Jim Murphy does a ‘reverse Farage’, quits as Scottish Labour leader

[claig]

"Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has said that he is stepping down as leader of Scottish Labour, and will have left within a month.

The announcement came as a surprise, as it followed Murphy surviving a vote of no confidence at a national executive meeting in Glasgow.

The party now has to accept his resignation. This would normally be a given, but considering this week’s events, who knows what may happen."

metro.co.uk/2015/05/16/jim-murphy-does-a-reverse-farage-quits-as-scottish-labour-leader-5200692

It did seem a bit ridiculous him trying to cling on. But Scottish labours problems didn't start or end with their leader.

You are right, they have got huge problems and I don't think they have got anyone capable of sorting them out. But Jim Murphy going is at least a start.

No, but they were exacerbated by the fact that he was parachuted in from London and didn't have a seat in the SP, and by the fact that he was so condescending towards the electorate. And he lost any credibility when his expenses and house flipping was revealed. The big question is who can replace him and improve things?

My personal opinion (I'm an ex Labour Party member, now an SNP member, for transparency!) is that it needs to separate totally from the Labour Party, the way the Scottish Greens have from the Green Party, and start again. So many paty members are against Trident etc, that the leadership no longer represents the members.

That's true, Tiggy. The general consensus is that they lost badly in England be audr they were too left wing, and they lost badly in Scotland because they weren't left wing enough. So I don't see any other solution than a completely split party, and a coalition between two labour parties might be a price worth paying.

Excuse my typos. I am literate - honest!

I too think there needs to be a proper separate Scottish labour. Very broadly speaking I think Scots prefer old labour to new labour.

Scotland is crying out for a viable slightly leftish party so they dont have to vote SNP all the time and risk independence

Jim Murphy was a twat though, and I think a lot of the losses in Scotland are down to him.

Yes, Scotland and England want and need very different labour parties.

Apparently in the Labour – Scotland marriage, there was a third person, one who in London, ‘no one dare speak his name’.

“Resigning Murphy Declares War On Union Boss”

”Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy issues a savage attack on union boss Len McCluskey as he announces his resignation.”
news.sky.com/story/1485277/resigning-murphy-declares-war-on-union-boss

”Mr Murphy said he had been forced to announce he would be stepping down after being at the "centre of a campaign" by the London leaders of the Unite union and its general secretary, Mr McCluskey.”

"One of the things about standing down is that you can say things in public that so many people in the Labour Party only say in private. So whether it's in Scotland, or the contest to come across the UK we cannot have our leaders selected or deselected by the grudges and grievances of one prominent man.”

”He added: "Len McCluskey and the Unite leadership are the type of people who could pick the wrong winner in a one-horse race."