Labour for Independence was a political organisation for
Scottish Labour
Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak of ...
supporters that were in favour of
Scottish independence
Scottish independence ( gd, Neo-eisimeileachd na h-Alba; sco, Scots unthirldom) is the idea of Scotland as a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom, and refers to the political movement that is campaigning to bring it about.
S ...
. It claimed to have 2,000 members across Scotland in June 2014. The organisation had been described as an "
SNP front" and, following the September 2014
independence referendum
An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independence does not alwa ...
, its founder Allan Grogan joined the
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland.
The party was founded in 1998. It c ...
.
Ideology
Labour for Independence claimed to adhere to
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
's "founding principles
..of fairness, equality and justice" and sought to offer a vision of an
independent Scotland for Labour supporters, in lieu of Scottish Labour doing so. An opinion poll in March 2014, suggested that almost a quarter of Labour voters were planning to vote "Yes" in the
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
The appeal of Labour for Independence had been attributed to frustration and disappointment felt by some Labour voters in Scotland during the
New Labour
New Labour was a period in the history of the British Labour Party from the mid to late 1990s until 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The name dates from a conference slogan first used by the party in 1994, later seen ...
era of
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
and
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
.
History
Formation
Labour for Independence was established in 2012 by
Allan Grogan, a dissatisfied Scottish Labour member from
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
.
It initially consisted of a website and a
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
group.
In 2012, Grogan wrote on his website: "We need to show the Labour Party, the rest of the political parties and the media watching, that there is a genuine demand from Labour voters for independence".
While the head of the
Yes Scotland
Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...
campaign welcomed the creation of a pro-independence group within the Labour Party,
it was reported that Labour chiefs believed there was little support within party ranks for independence.
The group held its first public conference at
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
on 12 November 2012, in a meeting attended by around 100 party members, activists and supporters and was subject to mass media coverage in the printed press all over Scotland over the following days. Speakers at the event included former Labour MP,
Dennis Canavan
Dennis Andrew Canavan (born 8 August 1942) is a Scottish politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Falkirk West from 1974 to 2000 (known as West Stirlingshire from 1974 to 1983), first as a member of the Labour Party, and then as an I ...
, Yes Scotland Chief Executive
Blair Jenkins
Blair Jenkins (born 1957 in Elgin, Scotland) is a Scottish former journalist who served as chief executive of Yes Scotland in the campaign for a "Yes" vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Previously, he was Director of Broadcasting ...
,
Jeane Freeman
Jeane Tennent Freeman (born 28 September 1953) is a Scottish former politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was the Member of the Scottish Parli ...
from
Women for Independence
Women for Independence is a grass-roots political organisation which seeks to improve the representation of women in public and political life throughout Scotland. Founded in 2012, the movement promotes the causes of Scottish independence and othe ...
, Ravenscraig trade union leader
Tommy Brennan, and
Ricky Ross from
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow during 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond. The band released their debut album ...
. The shift from being an
e-campaign group to being an active "feet-on-the-ground" movement was widely seen as the next step forward and warmly received.
2013 policy conference
The group hosted a two-day policy conference in July 2013, which sought to suggest possible policies for a post-independence Scottish Labour Party. The conference was open to paid members only, who must be either existing members of the Labour Party or members of no party whatsoever. It was expected to have hosted 100 people. Policies adopted at the conference include complete opposition to the Trident nuclear weapons programme.
Later activity
Allan Grogan spoke at the
March and Rally for Scottish Independence
The March and Rally for Scottish Independence was a demonstration in support of Scottish independence that had taken place in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, in both 2012 and 2013. It was originally set to take place again in 2014, shortly befor ...
in September 2013, at which a contingent of Labour for Independence supporters reportedly waved "red flags with a thistle in the upper hoist quarter". After the referendum results were announced, Grogan left the Labour Party and stood down as LFI's co-convenor.
Controversy
In July 2013, Labour for Independence was branded as an "SNP front" by
Anas Sarwar
Anas Sarwar (born 14 March 1983) is a Scottish politician who has served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since 2021. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region since 2016, having been Member of Parliame ...
, deputy leader of Scottish Labour, who said that SNP politicians and supporters were "masquerading" as Labour supporters and giving a false impression about the campaign, though LFI founder Allan Grogan responded by stating: "There are many instances in which non-LFI volunteers were pictured around our banner. At no time have we ever claimed these people to be volunteers of LFI."
In August 2013, the ''
Sunday Herald
The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...
'' reported that Celia Fitzgerald, an office-bearer within the group, had been an SNP activist since leaving Labour over the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. She rejoined Labour in 2012 with the aim of changing the party's stance towards the referendum.
LFI leader Allan Grogan said he knew of examples of SNP members handing out LFI leaflets. He admitted only 40% of his group's 80 or so members are actually in the Labour Party. Grogan also said LFI had received initial financial support from
Yes Scotland
Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...
, regarding the £245 accommodation bill for the LFI's first conference.
In September 2015 the group was fined £1500 by the
Electoral Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
after the group failed to submit a spending report for activity during the Scottish Referendum. The Commission considered this a serious breach of the rules for campaigners and warned that the fine would rise by 50% if Labour for Independence failed to pay it within 56 days, and then possible court action could follow. A previous breach of commission rules were cited for the action where the group failed to put an imprint on campaign leaflets. The organisation was the only referendum campaigner that had failed to do submit accounts.
List of notable members
* Bob Thomson, former chairman of Scottish Labour and Labour Party member for 51 years
Former Labour chairman Bob Thomson backing Yes
bbc.co.uk, 1 March 2014
*Allan Grogan, founder and former Scottish Labour Party member, in October 2014, Grogan joined the Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland.
The party was founded in 1998. It c ...
. In May 2015, Grogan was elected to the party's ruling Executive Committee.
See also
* Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak o ...
* Yes Scotland
Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...
* Better Together
* United with Labour
References
External links
*
{{2014 Scottish independence referendum
2012 establishments in Scotland
2012 in British politics
Organizations established in 2012
Scottish Labour
Political advocacy groups in Scotland
Scottish nationalist organisations
2014 Scottish independence referendum
2014 disestablishments in Scotland
Labour Party (UK) factions