Labour MP calls for ‘disloyal’ colleagues to be disciplined Livingston MP Jim Devine will speak up against MPs who undermine the party
By Paul Hutcheon, Scottish Political Editor A SCOTTISH Labour MP will this week call for the whip to be withdrawn from a party colleague who said she wanted to work with Tory mayor Boris Johnson.
Jim Devine, who represents Livingston, will propose that Kate Hoey should be disciplined for her "disloyal" actions.
He will also criticise former home secretary Charles Clarke for his repeated criticisms of prime minister Gordon Brown.
The internal strife comes as Brown appears to be losing his grip on party unity amid plummeting poll ratings.
Labour discipline was said to have been badly undermined when Hoey, the Labour MP for Vauxhall, said she would act as an adviser to Johnson, the Conservative candidate in the London mayoral election, if he beat incumbent Ken Livingstone.
The admission infuriated Labour MPs who believed the comments gave the Tory candidate much-needed credibility on the eve of the poll, which he won.
Devine, who was election agent to the late Robin Cook, said he will be calling for Hoey to be disciplined at this week's meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party. He added: "What Kate Hoey did was disloyal and unacceptable and I will be saying that the whip should be taken away from her."
He added: "Charles Clarke also seems to think he can come out with any criticisms at all and no action is taken. I will be criticising him too.
"It is impossible to think that any Scottish Labour MP would behave in the way they have."
Clarke has made persistent criticisms of Brown's leadership, such as when the prime minister promised "British jobs for British workers".
In an article for Progress magazine, Clarke wrote: "We should discard the techniques of triangulation' and finish with dog whistle' language."
"We should suspend the black arts of divisive inner-party briefing and bullying which penalise and inhibit debate and discussion."
He also wrote of Brown ally Ed Balls: "His injunctions about the indulgent nonsense' of private briefings against the Labour leader' certainly come from one who is well-acquainted with this kind of activity."
An SNP spokesman said: "Jim Devine is just exposing that the nerves of many Labour MPs are rattled as the polls show their support plummeting north and south of the Border.
"Gordon Brown's unpopularity
and Wendy's U-turn have put Labour into a crisis across the UK, with Labour's support at its lowest levels since 1918."
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Posted by: Jwil, Lanarkshire on 12:15am Sun 11 May 08
Shouldn't it be Gordon Brown who is disciplined?. He is at the root of all Labour's problems! If the party was doing well Charles Clarke and others would have no grounds to militate against Brown.
Shouldn't it be Gordon Brown who is disciplined?. He is at the root of all Labour's problems! If the party was doing well Charles Clarke and others would have no grounds to militate against Brown.
Posted by: Im no really here, but over there on 12:33am Sun 11 May 08
His little Red Book tells him "We must control, we must control...Free speech is a danger to democracy as we see it".
He might even go as far as getting some of the Scottish Labour Press to prevent on-line comments to articles. Imagine if that happened!!! Surely not possible is it?? We would then have to compare this ruling party to Mugabe's Zanu-PF.
His little Red Book tells him "We must control, we must control...Free speech is a danger to democracy as we see it".
He might even go as far as getting some of the Scottish Labour Press to prevent on-line comments to articles. Imagine if that happened!!! Surely not possible is it?? We would then have to compare this ruling party to Mugabe's Zanu-PF.
Posted by: Edward, Edinbugh on 1:55am Sun 11 May 08
Ah Jim Devine, MP for Livingston (Was Robin Cook's)the way things are heading, even before the current Labour 'troubles' he was going to loose at the next General Election, no ifs, buts or maybe's! He must think this last throw of the dice will improve his standing. It wont hope you have your CV written Jim
Ah Jim Devine, MP for Livingston (Was Robin Cook's)the way things are heading, even before the current Labour 'troubles' he was going to loose at the next General Election, no ifs, buts or maybe's! He must think this last throw of the dice will improve his standing. It wont hope you have your CV written Jim
Posted by: Jimbo on 2:31am Sun 11 May 08
Kate Hoey, the New Labour MP for Vauxhall, is, it would seem, happy to engage in consensus politics for the good of the people of London.
According to the New Labour Gospel, this is not allowed. She should be disciplined. She is not there for the good of the people, she is there for the good of the New Labour Party. Is this woman stupid? Has she learned nothing in her time in the New Labour Party?
Charles Clarke has criticised Gordon Brown. This is preposterous. He too should be disciplined. Free speech is not allowed in the New Labour Party. Only statements vetted and approved by Chairman Gordon and his control freak clique are allowed into the public domain.
Clarke should know better, after all, he was there at the conception of the New Labour control freak Party and should show more sense. Has Clarke lost the plot and forgot that he got himself elected purely for the sake of the New Labour Party's narrow agenda and is not there for the public good?
Hoey and Clarke should show the same loyalty as Jim Devine, and forget all this stupid 'serving the public' nonsense.
Kate Hoey, the New Labour MP for Vauxhall, is, it would seem, happy to engage in consensus politics for the good of the people of London.
According to the New Labour Gospel, this is not allowed. She should be disciplined. She is not there for the good of the people, she is there for the good of the New Labour Party. Is this woman stupid? Has she learned nothing in her time in the New Labour Party?
Charles Clarke has criticised Gordon Brown. This is preposterous. He too should be disciplined. Free speech is not allowed in the New Labour Party. Only statements vetted and approved by Chairman Gordon and his control freak clique are allowed into the public domain.
Clarke should know better, after all, he was there at the conception of the New Labour control freak Party and should show more sense. Has Clarke lost the plot and forgot that he got himself elected purely for the sake of the New Labour Party's narrow agenda and is not there for the public good?
Hoey and Clarke should show the same loyalty as Jim Devine, and forget all this stupid 'serving the public' nonsense.
Posted by: Donald Anderson, glasgow on 5:19am Sun 11 May 08
It wuz Labour wot stole the Tories claes onyways
Should't simply Devine and other HM Labour MPs be whipped for supporting divisions in the Loyalist Old Firm?
It wuz Labour wot stole the Tories claes onyways
Should't simply Devine and other HM Labour MPs be whipped for supporting divisions in the Loyalist Old Firm?
Posted by: Alex Wilson, Paisley on 8:46am Sun 11 May 08
I wonder if unison have filled Devine's post -don't think they'll be that glad to get him back!
Typical new labour control freakery from New Labour and Devine - I wonder if he made this up while in the bar (again). At least he'll be able to spend more time at Celtic Park singing sectarian songs once he's kicked out of Westminster - shouldn't Irish rebel songs and those who support them (and previously the IRA) be banned from the British Labour Party?
I wonder if unison have filled Devine's post -don't think they'll be that glad to get him back!
Typical new labour control freakery from New Labour and Devine - I wonder if he made this up while in the bar (again). At least he'll be able to spend more time at Celtic Park singing sectarian songs once he's kicked out of Westminster - shouldn't Irish rebel songs and those who support them (and previously the IRA) be banned from the British Labour Party?
Posted by: Mike MacKinnon on 8:51am Sun 11 May 08
So this is what Liebour is reduced to? Screw the country, loyalty to the party is all!
How very Stalinist!
So this is what Liebour is reduced to? Screw the country, loyalty to the party is all!
How very Stalinist!
Posted by: Alex, Glasgow on 11:29am Sun 11 May 08
Jim Devine calling for disloyalty to be a disciplinary offence had just killed satire stone dead.
I wonder if Mrs Devine has a view on Jim's disloyalty? Let's be honest here - this guy couldn't be loyal to anything, anyone or any ideal. Just another trough-snorting Labour hypocrite.
Jim Devine calling for disloyalty to be a disciplinary offence had just killed satire stone dead.
I wonder if Mrs Devine has a view on Jim's disloyalty? Let's be honest here - this guy couldn't be loyal to anything, anyone or any ideal. Just another trough-snorting Labour hypocrite.
Posted by: Alec M, Falkirk on 12:23pm Sun 11 May 08
Of Charles Clarke, Devine says "Charles Clarke also seems to think he can come out with any criticisms at all and no action is taken. I will be criticising him too.
"It is impossible to think that any Scottish Labour MP would behave in the way they have."
Aye, Scottish Liebour, Nae guts, nae brains.
Of Charles Clarke, Devine says "Charles Clarke also seems to think he can come out with any criticisms at all and no action is taken. I will be criticising him too.
"It is impossible to think that any Scottish Labour MP would behave in the way they have."
Aye, Scottish Liebour, Nae guts, nae brains.
Posted by: Robert Christie, Fife on 1:09pm Sun 11 May 08
Jim Devine yet again shows his stalinist Liebour trade union credentials. The Scottish people can just f**k off because ONLY the Liebour Party and the survival of its corrupt practices is important.
Thankfully the successful SNP Scottish Government has set us on a course which will liberate us forever from the likes of Devine.
Jim Devine yet again shows his stalinist Liebour trade union credentials. The Scottish people can just f**k off because ONLY the Liebour Party and the survival of its corrupt practices is important.
Thankfully the successful SNP Scottish Government has set us on a course which will liberate us forever from the likes of Devine.
Posted by: Alberto on 7:10pm Sun 11 May 08
"Labour MP calls for ‘disloyal’ colleagues to be disciplined"
That should clear out a few!
Mind, if we are talking disloyal to the electorate - that should clear out them all!!!!
No bets on this one!
"Labour MP calls for ‘disloyal’ colleagues to be disciplined"
That should clear out a few!
Mind, if we are talking disloyal to the electorate - that should clear out them all!!!!
No bets on this one!
Posted by: Big Boy Did It, And Ran Away on 9:32pm Sun 11 May 08
Spot on Jimbo. How dare she participate in consensus politics. Screw the people, only the party matters....
Welcome to the Dicktatorship.
Spot on Jimbo. How dare she participate in consensus politics. Screw the people, only the party matters....
Welcome to the Dicktatorship.
Posted by: Big Boy Did It, And Ran Away on 9:33pm Sun 11 May 08
Oops, sorry. Typo, didn't mean to insinuate GB is a dick...
Oops, sorry. Typo, didn't mean to insinuate GB is a dick...
Posted by: Big Wullie, Glasgow on 12:43am Mon 12 May 08
Mr Devine you would do well sir to investigate you constituential corrupt police station who arrested big wullie for his blog a few weeks ago.
Apparently they were up in arms at a colleagues name and address appearing on the said blog but have never said a word about Jurors names and addresses on the said blog for over a year. ???????
Serious questions need asking of Livingston Police's Actions.
Perhaps it was because SCCRC released the Jurors names, no action was taken.
Did SCCRC act in a criminal manner
Mr Devine you would do well sir to investigate you constituential corrupt police station who arrested big wullie for his blog a few weeks ago.
Apparently they were up in arms at a colleagues name and address appearing on the said blog but have never said a word about Jurors names and addresses on the said blog for over a year. ???????
Serious questions need asking of Livingston Police's Actions.
Perhaps it was because SCCRC released the Jurors names, no action was taken.
Did SCCRC act in a criminal manner
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