Inverclyde SNP councillor Chris McEleny speaks exclusively to CommonSpace about his bid to become deputy leader of the SNP
GRASSROOTS Yes campaigners should be be at the forefront of the SNP's summer campaign aimed at convincing No voters to back Scottish independence, according to Councillor Chris McEleny, a hopeful to replace Stewart Hosie as the SNP's deputy leader.
In an interview with CommonSpace, the Inverclyde councillor outlined his priorities as he tries to gain nominations to put him forward as a candidate to be Nicola Sturgeon's deputy, pinpointing the SNP's summer 'listening' campaign and tackling gender imbalance in councils.
Whoever takes on the role as deputy leader will have to liaise with grassroots members and to work with different parts of the independence movement.
As reported in The National newspaper, Stewart Hosie was meant to head up this summer’s SNP initiative to target No voters across the country in a major drive to put the case for Scottish Independence to the electorate.
“If you are talking about a summer initiative, who better to drive forward an engagement exercise, to go out and talk to people that voted No, undecided voters, than the people who were the grassroots heart of that campaign in 2014?” Chris McEleny
McEleny feels that it should be the party membership that should be leading this summer’s independence initiative. He said: “If you are talking about a summer initiative, who better to drive forward an engagement exercise, to go out and talk to people that voted No, undecided voters, than the people who were the grassroots heart of that campaign in 2014?
“Of course, we have seen our party’s membership increase to unbelievable levels to become the largest political party in Scotland, and that is our greatest resource: the amount of members we have, and that is the role that they have to play.”
McEleny added: “They are the ones that go to work every day and talk to their colleagues, whether you are in a hairdresser, in the shops or in a taxi. This is the sorts of conversations that you have.
“As we deliver more powers to the Scottish Parliament, people will start realising that it makes sense.”
The comments come amid a reorganisation of the grassroots independence movement. On Saturday, CommonSpace reported the National Yes Registry’s launch of a fresh drive to reconnect Yes groups across the country. Twenty have signed up to a new ‘declaration of support’, and a more formal campaign launch will take place on 18 September.
In the wake of Stewart Hosie’s resignation as deputy leader of the SNP following news of his affair with journalist Serena Cowdy, campaigns by those who wish to replace him are getting underway, and McEleny is one of the first people to throw his hat into the ring.
The leader of the SNP group in Inverclyde has made his intention clear that if he becomes deputy leader of the party that there should be a clear focus on next year’s council elections, and he said the appointment of a councillor as Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy would make a statement about the party’s commitment to local politics.
With the deadline for nominations on 5 August, McEleny said that he did not have exact figures to hand, but that he had “already managed to secure the support of people as far as Tobermory, Dumfries and Edinburgh”.
McEleny said: “I was looking across the political landscape, I decided, effectively, why not?
“There is already a solid debate about whether it is an MP or MSP, but people have completely forgotten and never even mentioned councillors. But, it is important to know that Councillors that represent the SNP, outnumber every parliamentarian put together.
“We are at the front tier on delivering services that people rely on.”
McEleny added: “I joined the SNP at the age of 19, and the party has always challenged the status quo.
“I think that there is nothing wrong in challenging the status quo from within the party either.
“That is why I am looking to move forward to secure the support of members across Scotland to get myself on the ballot.”
McEleny is in the process of getting nominations from 20 branches across the country. With the deadline for nominations on 5 August, McEleny said that he did not have exact figures to hand, but that he had “already managed to secure the support of people as far as Tobermory, Dumfries and Edinburgh”.
McEleny added: “Part of that is that I am quite active on social media and Facebook, so a lot of people around Scotland have been following what I have been doing as a councillor. That is the reason why people have decided to support me. ”
Stewart Hoise announced a couple of weeks ago that he would not be seeking re-election as deputy leader of the SNP at this year’s autumn conference.
According to Women 50:50, Scottish women make up 52 per cent of the population in Scotland, but they only make up 24 per cent of councillors across the country.
With a history of high blood pressure, in a letter to the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, Hosie stated that he would not seek re-election on health grounds as a result of “the stress of the public scrutiny” that he had received as a result of his affair with journalist Serena Cowdy. The affair – which was first reported by media outlets last month – eventually broke up his marriage with the Scottish Health Secretary, Shona Robison.
Part of the role of deputy leader is to develop policy, oversee the election manifesto and ensure that the party is an effective campaigning organisation.
As a result, the deputy leader will be in charge of next year’s council elections. For the first time in the SNP history, there will be a 50/50 split between male and female candidates that will be standing for election.
McEleny said of council gender imbalance: “At the moment, in Inverclyde, it is embarrassing, and there is no other way to put it.
“One female councillor [in Inverclyde] out of 20 councillors. I am certainly hoping to lead locally, a group of 50 per cent men, 50 per cent women. I am hoping to see across Scotland that gender balance.”
According to Women 50:50, Scottish women make up 52 per cent of the population in Scotland, but they only make up 24 per cent of councillors across the country.
McEleny has been raising gender balance issues with groups such as Women for Council 2017 ahead of next year's council elections. Women for Council 2017 was set up by Women for Independence in Inverclyde to help women who are thinking of standing next year.
McEleny said: “In Inverclyde and across Scotland, I will be supporting a gender balanced group of candidates going forward.
“I don’t pretend to be something I am not. I am a clear left-of-centre candidate, with left-of-centre values.” Chris McEleny
“As close to 50:50 as possible. Obviously, one or two might not make it, but 50:50 is the aim.”
According to McEleny, the experience that he has gained outside of politics will help him in his role as depute leader.
“Obviously, I’m young, and we have got tens of thousands of new young members in the SNP that got engaged in the political process during the referendum [for Scottish independence]. I would like to talk to them,” he said.
“I share their common views of what they want for Scotland, but as I say, I come from a principled position. I don’t pretend to be something I am not. I am a clear left-of-centre candidate, with left-of-centre values.
“I want to have the opportunity to put those values to the membership of the SNP and it is up to them if they want to share those values to be deputy leader of our party.”
McEleny got elected as a Gourock councillor in 2012, taking over as leader of the SNP group on Inverclyde Council a year later.
Since becoming the leader of the SNP group, McEleny said that the SNP in Inverclyde had gone from “strength to strength”.
“We have won a massive landslide election victory in 2015 where we elected our first ever SNP MP,” He says. “And just last month, we chose our first ever SNP MSP and again with a massive majority.”
“If you are talking about a summer initiative, who better to drive forward an engagement exercise, to go out and talk to people that voted No, undecided voters, than the people who were the grassroots heart of that campaign in 2014?” Chris McEleny
Both Mhari Black MP and Derek MacKay MSP are amongst the names that have been touted by The National newspaper as favourites to become Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy.
Even though these politicians are better known within the party, McEleny said that “it is up to the individual candidates if they wish to put themselves forward and promote whatever arguments they think that they should put themselves for”.
McEleny added: “I think that It's a point when we have to stand up for local government.
“As a councillor, we are on the frontline on delivering these services.
“I will happily believe in local government and the difference and change we make to people’s lives. It will send out a massive message to people across Scotland by having a councillor as deputy leader that the SNP believes in local government.
“It will send out a massive message to people across Scotland by having a councillor as deputy leader that the SNP believes in local government.” Chris McEleny
“We believe the difference that it can make to people’s lives locally.
“It is just not about national politics that you see on the TV. It is about everything from the little community council meeting to the residents’ association meeting. These are the people that are out campaigning for their communities across Scotland and that’s the people I think we are showing that we support going forward.”
Just like in the 2012 local government elections, next year’s election will come on the back of the SNP being re-elected back into government at Holyrood.
The difference, this time, is that the SNP had a sweeping success at both Westminster and Holyrood elections. McEleny thinks it would be possible to transfer that success to local government elections next year, predicting that the party would perhaps get as much as the “600 SNP councillors that would be required to be elected take control of the majority, hopefully, of all of the councils”.
McEleny predicts that the party could get as much as the “600 SNP councillors that would be required to be elected take control of the majority, hopefully, of all of the councils”.
McEleny went on to say that the electorate “will see the difference in every walk of life, whether that’s crime at a record low” or “record investment in our NHS”.
“When they looked at local politics, we see the integration of local authority and NHS, so we see the benefit of SNP policy to local communities,” he said.
At this moment of time, no other candidates have made their intentions clear yet as to whether they would put their names forward for deputy leader of the party.
Picture courtesy of YouTube
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