Labour for Independence
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| Formation | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Focus | Scottish independence referendum, 2014 |
| Mission | To give Labour voters a platform to voice their support for a Yes vote in the Scottish independence referendum |
| Website | labourforindy |
Labour for Independence was a political organisation for Scottish Labour supporters and other believers in social justice who believe that Scottish independence will lead to a fairer society. It claimed to have 2,000 members across Scotland in June 2014. The organisation has been described as an "SNP front" and, following the September 2014 independence referendum, its founder Allan Grogan joined the Scottish Socialist Party. The organisation is currently under investigation by the Electoral Commission for failing to file its accounts.
Labour for Independence adheres to Labour's "founding principles [...] of fairness, equality and justice" and seeks to offer a vision of an independent Scotland for Labour supporters, in lieu of Scottish Labour doing so. An opinion poll in March 2014 suggested that almost a quarter of Labour voters were planning to vote Yes in the referendum The appeal of Labour for Independence has been attributed to frustration and disappointment felt by Labour voters in Scotland during the New Labour reign of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
The decision of the British Labour Party to abstain from the vote on the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Act 2013 on 19 March 2013 also aroused anger from many mainstream Labour supporters. Polling has also suggested that up to 20% of Scottish Labour supporters are dissatisfied with the party's Holyrood leader, Johann Lamont. Labour MP Alistair Darling, who heads the pro-Union Better Together campaign, also has a dissatisfaction rate of 27%.
Labour for Independence is now organised in 6 regional units:
Labour for Independence was established in 2012 by Allan Grogan, a Scottish Labour member from Angus. It initially consisted of a website and a Facebook group. Grogan wrote on his website: "We need to show the Labour Party, the rest of the political parties and the media watching, that there is a genuine demand from Labour voters for independence". While the head of the Yes Scotland campaign welcomed the creation of a pro-independence group within the Labour Party, it was reported that Labour chiefs believed there was little support within party ranks for independence.
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