant critic of party policy for a long time but the reason he failed to be selected for the candidates' panel was not because of that. It was simply because he was not good enough.' The Rt Hon Donald Dewar, Secretary of State for Scotland, 12 th November 1998. |  |
In an uncharacteristically rancorous attack, Mr Dewar said Mr Canavan had been rejected as a prospective MSP because "he was not good enough".
Risking inflaming the selection crisis, Mr Dewar took his chance at a dinner attended by the Prime Minister last night to argue there had been no case for special treatment for MPs wanting to become MSPs.
"Everyone else including myself went through the selection process. Inevitably some were disappointed but no-one else has taken a protest to this extreme.
"No-one else has gone into the huff and threatened to walk away from the Labour Party.
"Dennis Canavan has been a constant critic of party policy for a long time but the reason he failed to be selected for the candidates' panel was not because of that. It was simply because he was not good enough.
"He could not convince the impartial panel who applied consistent standards on all candidates that he should be selected."
Mr Dewar's attack surprised guests at the Scottish Labour Party gala dinner in Glasgow. The atmosphere changed from being light-hearted to ice-cold as the Scottish Secretary launched into his verbal assault, the strength of which stunned some "old Labour" figures and some other MPs who have been excluded from selection.
A Labour insider suggested privately last night that Mr Canavan "gave one of the worst interviews of the 600 people who went through the process". - Nov 13.
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