McConnell's legacy
Just back from the Jack McConnell news conference - and thought Iβd offer a brief burst of bloggery to stir the pot.
Might pitch in rather more later.
Youβll know this if you were watching the telly last night (ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ, of course) but McConnell, J has decided to step down as Scottish Labour leader.
Heβs taking up an (unpaid) role with the Clinton Hunter foundation helping to improve the education prospects of some of the worldβs poorest kids in Malawi and Rwanda.
(The Hunter is Sir Tom Hunter, Scottish entrepreneur par excellence; the Clinton is . . . well, you know who he is.)
But Jack McC will stay as an MSP. He may, perhaps, at some stage, be offered a place in the House of Lords as well.
But the red benches donβt beckon yet.
Probably just as well. It would have smacked rather too much of Westminster patronage at this stage.
The former first minister probably feels he had enough tender attention from Westminster during the recent Holyrood elections.
Did he have to go? Probably yes, although some insiders were urging otherwise. Whether it was (entirely) his fault or not, he lost the election.
Alex Salmond didnβt gain an overall majority - or even a stable coalition. But Labour lost. He lost.
Is his record entitled to command respect? Mostly, yes.
He stabilised devolution (and Scottish Labour) after an extremely turbulent period. He voiced ambition for Scotland over issues like reversing population decline, tackling sectarianism and increasing Scotlandβs stake in global affairs. Notably in Malawi where he will now work.
Who will take over? Wendy Alexander. She may take over unopposed (but donβt be on it.)
Labour will decide the timetable tomorrow. If thereβs no contest, expect a new leader within a month. If there is, stretch that to two.
I'm 
Comments
Jack McConnell did hold onto office only long enough so he could exercise his revenge on Alex Salmond and the SNP; no amount of charity work will mask the vindictiveness of this third choice ex First Minister.
Jack McConnellβs legacy is to be found in the West Coast of Scotland, benefits he stage-managed to the detriment of the majority of Scotland; we can only hope that all First Ministers in future, irrespective of political party will have learned from the errors of Jackβs ways.
A seat in the House of Lords, how ridiculous, although this would not be unexpected, it would be clearly as a thank you for following Labourβs London policies and for continuing to operate Scotland as a testing ground for policies before they are introduced into England.
Let us hope that once enough time has passed to make such an appointment less obvious as βWestminster patronageβ that greatest anathema in a democratic country, the House of Lords has been removed and replaced with a publicly elected reviewing chamber.
Wendy Alexander will be a gift for the SNP; I feel such an appointment would not be a good move for a political party who are planning their revival.
Thanks for the efforts Jack - to try to tackle sectariansim and the smoking ban - both good things that you will be rightly remembered for.
What you were unfortunately caught up in was the efforts by your London colleagues to manage Scotland. I think your instincts weere to be more overtly pro--Scottish but you were ham-strung by being in too close trawl to them . What's best for London, England and the Uk is not always what was best for Scotland - and I think you should have followed your instincts and stood up for us.
That aside - you were not the worst ... and gave us a bit of stability after poor old Henry.
I hope you will now become a fierce advocate for your country as opposed to your party - your overseas efforts are to be commended and good luck with those.
One thing though -admirable that your work in Malawi will be - can you give your full attention to Motherwell and Wishaw from that distance ?? Resign your seat Jack and let someone in that can represent the good people of Lanarkshire ... ( isn't that what your colleagues are advising the First Minister to do ) ...
All the best
I fear for us in Scotland at the prospect of the Alexander clan coming to power! Good to see that 'cronysim' is alive an well in the Labour ranks. So much for best person for the job.
Westminster patronage? At the tail end of the news, it mentioned that Jack is to be the next High Commissionner in Malawi in 2009!
But it appears that his constituency will have a part-time MSP as how can he combine his role in education in Malawi and Rwanda?
Surely this is treating his constituents with contempt?
The timing of this merely shows Labour for what it is - an organisation still obsessed with controlling the media by any and all possible means.
McConnell could have announced this at any time following the election, but instead Labour leaks his intention to go on the day of the Government's "Conversation" launch, presumably hoping to snatch the headlines of the evening news bulletins and following morning's front pages.
Well done Jack & Co, you succeeded, but only in showing yourselves for what you really are. Your cynical attempts at media manipulation do not go unnoticed.
Thanks Jack for the smoking ban, the attempts to tackle sectarianism, and the small but worthy aid budget for Africa.
Apart from that - you achieved mediocrity at best. Alongside the managerial 'do less, better' approach, you just held Scotland back, talked us down and led the most ridiculously negative election campaign I can remember.
Ahhh the joys of being a Scot in these heady liberated days of a Labour-free administration. Alex's achievements in 100 days just put into context the lack of ambition over the previous 8 years.
Once you've tasted a bit of freedom...
Jack McConnell had to go. Labour needs someone who can best Alec Salmond across the chamber and the former FM never really had the skills.
Mr McConnell's legacy is not shining, but there are some things - the smoking ban, African aid - of which he can be proud. He was not the most charismatic of leaders nor was he able to resist influence from Westminster. However, given the difficulty of the circumstances surrounding his accession to the post of First Minister, he didn't do too bad a job at all.
I am not a Labour supporter, but I always thought Jack McC's heart was basically int he right place as FM. Not perfect by any means, but no politician is. And he has lots to his credit, and I think history will recognise that.
It'd be really nice if, just for once, we could forego the outpouring of bile from the kneejerk WebNats on this one. We probably won't, of course!
McConnell has been advertising himself for weeks in the run-up to the resignation in the hope of a job. The dogs in the street know this and it was widely reported. It looks as though no-one in the labour establishment was willing to give him anything so now he's stuck with the old routine of working free for a charity until he's given some crumbs from the gravy train, and then maybe the House of Lords. Doesn't say much for McConnell or his 'friends', does it?
Jacks legacy, do you not have to achieve something to leave a legacy? One smoking ban after 5 years some legacy.
Jack said he wanted to do less better, in reality he did nothing spectacularly well.
Hope if he try,s to reduce class sizes in Malawi he will do better than his attempt in Scotland. Still he can fall back on Labours trick, if a school is still failing and nothing is happening to improve it he can always call it a School of Distinction.
Having not quite achieved his objective of turning Scotland into a third world country I read he is to be nominated as the next British High Commissioner to Malawi presumably so he can determine where he went wrong.
How typical of a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland correspondant to laud the career of a Labour failure.
FACT: Scotland's economic growth lags behind that of the rest of the UK, something "Oor Jack", as I'm sure the Labour rags that pass for newspapers in Scotland will be calling him tomorrow, failed to deal with.
FACT: Scotland's health record is still attrocious. The smoking ban is a step in the right direction (though it's worth remembering "Oor Jack" wasn't that enthusiastic about it) but it is nowhere near enough to fully address the absolutely disgusting fact that a small, highly developed nation in western Europe has areas where the life expectancy is 68.
FACT: The youth crime problem hasn't been reversed, indeed it has gotten worse. The nicey-nicey policy McConnell's Executive advocated was a failure. Areas I grew up in (and I'm talking in the 1990s here) have gone from being slightly rough to practical no-go zones after dark.
FACT: Scotland's transportation network, especially in rural areas, remains abyssmal. It should not take me more than one hour to drive from Selkirk to Edinburgh, yet somehow it often takes me substantially more time. McConnell and his cohorts again seemed incapable of addressing this issue.
Alex Salmond becoming First Minister is a huge step forward. We are now finally being tun by someone with an independent mind, who actually understands economics and realises that there is more to Scotland than just the two ends of the M8. The fact that Kirty Wark obviously can't stand him is evn more reason to feel encouraged.
By bye then Jack, go off and be a self-important failure somewhere else. Brian Taylor's going to miss you. I won't.
I suppose that Jack's tenure in Bute House can best be summed up (as we love our football metaphors here on Blether with Brian)as A Fairly Boring 1-1 Score Draw.
He is to be commended for his stance on sectarianism, that peculiarly West Of Scotland issue. He is to be commended for implementing Henry's policy on Free Personal Care. And possibly his greatest contribution to Scotland of the future will be the steering through and implementation of the Smoking Ban.
His problem always seemed to be that he was shackled by the chains reaching north from London, and the chains that bound him to his moribund Liberal partners throughout his time.
There was nothing exciting, nothing desperately new. A safe pair of pro-union hands under instructions not to get the natives too excited about devolution, don't let them start to think too much about what they could do and throw them the occasional sweetie (free personal care)if they get too restless.
Malawi has always had close links with Scotland, and if we are going to help anywhere, why not there ? But Jack, don't hang around buddy, Tony had the right idea. Exit, stage left, to fanfare, and get on with the rest of your life whilst giving the people of Wishaw and Motherwell the chance to vote for a new voice to call their name in our Parliament.
As For Wendy. SNP Total Victory in '11 assured as she'll never be seen as anything other than Gordon's Representative to the Jocks as part of his Very Inner Circle. As I have said in other forums, Same Old West Of Scotland Faces, Same Old West of Scotland prejudices and issues and Same Old West of Scotland Lack of Talent whoever takes the helm of the Good Ship New Old New Labour in Scotchland.
It's a fantasy to believe Jacko will be remembered at all, he won't. Just another lackey wheeled out to say whatever needed said.
As for his great legacy, sectarianism, it seemed a total waste of time and effort. Nobody cares. Least of all in the West of Scotland. Its real effect was to remind everywhere that isn't the West that the MSPs live in a little bubble, where real life doesn't penetrate. Does anyone in Aberdeen or Inverness care about sectarianism?
As for the smoking ban, we'll have to wait to see its long-term effects. At the moment its main effect was to illustrate the willingness of the Scots (and now the rest of the UK) to just roll over and let the politicians do whatever they like - without any kind of meaningful debate. Once they ban drink and fatty foods of course we'll all be much happier.
As for Wendy Alexander taking over the reigns, does it matter? They're all cut from the same cloth. Utterly self-serving social climbers. So Jack's departure, and someone else's entry, is simply made to look like news, when it's anything but. It's just business as usual. They're in charge, they're cut-off from real life, and they actually think headlines in the Daily Record are a sign of governance. That's Jack McConnell's legacy.
Plaudits for Jack and the smoking ban; this was a trial run for Tony Blair before it was implemented in England.
Action on sectarianism; you should look to Jack's inner circle or fireside for the inspiration for these efforts.
Malawi; when you cannot see the wood for the trees run with a charity or aid campaign; House of Windsor amongst others were inspirational in such policies of diversion.
All in all Jack was not an inspired politician merely one who was dazzled by office and manipulated from the sidelines.
Ross MacLean wrote: "Can we forego the outpouring of bile from the kneejerk WebNats " on McConnell's departure...
As a former Labour supporter I don't know if I qualify for that description. But really, Ross. Jack's tenure was characterised by the kind of pettiness that prevented him or his master from having the basic courtesy to even congratulate Salmond after his election victory.
Even the most loyal of Labour supporters can hardly claim McConnell was an asset. You have just sacked him after all ....