The toxic ‘Red Tory’ brand of Scottish Labour is being disguised in the council elections, not least in the Western Isles. Two more of their councillors, defending their seats, have joined a band numbering a dozen Labour Party members standing as independents.
With Councillors Ronald MacKinnon and Donald John ‘DJ’ MacRae now standing as independents, they have left Labour with no official candidates.
McKinnon said, “I’ll always be a member of the Labour Party but, for the good of the islands, I’m going back to standing as an independent as I did when I first joined the council.”
An SNP spokesperson said, “While there is a strong tradition of independent councillors in the Western Isles, the fact that even sitting Labour councillors have ditched the party label suggests that they know their party is completely toxic.”
It has been claimed that councillors have been ordered by their HQ to stand as independents to help Labour cling on to its last vestiges of power.
Dr David Wilson, who had been an SNP candidate in 2012, said, “This could be construed as being deeply dishonest and insulting to the electorate. It is also a damning indictment of the leadership of the Labour Party in Scotland and further confirmation that the party is now in its death throes.”
The Tories didn’t put up any candidates in Comhairle nan Eileen Siar in 2012, but are fielding three this year, although they’ve already had to disown one of them, Ken MacBrayne!
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