 | 'Eric Joyce, Labour's candidate, has not asked Mr Canavan for his endorsement but said if it was offered 'it would be welcome'. Such a move would be highly unlikely given that Mr Canavan earlier denounced Mr Joyce as a 'Blairite
carpetbagger'.' Murray Ritchie in the Herald, 14 th December 2000 |  |
Three of the candidates had indicated they would welcome Mr Canavan's public blessing in the by-election to choose his successor at Westminster next week, but he has confirmed to The Herald that he has decided not to endorse anyone.
The news will disappoint the Scottish Socialists most. It is known that Tommy Sheridan, leader of the SSP, had been trying to persuade Mr Canavan, a fellow left-winger with whom he is on good personal terms, publicly to endorse his candidate, Iain Hunter, a local community worker.
Mr Canavan was invited recently to attend an SSP meeting on Sunday where Mr Sheridan will speak for Mr Hunter before travelling to Dumbarton to hand himself over to the police. He has chosen to go to prison for two weeks rather than pay a fine of £250 imposed for his part in an anti-Trident protest.
Mr Canavan has now decided not to attend the SSP meeting. Earlier he had indicated publicly he would size up all of the candidates before offering his opinion of them.
Eric Joyce, Labour's candidate, has not asked Mr Canavan for his endorsement but said if it was offered "it would be welcome". Such a move would be highly unlikely given that Mr Canavan earlier denounced Mr Joyce as a "Blairite carpetbagger".
The retiring MP is also thought to be riled by Mr Joyce's claim that when the voters returned Mr Canavan to Holyrood last year with the highest majority in Scotland they considered they were voting Labour.
The SNP assumed Mr Canavan was sympathetic to independence - he has publicly denied being a Unionist - but did not seek or expect his endorsement although they, too, would have welcomed it.
David Kerr, SNP candidate, and Mr Joyce continued the daily mud-slinging when Mr Kerr accused Mr Joyce of being a "Blairite clone" who blindly supported "London Labour's discredited Tory policies."
Mr Joyce taunted Mr Kerr about "ducking and diving" questions about how the SNP would tax Scotland to fund "divorce" from the rest of the UK.
-Dec 14th
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