Organisation of the Scottish Labour Party

The Organisation of the Scottish Labour Party is a body established under the national rules of the UK Labour Party.

Scottish Executive Committee

The Scottish Executive Committee is the governing body of the Scottish Labour Party, responsible for administrative matters and strategic policy direction. The SEC officially meets every second month, with much of day to day party business and operations undertaken in groups and commissions.^[1]

Sub-committees

• Local Government Sub-Committee
• Constitution Working Group
• Fundraising Working Group
• Campaigns Working Group

SEC Members

The SEC has three different sections – CLPs (members), Elected Members and Trade Unions & Affiliates.

Office Bearers

• Jamie Glackin – Chair of the Scottish Labour Party
• Jacqueline Martin– Vice Chair
• Cathy Peattie – Treasurer

Elected Members

• Kezia Dugdale – Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
• Alex Rowley – Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
• Ian Murray – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
• Catherine Stihler – European Parliamentary Labour Group
• Rhondda Geekie – COSLA Labour Group Leader & Leader of Renfrewshire Council
• Stephen McCabe – Leader of Inverclyde Council
• Mary Fee – Scottish Parliament Group Representative
• Duncan McNeil – Scottish Parliament Group Representative
• Michael McCann – UK Parliament Group Representative

CLP Section (Membership)

• Helen Doyle – West of Scotland/Mid Scotland & Fife
• Jamie Glackin – West of Scotland/Mid Scotland & Fife
• Willie Young – NE Scotland/Highlands & Islands
• Linda Stewart – NE Scotland/Highlands & Islands
• Cathie Craigie – Central Scotland/Glasgow
• Scott Nicholson – Central Scotland/Glasgow
• Jalal Chaudry – Lothians/South of Scotland
• Hannah Lister – Lothians/South of Scotland

Trade Union Section

• Jackson Cullinane – Unite
• Cathy Peattie – CWU
• Elizabeth-Anne Handibode – Unison
• Richard Leonard – GMB
• Dave Watson – Unison
• Jacqueline Martin – USDAW
• Kevin Lindsay – ASLEF
• Harry Frew UCATT
• Vicky Grandon Unite
• Cathy Murphy GMB

Co-operative Party & Socialist Societies

• Amy Chung – Socialist Societies
• Ian Miller – Co-op Party

Scottish Young Labour

• Joe Fagan
• Erin Mulhatton

Chairs of the Scottish Labour Party

• 2014 Jamie Glackin
• 2013 Jackson Cullinane
• 2011–12 Victoria Jamieson
• 2010 Philomena Muggins
• 2009 Claudia Beamish
• 2008 Dave Watson
• 2007 Stuart Clark
• 2006 Karie Murphy
• 2005 Sandra Macdonald
• 2004 Pat Devine
• 2003 Carol Wright
• 2002 Carol Wright

Vice Chairs of the Scottish Labour Party

• 2013 Jamie Glackin
• 2011–12 Jackson Cullinane
• 2010 Victoria Jamieson
• 2009 Philomena Muggins
• 2008 Claudia Beamish
• 2007 Dave Watson
• 2006 Stuart Clark
• 2005 Karie Murphy
• 2004 Sandra Macdonald
• 2003 Pat Devine
• 2002 Richard Leonard

Scottish Policy Forum

The Scottish Policy Forum (SPF) is a body of the Scottish Labour Party responsible for developing a rolling policy programme on devolved matters.^[2]

The Scottish Annual Conference approves policies of the SPF programme every year with the Scottish Executive Committee (in conjunction with a committee from the Scottish Parliament Labour Group) deciding which items of the programme are to be incorporated in Labour's manifesto for the Scottish Parliament elections.

The SPF policy-making process is led by the 80 members elected from all sections of the party. The SPF establishes policy commissions to draw together policy discussion documents for consultation over three stages.

The SPF is subordinate and feeds reports to the National Policy Forum.

General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party

The General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, subordinate to the General Secretary of the Labour Party, is the administrative head and the most senior permanent staff member of the Scottish Labour Party.

The General Secretary is responsible for running the party's organisation: legal affairs, staff management, campaigns, conferences, and liaising with the UK party.

The General Secretary also acts as the Registered Treasurer, responsible for the party's financial accounts.

General Secretaries

• 1977–1988: Helen Liddell^[3]
• 1988–1992: Murray Elder^[4]
• 1992–1998: Jack McConnell^[5][6][7]
• 1998–1999: Alex Rowley^{[8][9][10][11]}
• 1999–2008: Lesley Quinn^[12]
• 2008-2012: Colin Smyth
• 2012-2013: Brian Roy (acting)
• 2013-2014: Ian Price
• 2014: Fiona Stanton (acting)
• 2014 - : Brian Roy^[13]

Jack McConnell

Left his General Secretary role in 1998 to work for 9 months at a lobbying firm Public Affairs Europe Ltd, which was a joint venture between Beattie Media and Scottish law firm Maclay Murray & Spens.^[14] In 1999, he entered Holyrood as Motherwell and Wishaw MSP. Became First Minister of Scotland in 2001. Elevated to House of Lords as Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale in 2010.^[15]

Alex Rowley

General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party (1 May 1998 – 31 May 1999). Rowley was sacked as general secretary after setting out proposals for giving it more freedom from London control.^[16] He went on to become a Fife councillor, Leader of the Council, and then MSP for Cowdenbeath. He is now Deputy Leader of the Party

Lesley Quinn

Lesley Quinn, joined the Labour Party as a 16-year-old junior shorthand typist.^[17][18] Assistant General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, became acting general secretary in June 1999 to co-ordinate the party's 1999 European election campaign.^[19] November 1999, formally appointed as General Secretary of Scottish Labour Party. Quinn stood down at the 2008 Scottish Labour conference in Aviemore in March.

Colin Smyth

Colin Smyth. Dumfries and Galloway councillor (Nith Ward)^[20]

Staff

• Press Office^[21]
  • Media Monitoring Unit^[22]
  • Rebuttal Unit
  • Regional press teams
• Research Unit (policy and constitutional issues)
• administrative support
• Scottish Parliamentary Labour Support Unit (formerly SPLP Resource Unit)^[23]

Director of Communications

The Director of Communications for the Scottish Labour Party

• 1998 April/May: Paul McKinney^[24][25]
• 1998 July −1999 July: Lorraine Davidson^[26]
• 2000 February −2002: John Scott^[27]
• 2001–2005: Colin Edgar^[28][29]
• 2006–2007: Steven Lawther^[30]
• 2007: Brian Lironi^[31]
• 2007: Matthew Marr^[32]
• 2007: Gavin Yates^[33]
• 2007-8: Tony McElroy^{[34][35][36][37]}
• 2008: Rami Okasha

Paul McKinney

Paul McKinney was the Director of Communications for seven weeks (April 1998 to 21 May 1998), having been headhunted by Donald Dewar and Gordon Brown.^[38] He ran the Labour party's Scottish press campaign in the 1992 UK general election; four years as an aide/researcher to Gordon Brown, worked with Pat McFadden and David Miliband; head of STV new production^[39] Returned to STV. Left STV in 2004. Worked for Oxfam before joining Al Jazeera in 2006.

Lorraine Davidson

Lorraine Davidson became Director of Communications two weeks after Paul McKinney unexpectedly quit. Davidson was previously STV's Westminster correspondent until 1997 when she joined BBC's political unit. Her partner was then South Lanarkshire council leader Tom McCabe, who later became an MSP.^[40]

Deputy Director of Communications

• 1998–1999: Ian Austin.^[41][42] 1999–2005: Chancellor Gordon Brown's press officer.

Scottish Election Campaign Staff, 1999

Secondments

• Matthew Taylor (Labour politician), 1999 election strategist
• Douglas Alexander, 1999 election coordinator

Scottish Strategy Group

Labour's Scottish Strategy Group for the 1999 Scottish Parliament election:^{[43][44][45][46][47][48][49]}

• Donald Dewar, Scottish Secretary
• Gordon Brown, UK Chancellor
• Brian Wilson, Scotland Office Minister of State
• John Reid, Minister of State for Transport
• Alex Rowley, party's General Secretary
• Paul McKinney, party's Head of Communications

Other staff

• Lesley Quinn, party's Assistant General Secretary
• David Whitton, Special Adviser to Dewar for media
• Pat McFadden, policy researcher to Dewar
• John Rowan, Scottish Telephone Bank Organiser^[50]
• Hilary Perrin (tours)
• Bridget Sweeny (visits)
• lan Austin (Press)
• Ed Miliband (rebuttal)
• John Rafferty, Campaign Co-ordinator and finance (Dewar's chief of staff)
• AnnMarie Whyte, office manager (Admin staff)
• Kevin Reid, campaigner/media monitoring officer (former parliamentary researcher for Dr John Reid)
• Suzanne Hilliard, campaigner/media monitoring^[51] (assistant to John Reid and John Maxton)
• Chris Winslow, campaigner (John Maxton's parliamentary researcher)
• Willie Sullivan, Development Officer

Scottish Election Campaign, 2007

• John McTernan, election coordinator^[52]
• Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister
• Gordon Brown, UK Chancellor
• Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for Scotland
• Jack McConnell, First Minister of Scotland

Scottish Parliament Elections

2011^[53]

• Leader: Iain Gray MSP
• Spokesman: Simon Pia
• Speechwriter: Michael Marra
• Campaign co-ordinator: John Park MSP
• Campaign strategist: Tom Greatrex MP
• Press Officer: Kenny Young
• General Secretary: Colin Smyth
• Head of Communications: Rami Okasha
• Head of Research: Sarah Metcalfe^[54]
• Diary secretary: Adele Black
• Assistant and Election agent: Pat Gordon

Campaign Finance

Expenditure:

• 2010 UK general election: £968,000^[55]

Donors

• Brian Dempsey (businessman)
• Willie Haughey
• John Milligan

Former staff

Special Advisers to the Scottish Secretary

Donald Dewar (1997–1999):

• Wendy Alexander^[56]
• Murray Elder
• David Whitton

Junior Ministers: McLeish, Wilson/Liddell^[57]

Special Advisers to the First Minister

Donald Dewar (1999–2000):^[58]

• John Rafferty, chief of staff^[59][60] (former election campaign coordinator)
• Philip Chalmers, head of the Scottish Executive's strategic communications unit ^[61] (previously, director of polling and marketing for the Scottish Labour Party)
• David Whitton
• Brian Fitzpatrick
• John MacLaren
• Professor Donald Maclennan
• Neil Gillam
• Chris Winslow (former parliamentary researcher for John Maxton MP)

Timeline

Origins and evolution of the Scottish Labour Party

• In August 1888, after contesting the Mid Lanarkshire by-election, Keir Hardie co-founded with Liberal MP Robert Cunninghame-Graham the Scottish Labour Party (1888) with the support of the Scottish Miners' Federation, local trade unions, the Dundee Radical Association, the Scottish Home Rule Association, Crofters Party MPs, and the Scottish Land Restoration League.
• In December 1888, the Scottish Socialist Federation (SSF) was formed by members of the Social Democratic Federation.
• In August 1891, the Scottish United Trades Councils Labour Party (SUTCLP) was formed.
• In July 1892 general election, the SUTCLP gained support from the SSF.
• In January 1893, Keir Hardie and others formed the Independent Labour Party (ILP).
• In March 1893, the SUTCLP dissolved, advising members to join the ILP.
• In 1893, the Scottish Socialist Federation affiliated with the ILP.
• In 1894, the Scottish Labour Party of 1888 had by then made little impact and dissolved itself into the ILP.
• In March 1897, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) was formed in Glasgow, as a result of a political dispute with the TUC regarding political representation for the Labour movement.
• In 1899, the STUC with the ILP's Scottish branch formed the parliamentary campaign group Scottish Workers' Representation Committee (SWRC)
• In 1900, the ILP played a central role in the formation of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) which was created by ILP Chairman Hardie's motion to create a single Labour parliamentary body that was passed at a special conference organised by the TUC. ILP nominee Ramsay MacDonald was elected as Secretary of the LRC.
• In 1906, the LRC is renamed the Labour Party, with the ILP becoming a Labour party affiliate and providing much of its activist base.
• In 1909, the SWRC was dissolved and merged with the Labour Party.
• In 1915, a subordinate Scottish Advisory Council (SAC) was formed by the Labour Party.
• In 1918, Scotland was formalised a "region" in the Labour party constitution and the SAC was renamed as the Scottish Council of the Labour Party
• In 1994, the Scottish Council of the Labour Party was renamed the Scottish Labour Party.
• In 2011, the Scottish Labour Party carried out a review of its organisation and elected its first ever overall leader (Johann Lamont).

Structure

• UK Labour Party Head Office, London
  • UK Labour Leader's Office
• UK National Executive Committee
  • Scottish Labour Party Head Office, Glasgow
    • Scottish Labour Leader's Office
    • Scottish Executive Committee
      • Affiliated STUC trade unions, socialist societies and the Co-operative Party
      • Scottish Policy Forum
        • Policy commissions & local policy forums
      • Scottish Labour Conference
    • Scottish Labour Press Office
    • Labour Support Unit, Scottish Parliament
  • Constituency Labour Parties (CLP)
    • Branch Labour Parties (BLP)

Party finance

Year	Income	Expenditure
2010	706,738	599,951
2009	387,722	307,925
2008	396,159	455,699
2007	1,029,358	940,851
2006	396,777	471,698
2005	523,523	437,219
2004	318,609	305,120
2003	858,547	920,233
2002	353,342	320,669

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External links

• Report of the Scottish Policy Forum – The Scottish Labour Party
• Ideas for a fairer Scotland – second stage consultation document

Books

• Hassan, Gerry (2004) (ed.) The Scottish Labour Party. Edinburgh University Press.