Online petition launched calling for reinstatement of Aberdeen Labour councillors
The "Aberdeen Nine" were suspended from the party last year after doing a deal with the Tories
An online petition is being launched this week by Professor Hugh Pennington in support of ‘The Aberdeen nine’ Labour councillors.
A launch was held in the city’s Union Terrace Garden’s on Monday.
Multiple campaigners attended the rally, armed with clipboards as they aim to gather as many signatures as possible.
Professor Pennington said ahead of a launch that local political leaders are “The best people to make local political judgements”.
Nine Aberdeen city councillors were suspended last May after going against former leader Kezia Dugdale’s advice not to team up with the Conservatives.
Dugdale said of the deal: “Labour cannot do any deal with another party if it would result in further austerity being imposed on local communities.”
Labour Councillors had signed a deal with the Conservatives and independent groups in order to out vote the biggest – but minority – party, the SNP.
The online petition calls on Labour’s national executive committee to end the suspension of the Aberdeen Nine – restoring their full rights – without delay.
The Scottish executive committee referred the suspension to the National body last week for consideration – meaning Westminster bosses will now make a decision on the councillors’ future.
Prominent Scientist and Party Activist Hugh Pennington said: “Given the failure of the Scottish executive committee in Glasgow to resolve issues about Labour’s local leadership in Aberdeen which have never been explained, it falls to the national executive committee to put things right.”
Several high ranking figures were present at the launch of the petition.
Former Labour MP, Dame Anne Begg, Former City Councillor and Lord Provost, George Adam and Labour MSP for North East Scotland, Lewis Macdonald all attended.
Macdonald hit out at his own bosses, he said: “These are Labour councillors delivering Labour policies, the Labour party needs to get behind them.”
When Macdonald was asked about the Scottish Executive Committee’s decision he said: “It was a very poor decision and I think it was a failure of leadership.”
Cathy Peattie, Chair of the party’s Scottish Executive Committee said:
“The Scottish Executive Committee cannot endorse this deal and, following a year’s suspension, we are now left with no choice but to recommend the referral of the group to the body of the party that will consider their exclusion.
“On behalf of the Scottish Labour Party, I would like to put on record my thanks to the group for their work for the Labour Party over many years, and express our regret that they chose to jeopardise their membership of the party by doing an unauthorised deal with another political group and independent councillors."