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Falkirk is not the first Labour constituency to be dogged by allegations of vote-rigging allegations Glasgow Govan springs to mind when a bitter contest between two competing Labour MPs - Mike Watson and Mohammed Sarwar - resulted in a similar mess, with the loser (Watson) being packed off to the House of Lords.
But Falkirk should be the last time people are able to behave in this ridiculous fashion which is illustrated in an extract of the following article by Jason Allardyce in the Sunday Times.
The note, from Tom Warnett, a Unite official, to Cullinane was sent on October 24 last year. It was in response to his request for advice about Unite paying for new sign-ups in Falkirk.
Warnett told him: “Joining a member by cheque and one they haven’t even written themselves will mean a lot of dropoff after the first year, so it’s not ideal in the long term, but should be OK for the selection.”
The point is that what the union was up to was recruiting people for a particular purpose - voting in the selection contest to decide who would represent Labour in the Falkirk constituency at the next general election.
The problem being that Unite members were being signed up and having their Labour membership fees paid for by the union - in the expectation that their membership would fall away the following year.
Now this may have been within the Labour Party's rules at the time, but any reasonable person would observe that this is a similar excuse to the one used by many honourable members at Westminster - during the MPs' expenses scandal.
In other words - a complete scam.
Scots Labour chief’s Falkirk link
Labour chair linked to Falkirk fiasco
By Jason Allardyce
Jackson Cullinane, Scots lab chair who is also political officer for Unite union
LABOUR’S Scottish chairman played a key role in support of the Unite union activist at the heart of the Falkirk vote-rigging scandal, emails seen by The Sunday Times indicate.
Jackson Cullinane, who is also a senior Unite official, also appears to have bolstered Karie Murphy’s position despite warnings from the party’s top Scottish official.
The emails show he was involved in the campaign to sign up union members to the party to boost Murphy’s prospects in the race to succeed Eric Joyce as the area’s MP.
They indicate that he also suggested that Brian Roy, at the time Labour’s acting Scottish general secretary, drop plans to bar these new recruits from voting — warning that to do so would anger Len McCluskey, the leader of Unite, which is Labour’s biggest donor.
Cullinane, a Unite regional political officer, later reassured Roy when he told him that he was “getting serious complaints” about Murphy as infighting gripped the local party and the selection battle threatened to get “out of hand”.
Earlier this month The Sunday Times disclosed secret contents of a Labour inquiry into alleged electoral corruption in Unite’s battle to seize control of the safe Labour seat.
Investigators saw indications of forgery, coercion, trickery and manipulation.
Unite has been accused of conspiring to rig the selection by signing up people as party members without their knowledge. However, the union denies the claims.
Ed Miliband, leader of the UK Labour party, was forced to abandon the inquiry after a dirty tricks campaign by Unite apparently led key witnesses to withdraw their evidence.
The latest disclosures put pressure on Johann Lamont, the Scottish party leader, to give a full account of the role that senior colleagues played in the Falkirk affair.
Last week The Sunday Times linked the Scottish Labour chairman to the affair for the first time, with the publication of an email suggesting some members were signed up by Unite primarily for the selection battle — in the knowledge that memberships were likely to lapse after a year.
The note, from Tom Warnett, a Unite official, to Cullinane was sent on October 24 last year. It was in response to his request for advice about Unite paying for new sign-ups in Falkirk.
Warnett told him: “Joining a member by cheque and one they haven’t even written themselves will mean a lot of dropoff after the first year, so it’s not ideal in the long term, but should be OK for the selection.”
Labour’s rule book prohibits recruitment “to manipulate party processes”.
Emails relating to the contest, which include communications between Murphy and Cullinane, make clear the Scottish Labour chairman’s role as a key supporter of her bid.
On October 16 last year, Murphy told Cullinane that in the absence of a campaign manager she was channelling all requests for help through him and Stevie Deans, Murphy’s key ally and then local party chairman.
Deans and Murphy were suspended by Labour earlier this year as the party investigated vote-rigging claims but then reinstated after key evidence was withdrawn by inquiry witnesses. They deny any suggestion of wrongdoing.
Emails show Murphy advised Cullinane that her campaign priorities included an “urgent” need to recruit friends and family in the area.
Two months later, with recruitment under way, the party’s acting Scottish general secretary advised him at a meeting that normal Labour procedures, which aim to prevent a surge of members joining in order to influence selection contests, would apply in Falkirk.
It meant that anyone who had joined less than six months before March this year would be barred from voting and that this rule “would exclude some newly recruited Unite members”.
Jackson, who became the party’s Scottish chairman in March, reported back to Murphy and Deans: “I responded by expressing concern that this would undermine our strategy generally [to get Unite members to join and be active in the party] if the first thing they are told is that they cannot participate in the selection of their candidate. I also highlighted that Len [McCluskey] took time to come to Falkirk as part of the strategy and therefore may not be best pleased if our strategy was undermined in this way.”
With Unite figures running the local party, Cullinane also advised Murphy in February this year on how Unite could fund a controversial local party survey on whether there should be an all-female shortlist in the contest — wiping out any of her potential male challengers.
The prospect of such a survey infuriated rival candidates, leading to claims of an attempted stitch-up. It was conducted but later ruled null and void by Labour headquarters.
With Labour’s Scottish officials growing concerned about tensions in the local party, Roy raised doubts directly with Cullinane about Murphy’s involvement in the selection process. In an email to Cullinane on February 19, Labour’s acting general secretary said complaints were being made about Murphy attending meetings of the Falkirk constituency Labour party (CLP) and its executive “when she is not even a member of the CLP”.
He added: “This is on top of the previous issues around non-notification of meetings and unconstitutional election of office bearers.”
Roy told Cullinane he wanted face-to-face talks on the issue with Deans “before it gets out of hand”. However, he responded by assuring him that “the immediate issue” causing concerns had been “resolved” following talks between Deans and one of Roy’s colleagues.
In July, Miliband called in the police amid claims Unite was involved in vote-rigging to secure the selection of its favoured candidate. Police decided there was insufficient evidence to bring a criminal case against anyone for fraud.
Police Scotland are considering a new request for a criminal investigation after the cache of emails shed fresh light on the tactics used by Unite to pack the local party with members supportive of its candidate — and revealed its plot to thwart Miliband’s inquiry.
Michael Matheson, the Scottish National party MSP for Falkirk West, said the evidence about the Scottish Labour chairman’s role “piles yet more pressure on Johann Lamont”.
He added: “Her silence on this multi-layered scandal is becoming deafening and a complete embarrassment to the Labour party in Scotland.”
Cullinane refused to answer questions on the matter other than to say The Sunday Times had misrepresented his position. Unite refused to respond.
A spokesman for Scottish Labour said: “All these issues have been fully investigated. The local party is currently in special measures and we are now focused on selecting a new candidate next month who can win the support of the people of Falkirk.”
LABOUR’S Scottish chairman played a key role in support of the Unite union activist at the heart of the Falkirk vote-rigging scandal, emails seen by The Sunday Times indicate.
Jackson Cullinane, who is also a senior Unite official, also appears to have bolstered Karie Murphy’s position despite warnings from the party’s top Scottish official.
The emails show he was involved in the campaign to sign up union members to the party to boost Murphy’s prospects in the race to succeed Eric Joyce as the area’s MP.
They indicate that he also suggested that Brian Roy, at the time Labour’s acting Scottish general secretary, drop plans to bar these new recruits from voting — warning that to do so would anger Len McCluskey, the leader of Unite, which is Labour’s biggest donor.
Cullinane, a Unite regional political officer, later reassured Roy when he told him that he was “getting serious complaints” about Murphy as infighting gripped the local party and the selection battle threatened to get “out of hand”.
Earlier this month The Sunday Times disclosed secret contents of a Labour inquiry into alleged electoral corruption in Unite’s battle to seize control of the safe Labour seat.
Investigators saw indications of forgery, coercion, trickery and manipulation.
Unite has been accused of conspiring to rig the selection by signing up people as party members without their knowledge. However, the union denies the claims.
Ed Miliband, leader of the UK Labour party, was forced to abandon the inquiry after a dirty tricks campaign by Unite apparently led key witnesses to withdraw their evidence.
The latest disclosures put pressure on Johann Lamont, the Scottish party leader, to give a full account of the role that senior colleagues played in the Falkirk affair.
Last week The Sunday Times linked the Scottish Labour chairman to the affair for the first time, with the publication of an email suggesting some members were signed up by Unite primarily for the selection battle — in the knowledge that memberships were likely to lapse after a year.
The note, from Tom Warnett, a Unite official, to Cullinane was sent on October 24 last year. It was in response to his request for advice about Unite paying for new sign-ups in Falkirk.
Warnett told him: “Joining a member by cheque and one they haven’t even written themselves will mean a lot of dropoff after the first year, so it’s not ideal in the long term, but should be OK for the selection.”
Labour’s rule book prohibits recruitment “to manipulate party processes”.
Emails relating to the contest, which include communications between Murphy and Cullinane, make clear the Scottish Labour chairman’s role as a key supporter of her bid.
On October 16 last year, Murphy told Cullinane that in the absence of a campaign manager she was channelling all requests for help through him and Stevie Deans, Murphy’s key ally and then local party chairman.
Deans and Murphy were suspended by Labour earlier this year as the party investigated vote-rigging claims but then reinstated after key evidence was withdrawn by inquiry witnesses. They deny any suggestion of wrongdoing.
Emails show Murphy advised Cullinane that her campaign priorities included an “urgent” need to recruit friends and family in the area.
Two months later, with recruitment under way, the party’s acting Scottish general secretary advised him at a meeting that normal Labour procedures, which aim to prevent a surge of members joining in order to influence selection contests, would apply in Falkirk.
It meant that anyone who had joined less than six months before March this year would be barred from voting and that this rule “would exclude some newly recruited Unite members”.
Jackson, who became the party’s Scottish chairman in March, reported back to Murphy and Deans: “I responded by expressing concern that this would undermine our strategy generally [to get Unite members to join and be active in the party] if the first thing they are told is that they cannot participate in the selection of their candidate. I also highlighted that Len [McCluskey] took time to come to Falkirk as part of the strategy and therefore may not be best pleased if our strategy was undermined in this way.”
With Unite figures running the local party, Cullinane also advised Murphy in February this year on how Unite could fund a controversial local party survey on whether there should be an all-female shortlist in the contest — wiping out any of her potential male challengers.
The prospect of such a survey infuriated rival candidates, leading to claims of an attempted stitch-up. It was conducted but later ruled null and void by Labour headquarters.
With Labour’s Scottish officials growing concerned about tensions in the local party, Roy raised doubts directly with Cullinane about Murphy’s involvement in the selection process. In an email to Cullinane on February 19, Labour’s acting general secretary said complaints were being made about Murphy attending meetings of the Falkirk constituency Labour party (CLP) and its executive “when she is not even a member of the CLP”.
He added: “This is on top of the previous issues around non-notification of meetings and unconstitutional election of office bearers.”
Roy told Cullinane he wanted face-to-face talks on the issue with Deans “before it gets out of hand”. However, he responded by assuring him that “the immediate issue” causing concerns had been “resolved” following talks between Deans and one of Roy’s colleagues.
In July, Miliband called in the police amid claims Unite was involved in vote-rigging to secure the selection of its favoured candidate. Police decided there was insufficient evidence to bring a criminal case against anyone for fraud.
Police Scotland are considering a new request for a criminal investigation after the cache of emails shed fresh light on the tactics used by Unite to pack the local party with members supportive of its candidate — and revealed its plot to thwart Miliband’s inquiry.
Michael Matheson, the Scottish National party MSP for Falkirk West, said the evidence about the Scottish Labour chairman’s role “piles yet more pressure on Johann Lamont”.
He added: “Her silence on this multi-layered scandal is becoming deafening and a complete embarrassment to the Labour party in Scotland.”
Cullinane refused to answer questions on the matter other than to say The Sunday Times had misrepresented his position. Unite refused to respond.
A spokesman for Scottish Labour said: “All these issues have been fully investigated. The local party is currently in special measures and we are now focused on selecting a new candidate next month who can win the support of the people of Falkirk.”
