‘That was the week that never was’ jibe
Wendy faces new U-turn farce on SNP measures
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Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander came under renewed fire last night following claims that the party has staged yet another “humiliating” U-turn on its controversial independence referendum policy.
Opponents accused Labour of trying to “rewrite history” after Holyrood party chairman Duncan McNeil was forced to admit that MSPs have now decided to reserve the right to vote down any bill put forward by the SNP Government.
On Sunday, Ms Alexander stated: “The Labour group will not vote down the opportunity for Scotland to speak.”
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the announcement was farcical and had left Ms Alexander “utterly humiliated”.
“Labour must be very close to bringing Wendy Alexander down as their Holyrood leader – her position is now impossible and completely untenable,” she said.
Abandoned by a grim-faced Ms Alexander to face the media after a Labour group meeting in the parliament yesterday, Mr McNeil said: “We set out our position last week but this does not mean we will give up our right to scrutinise any bill that comes before this parliament.”
The change in tack is said to be the result of pressure from backbenchers and Gordon Brown, who failed to voice support for Ms Alexander in the Commons last week.
Simon Pia, Ms Alexander’s embattled spokesman, said: “Wendy was quite clear last week, as Duncan was as well, mentioning the word ‘scrutiny’. We will scrutinise any bill and it is all to do with wording and the timescale of it.”
But opponents last night said the statement effectively means that Labour have reneged on their original pledge because the tone of Mr McNeil’s statement suggests Gordon Brown has “hung them out to dry” and they desperately need room for manoeuvre.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen said the party’s recent behaviour on the matter had been “bizarre and bewildering”. He added: “On an issue of such importance to the future of our nation this chaos and uncertainty is both dangerous and damaging.”
Conservative chief whip David McLetchie likened the situation to a storyline from the 80s soap opera Dallas because Labour was trying to create the illusion “the last 10 disastrous days never happened”.
Although Labour sources said Ms Alexander’s battle-cry to “bring it on” was not a bad idea they have privately admitted the way she went about it was a disaster.
Last night Labour's spokesman on constitutional affairs, Malcolm Chisholm, insisted he and his colleagues had been successful in calling the SNP’s bluff.
“The SNP have run scared of any early referendum to end the uncertainty they have caused,” he said. “They have turned down the chance to end the uncertainty facing Scotland and now will be at the mercy of Labour's parliamentary tactics.
“We will not support a voting system where, potentially, Scotland could leave the UK on a minority of the votes, as the SNP is now advocating.”
But Ms Sturgeon said: “Gordon Brown had the election that never was and Labour are now trying to pretend last week never happened – the week that never was.”
