A polarising debate around independence, the SNP embracing Nato & the Queen, Labour flip-flopping on tuition fees while toughening its stance on immigration and the Lib Dems continuing to find difficulty in balancing its principles with the reality of coalition Government are all contributing to perhaps the most turbulent period the political grass roots switching party identity in recent memory.
Despite the strict (some would say slavish) obedience to party lines within both of the UK’s Parliaments, it would not be altogether surprising if an MSP or MP had a quiet conversation with her or his self over the next few years and decided to defect to another party. It may be a hypothetical question for an issue that may never arise, but, in such circumstances, should the politician in question resign and fight a by-election under their new party colours?
There is no legal requirement to do so of course, but as the Jimmy Carr debacle has shown, that doesn’t necessarily make the rights or wrongs of a decision quite so clear cut.
More than ever before, elections are decided by the leaders at the helm of each party. The consistent swing from one party to another across the majority of constituencies at both Holyrood and Westminster is evidence enough of this. The SNP didn’t hammer Labour in constituency after constituency because they picked a raft of dazzling political individuals to stand as candidates, though I’m sure there are several in their number; it was because they had better policies as a party and Salmond appeared to make for a better FM than Iain Gray would have. They also had a massive spending warchest, but we don’t need to pick that old wound again.
So, the old adage that you could put a monkey in a red rosette in parts of Scotland and still win the election was brought to a swift end over the past year. I’m not even necessarily referring to the landslide victory in May 2011 here. After all, isn’t there a new adage? You could put an (alleged) wife-beater in an SNP rosette and still get him elected. Yes, that’s right, I went there…
The case of Bill Walker going from the SNP to an Independent MSP may be as close as we get to a defection at this parliamentary sitting. Nevertheless, it would be beneficial to have even an unofficially understood code of conduct around how any defections going forwards could take place. My particular bone of contention around this would protrude quite glaringly if Labour or the SNP (or whoever) were to accept an MSP or MP from a party after they had crossed the floor. If, as seems to be very much the case, the electorate vote for parties rather than people at the ballot box, is there not a moral duty for politicians, fed up with the party that got them elected, to resign and fight a by-election, if they wish to switch party?
For me, there absolutely is.
Perhaps there’s a clue from the first person to ever cross the floor at Westminster. In 1698, John Grubham Howe moved from the Whigs to the Tories. His nickname, I like to think… Howe Grubby.
#1 by Bill Pickford on July 4, 2012 - 5:15 pm
While not exactly top of the dung-heap in political terms, here in deepest, darkest East Ayrshire we have already had the first mutterings of a Labour councillor defecting to the SNP. The councillor in question has had enough of the Labour Group leader, a woman who makes Maggie Thatcher look like Mother Theresa.
Also in East Ayrshire, it seems that the days of the dugs wi’ red rosettes are over – in a former rock-solid Labour ward one of Labour’s senior activists is telling anyone who’ll listen that, “The SNP will be in power here for 20 years!”
#2 by Chris on July 4, 2012 - 8:16 pm
I think defections from one party to another is usually the act of a political junkie or of someone whose career is on the rocks in their home party.
The likes of Margo MacDonald, Clare Short or Denis Canavan who left their home party without a damascene (cliche alert) conversion are far more honourable than the councillors, MPs an
#3 by Chris on July 4, 2012 - 8:25 pm
Sorry I am writing this from Khartoum and the connection went down
… MPs and MSPs who jump straight from one party to another. I left Labour for about 8 years from the start of the Iraq war to just in time to vote for Ed Miliband to be leader. It would have been absurd for me to have joined another political party. Could I claim to be an environmentalist more than a socialist? Could I have joined the LibDems and pretended not to be a socialist? Could I join a left-wing cult and pledge my life and a tenth of my income to the SWP or CP? No, of course not.
So does a Labour Councillor in East Ayrshire get so annoyed by the council leader that she pretends to believe in independence to keep her seat?
#4 by Indy on July 5, 2012 - 8:02 am
I think it is more complicated than that. Don’t underestimate how difficult it is to “jump ship”. When you are really involved in a party i.e. when you have campaigned in election after election, attended meeting after meeting and fundraiser after fundraiser it’s not just a political party you are leaving, it’s friends and colleagues that you have a very deep bond with. I doubt it is as easy as some people think to walk away from that and join another party. Of course there will always be a combination of factors behind someone leaving one party and joining another but it is never done lightly I would suggest or for one simple reason.
#5 by Jeff on July 5, 2012 - 1:20 pm
I’m sympathetic to that Indy. It doesn’t change the fact, or my opinion at least, that the public are being short-changed of they vote for a Party X politician and end up with one from Party Y.
#6 by Indy on July 6, 2012 - 9:57 am
Yes I agree on that point.
#7 by James on July 5, 2012 - 10:24 am
My favourite nickname of this sort was for Hartley Shawcross, who became known as Sir Shortly Floorcross.
#8 by Commenter on July 5, 2012 - 11:58 am
That’s a great nickname. Interesting to read on wikipedia that when he was given that name he hadn’t ever defected, although later, as a lord, he supported the SDP. Still – the nickname was so good, it deserved to be used.
#9 by Douglas McLellan on July 5, 2012 - 10:29 am
I disagree with the need for a by-election. Whilst it is true that people tend to vote for parties there is also a personal vote element that is important. Furthermore, as has been argued by Labour for example, that since they lost the last election their manifesto is no longer a valid document. So at what point does the moral duty kick in and why?
#10 by James on July 5, 2012 - 10:37 am
I agree with Douglas. Relatedly, the way AMS handles resignations/imprisonments/deaths is awkward. I agree that a constituency MSP should be replaced by by-election, and that a list MSP should be replaced from the list, but it’s hardly very tidy. Even (effectively) AV for an STV vacancy isn’t great – if the departing councillor got elected third or fourth on a party effort that party is likely to lose to whoever was elected first or second.
#11 by Indy on July 6, 2012 - 10:02 am
I don’t really buy the personal vote thing in most cases. But neither do I think a by-election should be automatic. For me it would depend on the timing of the defection. E.g. If someone defected a year after they were elected then I think there should be a by-election – and that would allow the personal vote theory to be put to the test if they stood as a candidate. But if they defected a year before the next scheduled election then I think a by-election would be a waste of time.
#12 by Jim Bennett on July 5, 2012 - 11:57 am
Interesting article, a couple of points:
– Steve Cardownie was a prime defection from Labour to SNP. I knew him from the old CPSA union and his main interest was never socialism, democratic leftism or nationalism…it was Steve Cardownie. I think many party to party defections will be in this light. The contributor who highlighted Margo, Denis et al made a good point.
– re alleged wife beaters. The point is here that he is an alleged wife beater. whereas a very senior labour figure in the Fife Labour Party was actually known as “basher”. He had two convictions for domestic abuse and still held his Labour Council positions. Labour also had at least two councillors convicted for sectarian abuse and still held their positions (0ne was the equal opps spokesman on his council!).
My point? It’s wrong to single out one party’s alleged perpetrator and not point out the actual convicted criminals on anothers memebership.
#13 by Jeff on July 5, 2012 - 1:24 pm
Thanks Jim. The post wasn’t meant to single out any one party as being more problematic than another. I hope it didn’t come over that way.
#14 by Cath on July 5, 2012 - 4:43 pm
This is an odd situation and one I’ve been wondering about. The SNP are obviously a pro-independence party. People might vote for them for other reasons and not be pro-independence, but it’s highly unlikely any of their elected members would cross the floor on the independence issue.
However for parties like the Lib Dems, Labour and the Tories, the issue must be far thornier. They call themselves “unionist parties” and are on the “no” side of the campaign. But for many within the party – potentially elected members included – this would not have been their reason for joining, and they may well be sympathetic, supportive, or convincible to independence.
What do they do if they wish to argue against their party’s line? Cross over, become independents, or stick within the party and argue for what they believe is right?
As a voter, I would have no disrespect for a politician who genuinely did any of the above and – given the uniqueness of this issue – I wouldn’t be bothered whether there was a by-election. I’d only lose respect for a politician who honestly believed one thing but stayed in a party and argued against because it was the party line. That really would be the worst kind of careerism. I’m sure politicians do it all the time, but this issue and the debate over the next two years is too important.