The recent furore over the SNP candidate in the Glasgow North East by-election being a member of Opus Dei has now spilled over into the Labour party.As can so often be the case with political stories, one side attacking the other too forcefully can backfire when the flames are attempted to be fanned too fiercely.
Per Labour's Justice Secretary Richard Baker:
"There has been a lot of coverage about Opus Dei... and I'm sure it will be a cause for people to have questions about Mr Kerr's views,"
However, per Labour's by-election candidate Willie Bain:
"Religion should play no part in this by-election...it does not matter what religion or religious organisation a candidate is in,"
"I pledge never to make religion an issue in this campaign and hope nobody else does either."
Willie Bain should be commended for trying to take the sting out of this issue. In the heat of a by-election battle one could be forgiven for wishing to exacerbate any perceived weakness in an opponent but the Springburn candidate has opted for the correct option in disregarding the issue.
Consequently, Richard Baker has once again left himself exposed and rather than the public heeding his constant claims that Kenny MacAskill is not up to the job of Justice Secretary, they are no doubt noticing that it is Mr Baker who has his jacket on a shoogly peg.
When an ex-Chairman of your own party has labelled you an "incompetent non-entity" then you have to think that your time may be up and given the plum job was only awarded because the correct horse was backed in a 3-way leadership battle, one has to admit that it's not the strongest credentials to be a political heavyweight.
Richard Baker, 35, is relatively young in his political career and maybe he needs to cut his teeth on the backbenches a bit longer and shake off his Student Politics pedigree before he should be awarded such a high profile role as Shadow Cabinet member. I say he needs to 'cut his teeth', but if I was being less charitable I would say he just needs to grow up.
10 comments:
baker is an example of one of thoes democratic inconsistencies we seem to (or the biased press seem to) tolerate. it was a strange choice, given his relative inexperience (i dont understand he was that popular when he work for labours press office) and yet there in iain grays register of interests is a 520 quid donation from one richard baker, who despite having little experience (most of the current spokespeople are formerly ministerial)was then given this important job.
as for "questions over religion" he says he is an episcopalian, when the church is strongly opposed to nuclear weapons. I am not saying that all people of all religions conform to their entire doctrine, but (at the risk of sounding childish) with regards to religion, he started it!
Richard Baker 35? From his regular Nulab outpourings I thought he was about 15!
Is that other Baker woman related)
Richard Baker is not even the most ridiculous person in his office. That honour goes to his gimp Gordon Aikman. He wets the bed too.
Richard Baker is using a different Anti-SNP manual from Willie Bain.
They really should get together to make sure they are using the correct tactical election manual.
On a serious point Baker is weak, his performances say to me "Silly wee laddie" although we are the same age.
I couldn't imagime myself using the same language as he does, it's simply childish and insulting to the voters intelligence.
Both the Bakers are key components of Iain Gray's Holyrood Team.
Richard has had his jacket ona shoogly peg for some time, like Murdo Fraser, they thrive on Aberdeen University student politics.....
Career Politicians that just don't know when to stop....
Baker could really do with flossing his misshapen teeth opposed to cutting them.
I was rather surprised to discover he's Edinburgh born, then I discovered he as ex St Bees boy from Cumbria, where the beat the Scots accent out of young well to do Scots.
He's married to Claire Baker, who obviously succumbed to a large dose of Rohypnol when she agreed to marry baldy wee keech.
The SNP should be more worried about Kerr's comments about Caledonian University and UWS, they display a streak of snobbery which has as much a place in the modern Scotland as religion.
Baker is known up in Aberdeen for being an easily led simpleton.
He employs the local Labour mouthpiece Cllr Willie Young, which probably explains his "open mouth, allow arse to speak" tactics...
I think Baker's right and Bain's wrong, though. A candidate's religious views do matter. How could they not?
Has he had a job in the real world yet or is he another product of Labours Conveyorbelt cronyism so endemic in the West of Scotland?
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