The SNP is about to elect a deputy leader.
Anyone who doubts the importance of the post should consider the contribution made in that role by Nicola Sturgeon.
Lallands Peat Worrier has offered the three candidates for the post an opportunity to write a piece setting out their thoughts on the future, at what is an exciting time in Scotland's story, the role they feel that can play in that future and what they can bring to the post of deputy leader-.
All three candidates, Keith Brown, Angela Constance and Stewart Hosie are estimable characters, which makes the choice difficult.
This blog favours Stewart Hosie for deputy leadership.
Stewart, who has represented Dundee East at Westminster for 9 years, played a strong role in the referendum campaign, speaking to "town hall" meetings, and on television and radio, as well as knocking on doors and manning Yes stalls in the town.
He is a strong performer for Scotland, with a formidable handle on his brief, which is finance and home affairs. He comes across on television as knowledgeable and confident, but without a trace of smugness. He is a strong debater. Next to him in a radio interview on the PM programme during the referendum campaign, Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, sounded lost.
But Stewart also has a solid understanding of matters far outside his own area of expertise. He is a formidable organiser. I watched him manage the knock up team on referendum day. He handles people well and authoritatively without causing any disharmony... an important asset for a deputy leader.
For these reasons and others I believe he is the best man for the job.
So I take yet another lazy day, direct you to Lallands, and invite you to read his piece... and, of course, those of the other candidates.
Anyone who doubts the importance of the post should consider the contribution made in that role by Nicola Sturgeon.
Lallands Peat Worrier has offered the three candidates for the post an opportunity to write a piece setting out their thoughts on the future, at what is an exciting time in Scotland's story, the role they feel that can play in that future and what they can bring to the post of deputy leader-.
All three candidates, Keith Brown, Angela Constance and Stewart Hosie are estimable characters, which makes the choice difficult.
This blog favours Stewart Hosie for deputy leadership.
He is a strong performer for Scotland, with a formidable handle on his brief, which is finance and home affairs. He comes across on television as knowledgeable and confident, but without a trace of smugness. He is a strong debater. Next to him in a radio interview on the PM programme during the referendum campaign, Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, sounded lost.
But Stewart also has a solid understanding of matters far outside his own area of expertise. He is a formidable organiser. I watched him manage the knock up team on referendum day. He handles people well and authoritatively without causing any disharmony... an important asset for a deputy leader.
For these reasons and others I believe he is the best man for the job.
So I take yet another lazy day, direct you to Lallands, and invite you to read his piece... and, of course, those of the other candidates.
To be fair Tris I too would prefer Stewart Hosie but there is one thing that stops me short and that is that he is a Westminster M.P. For me we need a Deputy First Minister who can step into the First Minister's shoes, so to speak, when the F.M. is away on official business and that includes standing in at FMQ's. Clearly Stewart can not, unfortunately do this particular task and that is why I have had to revert to my second choice for DFM, Keith Brown.
ReplyDeleteFair comments, Arbroath.
DeletePerhaps in the next months, though, it will also be important to have the strong and powerful voice of a good debater with authority in Westminster.
The deputy leader of the opposition is in London and, whilst I see your point about having someone to stand in for the FM if she is on business, a senior member of the cabinet can do that in Edinburgh as the opposition does.
Of course I've nothing against Keith Brown, and I'm sure he would be grand for the job, but I still think that Stewart would be a stronger choice even if he is in Westminster.
Standing in at FMqs could be done by a number of people on the SNP front benches for that 1/2hr of mince from the unionists, even the newest back bencher could fill in very admirably. :)
DeleteTrue... unless there is some fresh talent in the near future, most people could take them all on at once...
DeleteCould we have both, Keith as Deputy First Minister, or Constance in Holyrood and Stewart as Deputy Leader in Westminster. I feel we need both.
ReplyDeleteThat's good point. I'd go for that. Stewart as official deputy leader and one of the others as deputy Holyrood leader.
DeleteWell Tris I voted for Stewart with Keith in second place, nothing wrong with Constance either, knew her Mother. I will be happy with any but as I said to my Hubby I think having a woman as First Minister it would be more equal to have a man as Deputy.
DeleteBest person for the job not their gender should be the criteria. IMO
DeleteI can see that argument helena. Indeed the Labour party were thinking of (and may have agreed) that the leader and deputy leader had to be of different genders.
DeleteI think, like CH, the best person for the job regardless of gender, race, and all the other usual stuff, is the best bet... but I can see that politically it might be as well to have one of either gender.
Well actually I agree that is why I voted for Stewart Hosie, and may I say it should have been Angela not Constance, god her mother would kill me.
DeleteBet she's not reading this Helena!!
DeleteEver since I watched Stewart Hosie take George Robertson apart in a one to one session with 100 students watching, who most converted to a yes after the debate, I've thought he could go far.
ReplyDeleteThat was a masterclass in political dismemberment...
DeleteStewart Hosie, would be my choice too. Don't know about the idea of one deputy for each parliament, unless Westminster was designated the lower house.
ReplyDeleteWell, really it is the lower house as far as we are concerned. Of course it deals with the most important thing... taxation, but for the SNP or any other minor party in the UK, Westminster is kinda unimportant in that whatever they say, it makes no difference.
DeleteYou remember at one time the leader of the party was in Westminster and the deputy leader took FMQs... and when Brown was premier in London his deputy as leader of Labour was Harman, but his deputy in parliament and when he was out of the country was Mandelson, the first secretary.
The deputy ;leader of the Tories isn't deputy prime minister now, so anything is possible.
Met Stewart Hosie today outside Westminster about to do an interview with his fellow SNP MPs about to back him as deputy of the party (minus Wishart!). He seems confident and it does make sense to have one part of the leadership in Westminster, especially as we should have a fair few MPs come May 2015! Joined up thinking! ��
DeleteGood that Stewart is looking confident, Anon, I'm hopeful that he will win.
DeleteIn no particular order, ahem. about an hour each.
ReplyDeleteRefTV – In Conversation with Stewart Hosie MP
RefTV – In Conversation with Angela Constance MSP
RefTV – In Conversation with Keith Brown MSP
Thanks CH... I'm not sure I could manage 3 hours of it, but ... I'll have a skim through... :)
DeleteIt is worth the time Tris as it removes blinkers that one possibly had as they are more in tune with each other bringing different strengths all with one goal.
DeleteKool CH.I'll make some time tomorrow
DeleteAs soon as his candidacy was announced I thought I would vote for Stewart Hosie, and in fact I just did that. The man is seriously impressive.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think he's a powerful speaker and he is tv savvy, and seemingly unflappable under pressure from interviewers. He remains alway ultra polite in the face of provocation.
DeleteI think he would make a superb deputy leader, and perhaps one day leader.
You seen the super-poll results outlined in the Scotsman?
ReplyDeleteIt analyses the average support for each party in Scotland since the referendum:
The “super-poll”, which includes a sample of 4,845 people, has support for Labour at 27.9%, the Conservatives at 17.8%, the Lib Dems at 6.2%, Ukip at 4.1% and the Greens on 3.2%
In electoral calculus this would result in:
3 Tory MPs, 1 LDem, 39 SNP MPs (!!!), 16 SLABs.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/snp-in-strong-position-ahead-of-uk-election-1-3578091
Wow... thats some result. Actually 4,845 people should give quite a reasonable level of accuracy.
DeleteOf course I think it's a little on the over enthusiastic side for the SNP... I can't see the Liberals losing the Northern Isles or the HIghlands, and I have a fear that the SNP's popularity in Glasgow may be reflected by it losing ground in some of the agricultural heartlands.
But I doubt that it can be terribly wrong. 25-30 SNP seats would be an amazing triumph for them.
I would think that should this happen they would be looking at ditching Lamont, and if some of the big noises lose their seats at Westminster, you could see them standing o-n safe lists to get into Holyrood in 2016, so that they could displace her.
Let's face it there is no suitable leader material in Holyrood at the moment,
Tris
ReplyDeleteI re-joined the party but possibly not in time to take part in the vote for deputy leader as I have not had anything through the door about it. To be honest I think all 3 candidates are fine but would probably go for keith Brown due to how keen he appears to be for members to be involved in the policy making of the party moving forward. I think that is vital for all parties but especially for the new members of the SNP.
One of my big gripes is parties ignoring their members, that has to stop as politicians and many seniour activists can be very removed from the day to day lives of members and I find that some of the better ideas I hear, and common sense ideas, comes from the man and woman in the street . I think Keith is capturing that a bit more than the others and while i totally accept that we need to capture the increased interest in the democratic process there also needs to be a longer change in how we do that and that is in all areas including how parties operate and the movement within them, how policy is formed etc.
Bruce
That is one thing Bruce that we all should agree with that we need to keep the interest in the Democratic Process going, and this is going to be difficult because all the so called main stream parties want that back in the box with all the rowdy Scots. The feeling I have had is that over the referendum we have been denied democracy and this morning reading a comment on the Scottish Statesman, they are having very similar problems in Australia. Teh Labor Party there was monstered out of power and now the monstering continues. We are sitting watching them start it up all over again with the SNP here.
DeleteBruce... you should be getting it in time to vote. I certainly agree with you and Helena about keeping the public involved in politics. Wouldn't the election be fantastic if we had 80% turnout?
DeleteMust admit I don't know much about the other two but was impressed by Stewart Hosie's demolition of Lord Robertson and every time he speaks in Westminster. We have to bear in mind that it is the Deputy for the entire party and not just the MSPs and hopefully a lot more SNP MPs will soon be joining Stewart at Westminster.
ReplyDeleteGood point, John. Westminster is possibly going to be much more important to us than it currently is, and we need a strong team there.
DeleteHosie for me.
ReplyDelete:) I hope he's reading this!!
DeleteStuart Hosie for me, although it's a tough choice.
DeleteHe knows his way around WM and is a positive force. Great talker and organiser.
fingers crossed, My vote is off but any of the three could do the job easy.
Poor Labour could change leadership a hundred times and not have anyone worth a vote. Changed days.
Scottish politics is very different now. We are much more informed and know our vote is important.
Just voting in the Labour party to stop the tory's might have worked with the older generation but they are few and far between. The younger generation and many ex labour members are not listening anymore.
Tory and Labour. - Both cheeks on the same arse.
Yes Richy... very changed days. Who'd have imagined how close these two would be ...
Delete