Selection of Labour candidate leaves local party in turmoil

Following the selection of Pamela Nash as the Labour candidate for Airdrie and Shotts, the chairman of the CLP, Brian Brady, resigned his post, citing that his resignation was 'because the voting pattern showed that this had not represented the view of the majority of the CLP.'

There is no need to repeat what can be read elsewhere, but suffice to say that internal fractions within the Labour Party can only be damaging for Ms. Nash.

Traditionally a Labour safe seat, the SNP did a fine job of exploiting Labour weaknesses to cut the majority to little over 1,400 at the Scottish parliamentary elections.

This fracture within the Labour Party, combined with the selection of an inexperienced candidate have presented an opportunity for the SNP to capitalise.

Guardian acknowledges change in how election will be reported.

The creation of this blog was an acknowledgement that the political landscape could no longer exist outwith the paramaters of an internet-driven society. The absence of any political coverage or comment for Airdrie & Coatbridge outwith the local newspaper is galling to anyone with a remote interest in politics.

The Guardian today published a story highlighting how this election will come to be dominated by the internet, and in particular, political blogs.

It seems that in creating this blog, I may have pre-empted what the Guardian refer to today. This election will be fought, discussed, commented on, and ultimetly won or lost on the internet.

General Election Countdown in Airdrie and Coatbridge

Politics in Airdrie and Coatbridge has traditionally been an open and closed affair. People vote Labour by a huge majority. 59% in Airdrie in 2005; 65% in Coatbridge. They are Labour safe seats, and as such, little to no political debate, dialogue, comment or criticism exists. There exist very few platforms for a constituency-wide debate about local issues. Indeed, the establishment probably feel that this is a good thing.

However, with turnout in both constituencies well below the Scottish and British average, it is clear that there is a widespread disengagement with politics at a local level. Through providing a medium for debate and discourse, I hope this blog will reignite engagement with politics on a local level.

In the lead up to the General Election it is my intention to:

Garner local media attention to this blog and make it the ‘go to place’ for information about the election on a local level.

Organise a ‘get out the vote’ campaign to encourage electoral turnout and participation in the political process.

Organise a candidates’ debate in the run up to the election, allowing for an interaction between candidates, and offering the voters the chance to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate in a relevant political arena.

Connect with voters on the issues that affect them, and put these issues to the candidates.

Undertake in-depth interviews with each candidate, and give voters the opportunity to analyse what the candidates stand for.

Remove the focus from the national, media-driven popularity contest and refocus voters and candidates on local issues that matter.