The next elections
A senior activist in the local SNP was bending my ear recently about his despair about the performance of the MP and MSP.
What had prompted this was the comment of a well-connected and very community aware floating voter who had voted SNP in 2005 and 2007 and now had nothing but contempt for Mr MacNeil, feeling badly let down by the non-delivery of a number of promises, and his low profile. On asking around, the activist discovered just how widespread this feeling was, and he was also surprised at the awareness of the public about the failure of the MP and MSP to get involved with community representatives, preferring to float regally above the public.
Not that this activist wasn't aware of this, but he thought it was restricted knowledge, and when the scales were lifted off his eyes to the extent of this being in the public domain, well....."They just don't know how to be elected representatives", was his conclusion.
Which takes me to the Labour challengers for 2008 or 2009.
There are four runners, juggling for position at present.
1. Desperate for it. Too obviously.
2. Long time activist ready to move to the next level.
3. Prominent individual, playing a clever game.
4. Experienced politician, deciding whether to go public.
One of these is likely to face a major hurdle before he can get to the starting blocks, and I don't think he appreciates how difficult that might be; which will be a shame for him.
At least one of the others prefers to go for Holyrood, but might be persuaded to try Westminster.
Whoever it is, they will be using one simple slogan - which you will have seen before, but according to the SNP activist is proving devastatingly effective: "Tell me 5 things Angus MacNeil has done?"
Interesting times.....
What had prompted this was the comment of a well-connected and very community aware floating voter who had voted SNP in 2005 and 2007 and now had nothing but contempt for Mr MacNeil, feeling badly let down by the non-delivery of a number of promises, and his low profile. On asking around, the activist discovered just how widespread this feeling was, and he was also surprised at the awareness of the public about the failure of the MP and MSP to get involved with community representatives, preferring to float regally above the public.
Not that this activist wasn't aware of this, but he thought it was restricted knowledge, and when the scales were lifted off his eyes to the extent of this being in the public domain, well....."They just don't know how to be elected representatives", was his conclusion.
Which takes me to the Labour challengers for 2008 or 2009.
There are four runners, juggling for position at present.
1. Desperate for it. Too obviously.
2. Long time activist ready to move to the next level.
3. Prominent individual, playing a clever game.
4. Experienced politician, deciding whether to go public.
One of these is likely to face a major hurdle before he can get to the starting blocks, and I don't think he appreciates how difficult that might be; which will be a shame for him.
At least one of the others prefers to go for Holyrood, but might be persuaded to try Westminster.
Whoever it is, they will be using one simple slogan - which you will have seen before, but according to the SNP activist is proving devastatingly effective: "Tell me 5 things Angus MacNeil has done?"
Interesting times.....
8 comments:
nothing better to do on a miseable afternoon so would no 1 be a high profile councillor, no 2 employed either within health care or the travel industry, no 3 be a councillor promoted above his talent and number 4 an ex representative of the Islands?
Will there still be a Western Isles constituency come the next Westminster election or will we be represented by Charles Kennedy?
Nothing better to do on a miserable afternoon than moderate comments, and provide teasers :-)
2 out of 4 are very accurate, but the wrong way around :-))
They can always tell the electorate of his exploits in the Orknies and Shetlands. Remember there is no smoke without fire. (Oh by the way can someone tell me what the gaelic for fire is?)
There's a tiny clique telling them how wonderful they are, whilst it all goes to ratshit around them. What is Donald Manford and Annie MacDonald doing being a part of this disaster?
My money is on inside info - try an ex councillor with a name sake who was once British PM.
We've never had a PM called Angus Graham.
You are all way of the mark. For a start you have all gone for the wrong sex.
"Whoever it is, they will be using one simple slogan - which you will have seen before, but according to the SNP activist is proving devastatingly effective: 'Tell me 5 things Angus MacNeil has done?'"
That's funny, I thought the reason no-one answered this was because nobody takes it seriously. That must infuriate NuLabour and one or two (ex?) SNP 'activists'...
...and he was also surprised at the awareness of the public about the failure of the MP and MSP to get involved with community representatives, preferring to float regally above the public.
That's a cracker. You'll have conveniently forgotten, then, about the surprise of the public about the failure of the council to 'get involved' with the people they were supposed to represent, on a certain very large and contentious matter, i.e. the LWP wind factory.
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