Glenrothes SSP Hit Out At Fife Labour Hierarchy

Glenrothes SSP Press Release 7th March 2002
Glenrothes members of the Scottish Socialist Party joined the attacks on Fife’s beleaguered political representatives today, describing the ‘Officegate’ and Third Age scandals as "symptomatic of the sickness at the heart of Labour’s hierarchy."

The SSP also called for the resignation of Fife Council leader Christine May claiming that her leadership has been deeply undermined by the findings of Douglas Sinclair’s report into the Third Age funding affair.

"The Labour Party in Fife has been shown to be a hotbed of cronyism. We knew that already," said SSP spokesman Jim Balfour. "What we hadn’t realised was the extent to which various Labour Party cliques were covering up their misdeeds from each other. If they cannot trust each other, how can the public be expected to have any faith in the Labour Party? The responsibility for this must rest with Christine May, but the matter will not rest there. What has happened up to now is merely a symptom of the sickness at the heart of Labour’s hierarchy in Fife."

Fife SSP organiser Jock Penman added, "Henry McLeish’s efforts to overlook Third Age in his ‘full and frank disclosure’ on 6th November last year, now appear to have been an attempt to avoid incriminating his wife. His time is up. We have said for months that this was a fiddle, not a muddle. We saw his lies for what they were. Our position is unchanged. Henry McLeish must stand down from the Scottish Parliament immediately."

The SSP’s Glenrothes branch website has carried a number of articles demanding McLeish’s resignation, one page even carries a ‘McLeish Dictionary’ where the ex-First Minister is parodied for never meaning what he says. The SSP claim that despite their clear statements of their belief that McLeish lied on 6th November, no threats of legal action have been forthcoming from McLeish.

The only cure for the sickness, the SSP claim, is proportional representation for local government elections. Jim Balfour said of this, "The problem is one of accountability and distribution of power. The present system is a breeding ground for corruption and cronyism. Proportional representation is a far more democratic system for the election of local government."