The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


12 eggs, 1 basket

Posted on December 17, 2014 by

An alert reader pointed us to the Labour “situations vacant” page:

slabjob

Let’s do the sums on that.

We’ll assume the latter roles (“until one month after the next General Election”) are going to last for five months by the time the positions are filled. That means we have to divide the salaries by 5/12. So the total expenditure will be:

1 x General Secretary @ £54,016.30 + £2,249 = £56,265.30

1 x Trainee Organiser @ (22,547.61)*5/12 + £971 = £10,365.84

10 x Campaign Assistant @ (17,580.20)*5/12 + £358 = £76,830.84

GRAND TOTAL: £143,461.98

Scottish Labour’s total revenue from membership fees and fundraising in 2013 was £165,864. (The “party”, or Accounting Unit to give it its accurate Electoral Commission designation, posted a loss of £20,562 for the full year, and that was after a massive bailout of almost £300,000 from the UK party coffers.)

Which means Scottish Labour is basically spending every penny it raised in a whole year on a General Secretary and an office full of five-month temps. We’d expect things to be pretty quiet from June onwards if we were you, folks.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

131 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Calum Craig

The Campaign Assistant roles are pro rata so presumably won’t actually be paid the full 17k depending on how many hours they actually work.

But still…

gillie

Does that mean Jim Murphy will have to cap in hand to Ed Miliband?

“Please, sir, I want some more”.

bookie from hell

Scots have the highest level of council tax arrears and payday loan debts in the UK, according to debt charity figures.

StepChange said 39% of Scots who appealed for help in the first six months of the year were in arrears on their council tax bill.

Those who had fallen behind with payments owed an average of £1,534 – almost double the UK figure of £798.

The average payday loan debt of Scottish clients was £1,438, around £129 more than the UK figure.

The charity advised 4,369 people in Scotland in the six months to June.

In its report, Scotland in the Red, StepChange also highlighted the increasing number of people falling behind on essential household bills.

The charity’s Scottish clients had the largest average electricity arrears (£616) in the UK.

independiente

Is that the Scottish Labour Party or the Labour Party in Scotland …

I’m confused; sounds like the politics from the Life of Brian.

Bob Sinclair

Looks like the Scottish Labour Party are too wee, too poor & too stupid.

Seasick Dave

They might not get that many applicants.

Doug Daniel

Remember that the General Secretary will actually be paid through the UK party, hence why they’re able to sack them. Not only does this highlight that Labour in Scotland quite simply is a branch office (rather than simply being run “like” one), but with SNP branches averaging around 1,000 members now, there must be a few that will generate almost as much membership and fundraising revenues as the entire of Scottish Labour.

Caroline Corfield

These figures are a symptom of the cognitive dissonance that plagues the Red Tories. They simply can’t acknowledge to themselves the predicament they’re in, so they continue to believe their own lies. This might have moved their ‘mental’ state into something slightly more serious, paranoid delusions of grandeur.

It has been the downfall of many powerful groups of people through the ages. For us this is more evidence of a ‘good thing’ for the pro-independence movement.

Gary

Just proves what we already knew; Labour is no longer a party of its members. Money comes from big business into “think tanks” and “policy units” who pay for the admin of the party thus avoiding the rules on donations and lobbying. The members needs are ignored..

Valerie

@Bob Sinclair, you win!

nae red tories

I’m sorry, but it’s difficult to take this seriously with such skewed figures……

You use income from 2013 and, as such, don’t take into account the number of members who left the party over them climbing into bed with the tories in the referendum. 😀

Grizzle McPuss

Is there small print at the bottom of the advert that states…”Bring your own pencil” ?

David Doherty

If you add national insurance, pension contributions and so on it is probably more than last year’s total revenue. Labour have an advantage with lots of ‘research money’ as they have so many elected MP’s, whereas the SNP/Greens will not have much state funding at all.

The system is rigged to favour the big parties who are already elected.

Marco McGinty

Let’s hope that this time round, instead of going to England for their printing needs, the General Secretary can actually find a Scottish printer to produce their campaigning materials.

link to flickr.com

Cookie

one of the temps is a “trainee organiser”.who recruits a trainee for a short term fixed contract ?
Not much training for the trainee then. Or are they being trained to go back on dole?

Devorgilla

The Telegraph was reporting Murphy’s big talk after his election, on how he was going to re-write Clause Four and not take any orders from Miliband. But how on earth is he going to do that when the Scottish party doesn’t even wash its face?

MekQuarrie

Short money..?

So it’s quite obvious that SLab is too wee and too poor to be independent of their London masters.

And yet Jimmy still reckons he wont dance to Millibands tune.

Roll_On_2014

How’s this for spin:

The Scottish Labour leader (Jim Murphy) says he will be working out of the Scottish Parliament despite not being an MSP.

At the foot of the article it says:

A Scottish Parliament spokesman confirmed Mr Murphy had been given a regular visitor’s pass, but said he had not been allocated his own office.

So it appears oor Jim is working out of a cupboard. What universe does he live in… a parallel one apparently!

handclapping

Wowee, I knew they were short of boots on the ground but if they are having to pay people to put up a show … just wow!

Which will be the lucky 10? Is it to be Glasgow NE, Kirkcaldy, Coatbridge etc. to prevent a wipe out or Stirling, Ayr, Falkirk etc. to reduce the SNP inroads?

[…] 12 eggs, 1 basket […]

drawdeaddave

They could fund the Scottish branch through Mr Murphy’s expenses claims as a WM MP, maybe have a whip round among the other Labour troughers at WM like Maggie “we voted against fracking” Curran, i know that’s just silly as they would never put their hands in their own pockets when they can dip ours…

Scot Finlayson

I thought Murphy said the Labour party in Scotland had 20,000 members and they paid £40 each which would mean £800,000 ,plenty money ,they could even afford to pay Brown for a couple of speeches or Darling for maybe 10 speeches.
Although once they get Murphys bill for expenses they will need to keep a large chunk of the money.

abystander

Who are these contractsof employment with?

The Scottish Labour Party ( is theresuch an entity?) or

The Labour Party?

If the latter Jim Murphy cannot hire or fire these people.

allan thomson

Not much left for the rent and energy bills! HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER CALLS THE TUNE?

joe kane

Get Jingo Jim, anti-nationalist patriot and Campaigner of the Year, to go on a 100 crate tour to rattle the tin for his beloved Scottish patriot party. I’d hate to think his irrational Unionist blather was being subsidised by non-patriots.

If Jingo almost single-handedly saved the Union and is now going to make Scotland the fairest country history has ever known, surely making his own Scottish red tories financially self-sufficient and solvent ought to be a skoosh?

Scot Finlayson

@Roll_On_2014
Remember Murphy spent some of his youth living in a drawer, according to his master McTernan,so maybe he would find the thought of working out of a cupboard or any furniture weirdly enjoyable.

Juteman

Bought and sold for English gold.
Again and again and again.

alexicon

@cynicalhighlander.

Murphy has said that he’ll listen and do what the Scottish people want.
Now wouldn’t it be good if someone phoned him on this show and asked him if he’ll be pushing for FFA considering the fact that opinion polls have consistently shown that over 2/3 of the Scottish people want FFA.
I bet he wriggle out of it.

Onwards

Gordon will have some time to sook up to Harry Potter for another hand-out.
Apparently JK Rowling wanted devo-max, but some vague promises of federalism should do the trick.

donald anderson

I’ll take the job – providing they agree to a Scottish Socialist Republic.

John

‘”Extensive knowledge of the Scottish political landscape and the Labour Party in Scotland….”

Who do we know who could tick all those boxes?

Not sure if they’ll offer you a relocation package from Bath though?

Bob Sinclair

It would be an awful shame if their mail room got swamped with thousands of applications. Just saying.

Embradon

Wonder how UKLAB are doing for funding. Can’t imagine anyone seeing them as an investment.
Their credit and o/d at the Co-op bank must be tricky too.

Marco McGinty

@cynicalHighlander
“Jim Murpy will be answering your questions on air at 11.00am this Sunday!”

No he won’t! He’ll conveniently sidestep all questions, whilst gibbering on about being a patriotic Scot, along with talk of his dislike for the nationalists, and much anti-SNP/anti-independence propaganda.

Expect many lies!

Skip_NC

Bob Sinclair, what a wicked thought! Now where’s that old copy of my resume (as we call it here stateside).

Jim Thomson

@Embradon they may have moved their debt already. This from about 6 months ago …

link to bbc.co.uk

think again

Must be having a senior moment. I looked at electoral commission yesterday and found the Scottish Labour Party accounts. Having cheched earlier it said down for planned maintenance and more recently it is back up.

But I can

[…] 12 eggs, 1 basket […]

Callum

Bookie from hell:

not sure where you got your figures from, but this is a handy tool for figuring out household secured and unsecured debt: link to stepchange.org

If you cick on “unsecured debt” (which is the very worst kind) you’ll find that Scotland is middling of all areas of the survey.

If you click on “Surplus Deficit and all age ranges” you’ll see that it is the south east of England that lives outside it’s means. How the irony given that the area also lives outside of it’s means by being subsidised by the rest of the UK.

think again

Checked Electoral Commission website yesterday and found Scottish Labour Accounts.

Looked again today – down for planned maintenance – back up now but can`t find the Scottish Labour Party at all.

Senior moment?? can anyone else find them please?

link to electoralcommission.org.uk

AnneDon

At least we know North British Labour don’t have to spend their budget on advertising.

Pacific Quay handle all that for them – for free.

joe kane

Scottish donations for Scottish parties!

Jim Graham

I tweeted weeks ago suggesting that this initiative would be supported like the Better Together campaign, i.e. by rich Tories. I was not joking then and I’m not joking now.

Marco McGinty

@abystander
“Who are these contracts of employment with? The Scottish Labour Party (is there such an entity?) or The Labour Party?”

Considering the applications should be submitted to a Labour Party email address (and not a Scottish Labour Party address), I think we can safely assume that it will be the Labour Party.

Indeed, I do not believe there is such a thing as a Scottish Labour email address. If you want to contact Scottish Labour by email, the address is of the dominant UK Labour Party (scotland@labour.org.uk), so it would appear that Scottish Labour cannot even be trusted with their own email system!

Scottish Labour, under total control from England!

ronnie anderson

O/T sos Stu. John Bercow MP ( speaker ) on a point of order 2.30 app, gave the british public a new description of a MP in calling the MP for Birmingham (yardley) a DISTINGUISHED ORNAMENT.He must have been made in the Potteries.

Carfull now how we handle Murph he,s Fragile

link to youtube.com

the auld wans ur the best.

De Valera

Labour’s Scottish branch has become like Woolworths in its declining years, hardly anyone uses it, but it seems to give some people reassurance that a name from their childhood is still there.

Devorgilla

Wasn’t the reason Johann Lamont resigned because London Labour sacked her General Secretary in Scotland? Won’t it be London who hires? And why would Milband hire somebody Jim might favour if Jim is plotting against him, undermining his authority by saying he won’t be taking any orders from Miliband?

robertknight

“The successful candidate will have extensive experience of dissembling, sucking up to party cronies in the mainstream media, forelock tugging in the presence of anyone with a home-counties accent and a cheque book, and substantive experience of bowing whilst walking backwards when exiting a room; in the unlikely event that they be summoned to appear in person at One Brewer’s Green.”

Sound like anybody we know?

Sonas

London hires, Scotland pays. Sounds familiar.

Maybe they have huge endowments to live off???

cynicalHighlander

@alexicon
@Marco McGinty

One has the right to reply to his answer there and then as Ally is fair and takes no sides, just be polite.

cynicalHighlander

@alexicon
@Marco McGinty

One has the right to reply to his answer there and then as Ally is fair and takes no sides, just be polite.

CameronB Brodie

This might make you smile, despite the naz…nast…nationalist, divisive, separatist slurs and the myopia towards Scotland’s natural wealth. You should perhaps ignore the fact that the author appears ignorant of the fact the Britain is not a country and the delusion that the UK’s economy is in any way healthy. Yawn.

P.S. Neo-cons want to shrink the state, in terms of it’s financial responsibility, whilst concentrating and entrenching power in the center (i.e. Warminster).

link to economist.com

You can almost smell the Establishment’s fear of the unknown, as their center of gravity shift uncomfortably, and they face the precipice before them. Next step oblivion. 🙂

drawdeaddave

Bob Sinclair says:
17 December, 2014 at 1:31 pm
It would be an awful shame if their mail room got swamped with thousands of applications. Just saying.

I like the cut of your jib Bob.

Rolf

Yes, but having the BBC Scotland branch and all newspapers (bar one) to promote your message is priceless.

Sinky

Note that applications are sent to London Labour HQ and London HQ will be paying for these jobs. Labour in Scotland the perpetual subsidy junkies.

Jim Thomson

@think again 1:44pm

Link to main page about party accounts:
link to electoralcommission.org.uk

or, you can go onto this page and filter your search for individual parties:
link to pefonline.electoralcommission.org.uk

The latest filed accounts I can find are for 2011.

richardcain2

I’m intrigued as to what a “calendar week” is…..
Is that different from another kind of week? The 8-day variety that the Beatles sang of perhaps?

Jim Thomson

O/T

The National are seeking opinions via SurveyMonkey here:

link to surveymonkey.com

wingman 2020

@Bob Sinclair

I fancy my chances

Maxx Macc

SLAB are spending all their money on three salaries. Nicola Sturgeon has just spent all the SNP money on a pointless ego boosting tour. We must keep our eyes open to what is happening in the SNP as it is too important not to.

CameronB Brodie

@ Bagehot (Economist Britnat)
Here’s an academic voice from England. 😉

link to salterlee.wordpress.com

Wullie

I think the people of England should be told that Scotch labour junkies are sponging off them yet again.

Dr Ew

If Jim Murphy is indeed going to be “answering questions live on Clyde 2” this Sunday at 11am, can we use Wings to a battery of “alert” callers? Much as I enjoy the jokes and banter of the comments section, we have an opportunity to put this ("Quizmaster" - Ed) of neo-cons behind the 8-ball.

Can I suggest we have a range of well-researched questions ready? Here’s a few suggestions for starters:
1) You said you would raise £250m by raising the top rate of income tax to 50% for the 16,000 Scots earning more than £150k (these are all figures he quoted). That works out at an average of £15,626 per high rate taxpayer – assuming none of them change their residency or tax arrangements to avoid paying. Given the Labour Party in 2010 only expected to raise £100-£150m from a similar tax hike across the WHOLE of the UK, how do you expect you can raise £250m from such a small tax base?

2) Assuming the Smith Commission recommendations are implemented, will this additional revenue raised via your proposed income tax hike not simply trigger a corresponding downward adjustment in the Scottish block grant via the Barnett Formula? In which case, wouldn’t those 16,000 Scottish residents be paying substantially more tax for no additional benefit to Scottish revenues?

3) You claimed last week there were 20,000 members of the Labour Party in Scotland – between 6 and 7,000 more than had previously been claimed. Can you confirm these are 20,000 individual paid-up members with full voting rights, and not counting (or double-counting) people who pay the trade union political levy or counting people who are members of affliated Labour Social Clubs?

4) Are you willing to allow independent verifcation of Scottish Labour’s membership (if he responds “Why?” the comeback would be “Because there are serious concerns you have deliberately misled the public and your own party over the number of members).

5) How many individuals voted in the one member, one vote college of your recent leadership election? Why only publish percentages? Are you ashamed of the actual numbers?

6) You also asserted people could join the SNP for as little as £1 but that it cost £40 to join Labour. That’s not true, is it Mr Murphy?

7) The SNP has at least 95,000 individual members, the Scottish Greens at least 8,000 individual members and the Scottish Socialist Party at least 3,000 individual members. How many individual members does Scottish Labour have?

8) How did you manage to attend university for nine years on a full grant without graduating? What were you doing all that time? Why didn’t you graduate?

9) Was it this experience that prompted you to lead a purge against NUS members who objected to Labour’s support for abolishing the grant system?

10) What prompted you to join the right-wing think-tank / lobby group the Henry Jackson Society? What aims do you share with neo-cons like Richard Perle and Douglas Murray?

11) Do you agree Tony Blair misled Parliament and the public when he cited a British Intelligence dossier saying Saddam Hussein had WMD capability that could be launched against British targets within 45 minutes?

12) Do you support calls for Police Scotland to conduct a full investigation into claims rendition flights of tortured prisoners were permitted to land at Scottish airports?

13) If it is found that rendition flights were permitted with complicity of Scottish or UK government ministers or officials, do you agree this is a breach of Scots, British, European and International laws and treaties? If so, should those who were party to those decisions be charged?

14) Were you party to any of those decisions, Mr Murphy? Were you aware of any individuals who were? Would you testify to that in a court of law, Mr Murphy?

15) Do you feel it was morally correct to let out your London residence when it was being paid for by taxpayers?

16) Are you embarrassed by the fact your expenses claims are amongst the largest at Westminster?

These are all pretty much of the top of my (flu-addled) head. Please feel free to discuss, amend, add, correct or refine.

Whatever we ask, let’s make sure we organise to ensure the hard questions get put and put again, every time he appears on a public platform. Eventually people – and maybe even some journalists! – might realise it is in the interests of democracy this man is held to account – regardless of personal views on Labour or Scottish Independence.

think again

@Jim Thomson 2.20pm

Thanks Jim. I have been back in again and restricted search to Labour, it throws up 691 items on 28 pages and is more or less in date order. 2013 is on page 28.

The reason I was looking was to see what happened in the last GE year and income increased due to donations and conferences although the donations are not identified.

Membership income seems to be pretty variable. I expect that they will fund a GE pretty well and their accounts say in the past they contributed towards salaries with all other staff costs being met by the National Party. Audit fees are met from national budget.

Expect another large donation or two next year whether from unions or supporters.

Jim Mitchell

I see that if you click on their page that you have to reply to an e mail address, the only postal address given is for London.

There’s a surprise!

Bugger (the Panda)

Who pays Blair McDougall’s wodge?

He is still lurking, I believe?

john king

Roll_ on_ 2014 says
“So it appears oor Jim is working out of a cupboard. What universe does he live in… a parallel one apparently!”

He he,
He could aye bunk up wi oor kez
link to youtube.com
🙂

JakeDM

O/T – EBC Scotland News site is looking for opinions on the content of their website – Was scouring the red-top site and it popped up.

I think I may have ripped them a new one…. constructively of course 🙂 Aye richt!

J

Fred

The Red Branch in ancient Irish history was divided into two houses, the “Croeb Derg” the Bright Red Branch and the “Cruab Ruad” the Dull Red Branch. Guess whit wan we’ve got?

Slainte’ 🙂

Lollysmum

Stu
You’re forgetting Employers NI contributions at around 11.5% of salary in addition to salaries

steveasaneilean

Brilliant list of questions DrEw
How come supposed journalists don’t ask oir politicians questions like this? It’s not very hard is it?

Wullie

I think the good people of England should be told that the Scotch labour people are sponging off them yet again. If the labour party in England cared about the poor in their own country as they purport to do, then any monies that they have should go to those in most need, Im sure the money would be pumped into food banks all over England If the Scotch labour party [ha efin ha] needs money they can raise their own. Appears to be that the Scotch labour lot are to wee and to poor.

Fred

Cameron Brodie, many thanks for that insight.

Haggis Hunter

All a game;
London will continue to fund Slab.
Murphy pretends that he will make all the decisions and London can go fekk itself.
Milliband goes along with it.
Murphy pretends to be for Scotland when really all he cares about is British labour.

Its like Queen Victoria loving her Highlands because she and her buddies owned it all, meanwhile her people were emptying every Glen of people, with fire, stravation and brute force.

Clootie

Bugger (the Panda) says:
17 December, 2014 at 3:01 pm

I assumed this was a created job in order for Mr McDougall to continue his current programme of disinformation under a new budget.

I will be surprised if he doesn’t get it! The advert “in Labour minds” fits him.

Graeme Doig

Cameron B

Cheers for the links to some interesting stuff.

Dr Ew

Excellent! I think your flu addled head would have him face first in his own dung pretty quickly 🙂

A2

Add into that sum the cost of the people they already employ!

Maybe this is where they got the subsidy junkie idea from!

Rab.c

As a quid pro pro will Nicola be receiving a permanent pass and facilities at Westminster

Nana Smith

Sorry for O/T but the bedroom tax is being debated in parliament and I’m hearing Eilidh Whiteford has ripped into Cameron

link to twitter.com

Jim McIntosh

@Rab.c

I was thinking the same. What right does he have to have any input into what goes on at Hollyrood.

It’s ironic that if he interferes with legislation up here whilst still an MP it surely makes the case even more clearer that Scottish Labour are just a branch office of UK Labour.

Jim McIntosh

‘It makes the case even more clearer” – I speekie de good ingleesh 🙂

unclebob

Jim Murphy’s 9 years at Uni? Might it have gone like this?

Standard Scottish Ordinary degree takes 3 years to PASS
Honours Degree takes 4 years to PASS.
(Usually funding is given for 4 years for a degree, college funding is not counted in this 4 years)

So
Year 1 Passes 1st year Uni Funded
Year 2 Fails 2nd year Uni Funded
Year 3 Repeats 2nd year and passes Funded
Year 4 NUS sabbatical Salaried
Year 5 2nd NUS sabbatical Salaried
Year 6 Fails 3rd Year Uni Funded
Year 7 Repeats and fails 3rd year No funding
Year 8
Year 9

So, even if he did 5 years at Uni and didn’t pass and did two NUS sabbatical years (which can happen) what did he do for the other two years?

Alternatively maybe he didn’t have the qualifications to go to Uni but worked his way up via a college HND?

So
Year 1 HNC at college
Year 2 HND at college
Year 3 Passes 1st year at Uni Funded
Year 4 Fails second year at Uni Funded
Year 5 NUS sabbatical
Year 6 Passes 2nd year at Uni Funded
Year 7 Fails 3rd year at Uni Funded
Year 8 2nd NUS sabbatical
Year 9 Fails 3rd year once again at Uni. Not funded

Please, please if anyone knows the truth about this 9 year failure in his Education let us all know.

Lollysmum

Doesn’t JM already have a constituency office & a Glasgow campaign office (where Sara Robb works) for which he claims expenses from the taxpayer. I hope he is being invoiced by Scot Parliament for his cubbyhole there because you can bet he will be claiming for it.

velofello

Frankly, Scotland would be well rid of Scottish labour. A credible opposition to the SNP is needed but the crass behaviour of Labour at Holyrood has served no purpose.

Johann Lamont, foolishly simply read our the script given to her, oft times without really comprehending the content, but look at the cold shoulder treatment now being dished out to her by the Creepy Jim team. A week or so ago Lamont was their branch leader.

donald anderson

Unite will probably help to fund them instead of pulling out of the Lumpen Party as promised if the Smurph won the Deputy Dawg leadership.

Lollysmum

The ad for General Secretary role description includes ‘efficient organisation of the Scottish Labour Party’

I reckon the eventual postholder might have more success in herding free range chickens 🙂

farrochie

Roll_On_2014 says:
17 December, 2014 at 12:59 pm

How’s this for spin:

The Scottish Labour leader (Jim Murphy) says he will be working out of the Scottish Parliament despite not being an MSP.

“working out of the Scottish Parliament”. ie He’ll not actually be in the SP. Remember we’ve got a snake oil salesman here.

manandboy

MURPHY’S GE15 CAMPAIGN – ARE YOU READY?

English Labour’s campaign in Scotland to GE15, will be dominated by Jim Murphy – on BBC TV & Radio and in all the papers including The Herald on Sunday and The National.

Jim is not a delegating kind of guy, and as well as that, he doesn’t represent the majority of Scottish MP’s or MSP’s so he wouldn’t trust any of them to speak for him, and none of them in any event, will be in the loop with Ed Milliband, John McTernan and whoever represents David Cameron.

Using the same strategy and tactics of the No Campaign but with different key phrases and slogans to be drip fed into the subconscious of the unsuspecting public, Jim will appear on daily TV, targeting the one million elderly voters in Scotland, together with all the Labour voters who haven’t yet come to their senses, plus the one million die-hard staunch unionists.

That’s all he has to do. The Papers and the TV journalists will do the rest. Plus a wee bit of leafleting and tying ‘Vote Labour’ cards on lamp posts courtesy of the Orange Order. Oh, nearly forgot, rent-a-crowd of 15 or 20 activists carrying placards for pics and videos of Jim in busy high streets.

All carefully choreographed by Mr McTernan and the backroom band of Tory-paid strategists from the No Campaign.

Plus an egg thrower complete with fake SNP ID.

We will have to be on our toes with this mob and keep our minds clear and eyes peeled, to cover another dirty tricks campaign which will attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate once again.

For the Independence movement, being naive, trusting and inexperienced has to be transformed into being astute, with some guile added and a sober sense of who and what we are dealing with, viz.a pack of political wolves.

The referendum is over but Scottish Independence has yet to be settled. Murphy’s job is to bury Independence and the SNP. With the full backing of the recently awakened British State he will succeed – unless we stop him by doing something about it.

Doing nothing does nothing.

Let’s get ACTIVE.

farrochie

In today’s National, Simon Pia writes:

With Murphy there is steel and ruthlessness….If anyone doesn’t match up, they’ll get the chop. Just like Johann Lamont.

So was it Murphy who gave Johann the chop? I thought Maggie Curran claimed that honour, but then again:

Margaret Curran: “It wisnae me.” link to bbc.co.uk

David

12 eggs, one basket case. The prognosis is not good for the Labour Party in Scotland.

Chic McGregor

Bookie

See William Duguid’s ‘Winter Wogaland’ song.

Chic McGregor

Frigging KB that should be ‘Wongaland’

cynicalHighlander

@Dr Ew

Great questions.

cynicalHighlander

@Dr Ew

Great questions.

Murray McCallum

SLAB are dependent on Southern British income. It’s not surprising that they associate and project their own dependency across the whole of Scotland.

This is financial dependency is one of the few “powers” Ed Miliband has over the bold New, Social Progressive Jim.

Clootie

manandboy says:
17 December, 2014 at 4:28 pm

Good article on Bella covering the same idea.
link to bellacaledonia.org.uk

yesindyref2

@Rev This doesn’t look right to me. As well as what Doug Daniel says about the paymaster, unless that’s changed since London got rid of her gen sec without her say so, I seem to remember reading that Labour councillors give 10% of their salaries to the party coffers, and perhaps the same for MPs and MSPs?

That makes a lot more funds available.

Luigi

Jim Murphy:

“We won’t lose a single seat to the SNP”

Now there’s a hostage to fortune, if ever there was one.

But why would the arch schemer make such a brash prediction. Unless he has been assured by the powers that be that this will indeed happen. What’s behind this irrational confidence?

I am slightly concerned.

Chic McGregor

Uncle Bob

He did the two year NUS sabbatical after the 9 years at Strathclyde IIRCC. He also had a sabbatical for president of the students union.

When I was at uni you got up to 5 years funding. 4 years honours with one repeat year if needed.

Chic McGregor

“We won’t lose a single seat to the SNP”

Uncharacteristically reasonable prediction. 😉

Luigi

Perhaps he just had a George Robertson moment:

“Jim Murphy will kill the SNP, stone dead”

Geoff Huijer

I’m hoping it will be very quiet after May as a result of their MP count being in (very low) single figures.

Cookie

jim murphy student politics included sabbatical posts as:
strathclyde uni president
NUS Scotland president
NUS UK president.
Might have been 2years at each?
6years in student politics?

raiderdave

@Luigi @ 4:57pm

Murphy is making statements he believes in. He is a sociopath. A dangerous one politically.

Definition:

sociopath

A person with antisocial personality disorder. Probably the most widely recognized personality disorder. A sociopath is often well liked because of their charm and high charisma, but they do not usually care about other people. They think mainly of themselves and often blame others for the things that they do. They have a complete disregard for rules and lie constantly. They seldom feel guilt or learn from punishments. Though some sociopaths have become murders, most reveal their sociopathy through less deadly and sensational means.

Unfortunately there are many more like him in Westminster.

Finnz

I’m sure such luminaries as J K Rowling will be coughing up the readies for their party of choice…

Truth

Are any unemployed Wingers going to supply for the jobs.

What an opportunity we have here.

Ken500

The Bankers and tax evaders will foot the Bill, for favours.

The Johnston Press (Scotsman) prints their literature.

Newquest (Herald) prints Westminster literature.

Lucrative contracts worth £thousands,keeps them afloat. They are printing companies. Newspapers divisions are a side line.

The Labour/Unionist trolls have deserted the Scotsman website as per instructions. Daily Record has banned comments since the VOW.

All the Unionist political Parties are £Millions in debt, in the Banker’s pocket.

The SNP is totally funded by it’s members, (crowd funded) so does not have to be influenced by interest groups. One of the reason for it’s success.

PictAtRandom

The details of office expenses set against membership are reminiscent of a football club that’s got false ideas about its fanbase. There’s the example of Gretna F.C. of course, propped up by money from outside, and they were always going to run into trouble. But maybe the real comparison would be with someone like East Fife — if they were delusional about past glories and expected 20,000 to roll through the turnstiles.

Ken500

The only thing Miliband has in his favour, is his distance from the illegal War. That’s is the only reason he is (lame duck) leader.

Appointing Murphy leader in Scotland is like imposing the Poll Tax on Scotland. A lame duck leader, with destructive baggage. Every time he appears people are reminded of the illegal War, torture, banker fraud, tax evasion, illegal expenses claims, secrecy and lies.

Ken500

Members of their families will already be lined up for the jobs. Keep it in the family, the Labour Mafia. Just like BBC. The political cronies get the job.

Paula Rose

“We won’t lose a single seat to the SNP”

Nope – dozens.

gman

Hay, at least the add didn’t include the following:

‘ideally pro-Union, pro-unions, against ever-closer union.’

Unlike this employing for ian davidson:

link to w4mpjobs.org

donald anderson

Preferably a Rangers fan with Sash and flute.

Barontorc

Yep, DA – ‘a Rangers fan with Sash and flute’ would fit nicely into the Smurph’s political chicanery and be ever so ecumenical and inclusive to boot!

So that definitely means Bliar McDougall’s a shoe-in for the job and he’ll already know of oodles of office space available down Ibrox way too – and going very cheap I hear. It’s all win-win for Smurph!

Nicely done and an easy commute to Pathetic Quay each day as well. What could be better?

donald anderson

Reply to Barontorc
An alert reader pointed us to the Labour “situations vacant” page: Let’s do the sums on that.

“Yep, DA – ‘a Rangers fan with Sash and flute’ would fit nicely into the Smurph’s political chicanery and be ever so ecumenical and inclusive to boot!”

I meant Iain Davidson’s crony joab ad. The Celtic Board and Smurph are even more loyal, Royal and Unionist than that.

PictAtRandom

It’s the fitba thread. The other analogy that occurs to me re “we won’t lose a single seat” is Craig Levein’s boast about how he wasn’t going to lose any points in a group that contained Belgium, Serbia, Croatia…
But if Labour start playing 4-6-0 at Holyrood, could that be a way of shielding Kezia from the nippy tackling of Nicola (Krancjar)?

Dr Jim

I can get a pass to visit Holyrood, does that mean i can be the Labour leader?, I just remembered, i’m an SNP member, they might let me look in a cupboard, coz the Smurph isnae even allowed that Oh the joy, the joy…I am Alex Salmond…

Alex Beveridge

manandboy. Some of us have already been out on the streets for the last two months, and after a short break over the festive season, we’ll be back with even more intensity. Thats how we, at least in our constituency, won the referendum, and we are determined to overcome a sizeable Labour majority and return an S.N.P M.P.

Mike

What this article highlights is evidence of illicit hidden funding of political parties and policy.
By showing clearly the official income and expected open expenditure of the Labour party we see as clear as daylight a HUGE “DECLARED” discrepancy in income relative to expenditure.
Undeclared funding buying what? for whom?
Party politics UK. PLC!!!!

De Valera

If Labour are in dire financial straits, why not merge with the Lib Dems and Cons?
After all they are all the same and of course it would be “pooling and sharing” resources.

Andrew Walker

link to waronwant.org

The first mention of TTIP I had was on this site re NHS privatisation in England affecting our NHS in Scotland. Just had a read of war on wants take on the whole TTIP plan. Please read and share the link.

Effiji

Please see accounts table for Scottish Parties-

You will see that Labour cannot pay their own way without going cap in hand to Westmonster. What great power our Dud Smurphy will have over these people when he disappears when their funding stops
It is hard to get a good lap dog though. He should be fine- Sit!
Come-By, Come-By. lol

Accounting Unit Income (£) Expenditure (£)
Conservative Party: Cities of London and Westminster 318,416 315,254
Conservative Party: Kensington 263,970 285,301
Conservative Party: Tunbridge Wells 716,656 76,253
Labour Party: Scottish Labour Party 406,226 426,788
Labour Party: National TULO 333,707 321,774
Liberal Democrats: ALDC 493,057 490,123
Liberal Democrats: English State Party 1,782,616 1,802,792
Liberal Democrats: Scottish State Party 301,998 296,211
Liberal Democrats: Parliamentary Office of the Liberal Democrats 433,376 394,904

Peter Wardle, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission said, “We are pleased that, for the third year running, all the larger political parties have submitted their accounts to us by the statutory deadline. It is essential that parties continue to be transparent with their financial information so voters can see exactly how they are funded and how this money is spent.”

The 2013 statement of accounts for political parties and accounting units are available to download as PDFs on our website here. For an interactive table showing income, expenditure, assets and liabilities see here.

Ends
Accounting Unit Income (£) Expenditure (£)
Conservative Party: Cities of London and Westminster 318,416 315,254
Conservative Party: Kensington 263,970 285,301
Conservative Party: Tunbridge Wells 716,656 76,253
Labour Party: Scottish Labour Party 406,226 426,788
Labour Party: National TULO 333,707 321,774
Liberal Democrats: ALDC 493,057 490,123
Liberal Democrats: English State Party 1,782,616 1,802,792
Liberal Democrats: Scottish State Party 301,998 296,211
Liberal Democrats: Parliamentary Office of the Liberal Democrats 433,376 394,904

Peter Wardle, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission said, “We are pleased that, for the third year running, all the larger political parties have submitted their accounts to us by the statutory deadline. It is essential that parties continue to be transparent with their financial information so voters can see exactly how they are funded and how this money is spent.”

The 2013 statement of accounts for political parties and accounting units are available to download as PDFs on our website here. For an interactive table showing income, expenditure, assets and liabilities see here.

Ends

For further information please contact Megan Phillips in the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0714 (outside office hours on 07789 920414) or mphillips@electoralcommission.org.uk

FJ

Just wanted to advise that I sent an e-mail to Margaret Curran
to ask why she lied about the Fracking Vote and why her new leader
lied about the SLAB membership numbers.
No reply after 24 hours, even thought it was read, but I suppose
this would need to be forwarded to Westmonster to tell her her
thoughts on the matter. It took Tory Red Ed a full year to answer
Joanne Lamont’s question on the Bed Room Tax, so it could take a while? lol

Effijy

Accounting Unit Income (£) Expenditure (£)
Conservative Party: Cities of London and Westminster 318,416 315,254
Conservative Party: Kensington 263,970 285,301
Conservative Party: Tunbridge Wells 716,656 76,253
Labour Party: Scottish Labour Party 406,226 426,788
Labour Party: National TULO 333,707 321,774

Liberal Democrats: Scottish State Party 301,998 296,211

Peter Wardle, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission said, “We are pleased that, for the third year running, all the larger political parties have submitted their accounts to us by the statutory deadline. It is essential that parties continue to be transparent with their financial information so voters can see exactly how they are funded and how this money is spent.”

The 2013 statement of accounts for political parties and accounting units are available to download as PDFs on our website here. For an interactive table showing income, expenditure, assets and liabilities see here.

Ends

mphillips@electoralcommission.org.uk

Barney Thomson

It would seem from this –

link to tinyurl.com

that Scottish Labour membership fees in 2013 amounted to £115,636. If Murphy is correct in his statement that it cost each member £40, then that means there were 2,981 Labour Party members in Scotland.

Nana Smith

He’s been elected by a big majority as the new Scottish Labour leader. Reviled by the Left, distrusted by Miliband…but how bad is Jim Murphy?

Very bad argues David Jamieson

link to counterfire.org

Robert Peffers

@Maxx Macc says: 17 December, 2014 at 2:32 pm:

” … Nicola Sturgeon has just spent all the SNP money on a pointless ego boosting tour. …”

That’s interesting, Maxx, but can you indicate where you got your figures from showing the FM’s spending had used up all the SNP’s resources on her tour? It would also be interesting to know just what is your evidence that her tour was indeed, “pointless”?

As the tour was exclusively for newly signed up members most people would think, rightly or wrongly, it was very much to the point and, as each and every new member has already paid their dues, it was self financing.

Lollysmum

@Maxx Macc @ 2.32pm

It wasn’t an ego tour-it was a smart political move by SNP. There’s nothing like rubbing your opponents nose in it when your party’s numbers are off the scale for an electorate of only 6 million people.

It got the press interested because such an event is unprecedented in UK & also showed that SNP have the backing of the people from all age groups. More than anything else though SNP were sending a message to everyone saying that they are doing politics in a different way to every other party & carving out their own political landscape rather than being reactive as they used to be.

They can certainly well afford it with their increased annual income even if you discount their financial reserves.

It also showed the electorate what effect SNP are having on Scotland so reinforcing the line that they are the party of Scotland.

Even SLab have had to change their website to reflect the truth that they are not now the largest party in Scotland as it used to boast.

So it was a smart move on several counts in my book.

Lollysmum

I forgot to mention that each person had two tickets so they could bring a non-member with them. Apparently during the Hydro event alone 4,000 new members signed up at the event.

Definitely a smart move 🙂


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)

    Stats: 6,655 Posts, 1,198,681 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Liz on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “It’s obvious now he’s a Brit place man and always has been He has one of those bland personalities that…Oct 12, 13:20
    • James Gardner on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “3 from Yorkshire !Oct 12, 13:17
    • Lorna Campbell on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Nicola and company? Couldn’t give a toss. All as useless as each other. Bye, bye, Sooty. Swinney? He will sell…Oct 12, 13:15
    • Willie on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “What’s an SNP branch meeting. Two loons in a phone box. Three if you are lucky. Seriously though, the party…Oct 12, 13:07
    • Garavelli Princip on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “And will continue to do so with a smuggled mobile – if she has to – the political undead! Long…Oct 12, 13:04
    • Chic McGregor on Two Spaces: “What say you to today’s article in the National Alf? https://www.thenational.scot/news/24647236.anger-edinburgh-tab-accused-anti-scottish-bias/Oct 12, 12:30
    • Geoff Anderson on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “She isn’t hanging about…..She is instructing themOct 12, 12:18
    • PacMan on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Sturgeon nae mates, reduced to hanging about with fellow SNP acolytes to fill the lonely nights. Swinney, nae mates, lost…Oct 12, 11:25
    • Dan on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Well there’s currently 6 likes to the post so that’s the bones of a team of half a dozen folk.…Oct 12, 11:07
    • Zander Tait on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “It’s now working fine.Oct 12, 11:04
    • Shug on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Anyone been to an SNP branch meeting recently and can report in the sort if numbers attendinOct 12, 10:56
    • Zander Tait on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Strange. When attempting to access the WOS home page via a DuckDuckGo search, I get “Forbidden. You do not have…Oct 12, 10:36
    • Garavelli Princip on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Maybe Daft Pete was out on the town, on the lash. Whit a wee divil! He’ll have to get used…Oct 12, 09:27
    • Geoff Anderson on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “We know what they are….  The National Assembly, summoned at Vichy to ratify the armistice, was persuaded by Pierre Laval…Oct 12, 09:27
    • Muscleguy on Two Spaces: “I understand Murrell’s court date is around March next year. A full year before the election is due.Oct 12, 09:21
    • stuart mctavish on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Having bit of fun imagining where we might be in doubly inverted scenario where big John thrashed it all out…Oct 12, 09:17
    • Garavelli Princip on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Sadly, the evidence suggests the “good times” continue to roll.And why would the Brit state wish to derail its agents…Oct 12, 09:15
    • Patsy Millar on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Would that no gie ye the dry boak?Oct 12, 09:07
    • Robert Hughes on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “The TOU will be * amended * to comply with the * Free*ports n * Green*ports n the SNP queue-up…Oct 12, 09:04
    • Robert Hughes on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Prime example of the political neo-magic of failing upwards and being extravagantly rewarded for brave mediocrity n stunning hypocrisy .…Oct 12, 08:52
    • Tinto Chiel on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Shouldabeen “there’s”, apologies.Oct 12, 08:45
    • Tinto Chiel on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Dan, here’s the beginning of a PhD thesis for someome patient enough to list the number of times the ToA…Oct 12, 08:36
    • Geri on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “I’d have replied to that tweet saying Nah mate, God intended the English to pay fees while I’m enjoying it…Oct 12, 02:21
    • Geri on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “She has a twin over in the US running for president. She’s another one that can talk for an hour…Oct 12, 02:10
    • Anthem on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Excellent point Dan. But who of influence will pick up that batton?Oct 12, 02:01
    • Anthem on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “And why is Dugdale involved? I watched her the other day on Newsnight doing a brilliant impersonation of a football…Oct 12, 01:51
    • Anthem on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “I agree. It should have been called the council of nations, period! Where England should have had the same representatives…Oct 12, 01:41
    • Young Lochinvar on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “True. Seeing the Dugdale-Gilruth composite certainly reminds you of the cover image of the film “dumb and dumber”! Sad thing…Oct 12, 01:08
    • Geri on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Probably Kezs new pad. You know, the one she needed to deduct from her charity pledge earnings from her stint…Oct 12, 00:22
    • Young Lochinvar on The King And Queen Of Cringe: “Question is; does the wee Dutch boy have enough fingers though..Oct 12, 00:20
  • A tall tale



↑ Top
78
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x