Murdurr Fraser in bid to lead new 'Independent' Scottish Labour Party

By Eck Spence-Fiddler our Westminster Correspondent

murdurrIn a shocking new development, leading Conservative MSP Murdurr Fraser has become the first politician to announce his intention to stand for leadership of the Labour Party's branch office in Scotlandshire, a post left open by Johann La Mont's sudden resignation last Friday.

Fraser first came to the public attention when he contested the leadership of the Scottish Conservative party following the 2011 Scottish elections, standing on a platform of separating off the Scottish party from London to form a new independent right wing-party to be known as the Scottish Monetarist and Unionist Group (SMUG). He was narrowly defeated by current Tory head girl, Ruth Davidson.

If successful in his leadership bid, this would be the first time the Labour party has been run by a genuine true blue Tory in almost twenty years, not since Tony Blair took over as UK Labour leader making the party suddenly electable in Southern England – a comparison which will not be lost on the current party leadership.

I asked Murdurr why he had taken the decision to stand for the leadership of what is, after all, a completely different party from his own. "We're not so different when you boil it down", he explained, "there is actually far more which unites us than divides us nowadays.

"Over recent years, differences in policy and political stance have been eroded to the point where there is now no discernible gap between our two parties. You could describe our relationship as truly symbiotic – one hand washing the other, so to speak. The Scottish parties in particular have now moved to the point where we truly are Better Together.

daggers"More importantly, as a result of our coalition during the No campaign, Scottish Labour has become accustomed to working for Tories and acting to protect our interests. So formalising the relationship shouldn't cause too many problems.

"But the main reason I think I am the best man for the job is that Labour in Scotlandshire needs some really radical independent thinking if it is to have any chance of survival, never mind revival. It needs to distance itself from London to reverse its current decline and nobody in the current party is bold or pragmatic enough to take that step. That's why they need me.

"Plus, I'm getting fed up of staring at the back of Ruthie's head every Thursday and imagining a stream of daggers coming out of my eyes. It just doesn't do it for me any longer. And this way I can run a party of my very own without even leaving the Tories.

"Now that really is the Best of Both Worlds."


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