CRAIG MURRAY BARRED BY SNP OVER BEDROOM TAX On 10 December 2014, The Scotsman newspaper reported that Craig Murray had been nominated by SNP members in the party’s branch in Airdrie and Shotts, whose seat is held by Labour’s Pamela Nash, to fight for the nationalists at the 2015 General Election. The report continued: Mr Murray, who campaigned for a Yes vote in the independence referendum, also controversially described No supporters as either evil, or quite extraordinarily thick. Mr Murray said: I’m in the vetting process at the moment, but it’s correct to say I’ve been nominated in Airdrie and Shotts. The SNP is expected to begin a formal selection process in the coming weeks, when other members will have the chance to seek selection as an SNP candidate in the seat, which Ms Nash took for Labour with a majority of 12,408 in 2010. Mr Murray is likely to face a challenge from SNP activist Tom Montgomery for the Airdrie and Shotts nomination. An SNP spokeswoman said: There are a number of nominations for the Airdrie and Shotts seat, and once nominations close, members in the area will be balloted to decide on their choice of candidate. Labour has called on SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon to prevent Mr Murray being selected as a candidate because of his remarks about No voters. However, he said he had also been approached about standing in other constituencies such as Falkirk – a key nationalist target where sitting MP Eric Joyce is standing down after being forced out of Labour following a conviction for assaulting Tory politicians in the Commons. On 27 December 2014, Craig Murray announced on Facebook: Terribly upset and depressed after being barred from the approved candidates register by the SNP hierarchy for lack of commitment to group discipline. I was asked at assessment whether, as part of a Westminster deal with another party, I would agree to vote for the bedroom tax if instructed by the Party. I replied No: end of SNP political career. Problem is, I really believed we were building a different kind of politics in Scotland. I had very, very strong support from ordinary members to be the candidate in Falkirk or in Airdrie, and had 17 requests to stand from other constituencies, several from branch meetings. Wonder what SNP new membership will think of this? My analysis is that those in the SNP who make a fat living out of it are terrified the energy of the Yes campaign may come to threaten their comfy position. I think there is an important debate here on how the 80% of the SNP who are new members can affect its existing gatekeeping structures. No new members were involved in deciding if I was a fit candidate, and the 1500 new members in each of Falkirk and Airdrie were denied any chance to vote for me. Please share this post. John Goss commented: Amazing. Electoral colleges are the bane of political parties today. It is the reason there is no difference between Labour and Tories. I never trusted the SNP. Alex Salmond has, like so many other Scots of power, said there will be no proper Lockerbie Inquiry. Speaks for itself. (https://wikispooks/wiki/Craig_Murray#Parliamentary_candidate)
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 13:13:02 +0000
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