Dear
Sir/ Madam,
I
write this letter with a heavy heart. I also write this on a day which is
extremely important for the future of Scotland i.e. the first day of the debate
in the Scottish Parliament on whether to have another Scottish Independence
Referendum or not. And I am writing it despite thinking that Nicola Sturgeon
has been superb regarding the UK Brexit vote since it occurred.
I
first joined the SNP in 1992 having been independence leaning since 1979 after
the referendum on a Scottish Assembly (Scotland voted for it but didn’t get
it). I have nearly always voted SNP and I strongly believe the right thing is
for Scotland to be an independent country as this is the natural state for a
nation. I have been a member of a number of branches as work and life took me
around Scotland. The best was Edinburgh Central SNP which was then led by Fiona
Hyslop who was superb, when I was a Dalry Shandon sub branch member in the mid
1990s. Being in the SNP and the wider independence movement was always a
positive experience. We discussed politics and felt energised by each meeting
even if we disagreed with one another and we could freely do so.
That
is until I joined the Glasgow Provan branch where the independence and self
determination for Scotland is rarely if ever discussed. It seems to be mostly
about procedure, point scoring, and personal agendas/ careers. I am struggling
to remember a meeting that I have not left feeling diminished, disappointed or
angry to the point I now don’t go.
I
know of members enthused by the indyref leaving in disgust after only a single
meeting and I want to reach out and say that the SNP is not this, that this is
not representative. But when that is their only experience of party politics
then what can you say? I also know of
longer term members who do not now go to meetings for the same reason. That is
because this branch is run by a cabal of careerists centred on the MP Anne
McLaughlin.
‘One of the chief
complaints of a political party that operates through nepotism/cronyism is the
patent lack of fairness. Perceived favouritism of a relative or best friend can
cause dissatisfaction among activists and lower morale. Political parties may
have less incentive to perform their responsibilities diligently and
proficiently if they feel that the path to success is undermined by
nepotism/cronyism. Indeed, a party applying such tactics may find its more
valuable activists seeking new paths away from politics where their talent is
better recognized. At a minimum, party members and activists will likely
complain and become embittered and less productive in the face of blatant
nepotism.’
This
is a complaint that was until recently rightly aimed at the Labour Party. When
I originally joined the SNP this was not a problem because it had no power
whatsoever, and I honestly thought, somewhat naively as it has turned out that
the SNP was better than that. I would never have believed that within a short
time of the independence referendum when the SNP expanded so much that this
would so soon become an accusation that could be justly aimed at certain
branches of the SNP one of those being Provan. The MP and MSP have safely
installed their friend’s and acolytes in paid or elected positions.
A
group of us in the Provan branch have tried on numerous occasions to raise
issues at branch level. We were ignored, shouted down, insulted, bullied, harassed,
threatened, even sworn at by the MSP; and, even if the comments were actually
discussed, the way that they were discussed was never mentioned in the
resulting minutes. This means it is pointless going to meetings as I have no
confidence whatsoever that what is said, and what I say, will be recorded
correctly in a fair and impartial matter. If a vote is taken I have no
confidence that the true result will be arrived at, or indeed recorded
correctly if it is.
After
the joke of our branch AGM late last year which embedded the cabal in with no
real possibility of achieving anything further in branch, we wrote to HQ as a
group in November. To date we have not even had
the courtesy of a reply.
And
then last weekend I discovered to my dismay that a long serving SNP councillor
who has consistently and ably worked on his community’s behalf has been
de-selected. Why? There were 2 SNP candidates selected in his ward but both
were male. HQ decided to impose a woman resulting in an election between the 2
men. Needless to say the person selected with 1 vote difference was one of Anne
McLaughlin’s cabal who has no experience at all, and the person with the long
standing experience was discarded.
These
things were the final straws, as it indicates clearly that HQ is clearly not
interested at all in investigating allegations and looking after its own
members, or indeed in rewarding people for their efforts. If that is way the
party is run, then by expansion it does not bode well for the SNP running an
independent Scotland or indeed for the party’s long term running of Scotland
whilst still in the failing UK. It is not what you know, whether you have done
a good job, if you have the experience but just WHO you know and who your
friends are.
Given
my long standing membership and my staunch believe in self determination for
Scotland I do not resign from the party lightly.
I
hope by airing the issues mentioned above that this will in some way start to
resolve the problem. The actions of the ruling elite in this branch have led me
to feel ashamed of being in the party. However given that a letter from a
larger number of activists has led to no response I don’t suppose you will
really care.
This
resignation comes despite my strong belief in Scottish independence and my long
standing activism, even if this activism is severely limited at present by my
own life circumstances. I shall continue to fight for independence outside the
party as I can’t morally remain a part of it due to the issues highlighted
above.
Due
to the above I will not be voting SNP, not even lower down in my preferences,
in the forthcoming local elections as I know the people selected by the Glasgow
Provan cabal for my council ward are sub-standard or do not have any experience
and have only been in the party for 5 minutes, and therefore have no right to
be councillors. I shall be voting Green as my first preference as I know the
person standing and she was an active Yes campaigner during the independence
referendum and therefore actually deserves it.
After 25 years the response was swift but disappointing. Indeed it included a grammatical error which just shows how much they care...
