The ugly truth about Scottish Labour’s new hard-Left policy guru
THE new Scottish Labour leader has made his first key appointment – a Left-wing activist who participated in ‘threatening’ protests and has left a trail of ‘foul-mouthed’ rants on social media.
Michael Sharpe has been confirmed as the party’s head of policy, one of the most senior roles in Richard Leonard’s top team at Holyrood.
The former policy and research officer has previously attacked the monarchy online, saying the Queen should be sacked and branding the Royal Family an ‘antiquated symbol of inequality’.
He has also taken part in a hateful protest outside the home of a director of the Grangemouth oil refinery.
In a series of other online posts, he described the Edinburgh Festivals as ‘poncefest’, praised the ‘ideals’ of Marxist former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, celebrated the death of Margaret Thatcher, and suggested the overthrow of the Chilean government in 1973 should be remembered above the 9/11 terror attacks.
His appointment came the day after Labour supporters at an event in Glasgow, attended by UK party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Mr Leonard, jeered news of Prince Harry’s engagement.
Scottish Tory MSP Annie Wells said: ‘First Scottish Labour activists boo the announcement of Prince Harry’s engagement. Now we learn that their new policy chief is a Left-wing zealot who has left foul-mouthed rants all over social media and thinks the Queen should be sacked.
‘It confirms that today’s Scottish Labour Party isn’t even a shadow of its former self – it is now just completely out of tune with modern mainstream Scotland. If Richard Leonard really is going to stamp his authority as leader, he needs to make it clear that (Mr Sharpe’s) views and his abusive language are utterly unacceptable for someone in front-line politics.’
Labour staff have been told that Mr Sharpe will serve as head of policy on an interim basis.
He has previously worked as an assistant to his mother, former Labour justice minister Cathy Jamieson, and acted as an aide to ex-Labour MSP Drew Smith. In 2013, Mr Sharpe was among a mob of protesters who targeted the home of a senior Ineos executive during a dispute between the operator of the Grangemouth plant and its workers.
A team from the Unite union turned up at the house in Dunfermline, Fife, wielding a huge inflatable rat. Mr Sharpe was pictured holding placards. Ineos bosses called such protests ‘threatening’, and said they were designed to intimidate them.
In a Tweet in September, responding to news of a review of public funding for the Queen’s residence in Edinburgh – the Palace of Holyroodhouse – Mr Sharpe wrote: ‘Sack the Queen not staff.
‘There’s a decent museum to be had there – cash for that (thumbs up). Rather than for some antiquated symbol of inequality.’
In a 2011 Facebook post, he said he ‘detests being in Edinburgh during poncefest’, and in another, written on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, he condemned the US for supporting the overthrow of the Chilean government and the ‘horrors’ on that date in 1973.
When Mrs Thatcher died, he ‘liked’ a post called ‘Yes, Margaret Thatcher is Dead’ by the site IsThatcherDeadYet.co.uk.
Asked if the party was concerned about the messages, a Scottish Labour spokesman said: ‘We don’t comment on staff.’
‘Foul-mouthed social media rants’