SNP members face new discipline crackdown
THE SNP’s 120,000 members face tough new disciplinary rules to ensure they uphold the “values and standards” of the party under plans going before the annual conference. A leaked draft agenda shows that National Secretary Patrick Grady will ask delegates to begin a “wide-ranging” reform to the party’s policy-making and disciplinary procedures.
In recent months, the SNP has been dogged by bad headlines about internal feuding, particularly in North Lanarkshire, where a suspended SNP councillor has launched a £100,000 defamation action against a colleague who accused her of racism.
The party’s highly centralised policy-making system, in which the leadership effectively writes the manifesto with negligible input from the grassroots, has also dismayed some of the 95,000 new members who joined after the 2014 independence referendum. Now the first major internal review since 2004 is being planned.
A conference motion on “SNP Internal Structures” will seek authority for a consultation of branches and members, with a view to bringing detailed plans back to a future conference.
The outline plan envisages “updating conference”, more “flexible” campaigning and policy development, and a better “gender, minority and geographical” mix on party bodies.
The final element is the “strengthening and clarifying [of] disciplinary procedures to ensure both the principles of natural justice are upheld and the values and standards of the party are respected by all members”.
The debate will take place in a closed session away from the media.
The resolution was written by Grady, the MP for Glasgow North, and political education secretary Julie Hepburn, who is tipped to replace him as national secretary.
One senior SNP source said the motion was insulting to new members. “It’s completely inappropriate. It’s as if they’re saying the new members are the problem and sending out the wrong message.”
The insider also said the measure echoed the party’s “gagging order” on MPs in 2015.
In the run up to the last General Election, the SNP changed the standing orders of its Westminster group, forcing all MPs to “accept that no member shall within, or outwith the parliament, publicly criticise a group decision, policy or another member of the group.”
“It’s command and control again,” the insider said.” They’re happy to take people’s money but not their views.” The leaked agenda also shows Brexit will be the first issue debated at the October gathering.
AN SNP spokesman said: “The last major restructuring of the party’s internal procedures took place over a decade ago. Since then, membership has grown by over 100,000, the SNP has become Scotland’s party of government and has grown to the third largest party at Westminster. It is right to look at how internal structures best reflect the modern SNP.”