ONE of the masterminds of the SNP’s defeat of Jim Murphy in the general election has been blocked from standing as a candidate for Holyrood next year.
Councillor Vincent Waters failed to get through his party’s vetting process amid claims the selection procedures are being used to protect sitting MSPs.
One SNP source said the party hierarchy, in blackballing Waters, was behaving like Scottish Labour in “carving up” selections for established party figures.
The SNP won 56 of 59 Scottish constituencies in May, but the sweetest victory for the party was the toppling of then Labour leader Jim Murphy in East Renfrewshire.
Kirsten Oswald, a human resources professional, recorded one of the shocks of the night by beating Murphy by 3,718 votes.
Local activists told the Sunday Herald that the efforts of Waters, who was Oswald’s campaign manager and is a senior councillor in East Renfrewshire local authority, were crucial.
In her victory speech, Oswald paid tribute to an “exceptional team working incredibly hard on my campaign”, adding: “Their support has been immense.”
Waters applied to get on the SNP’s “approved possible candidates register” for the Scottish Parliament election, with a view to seeking the nomination for the Eastwood seat.
Applications had to be submitted by June 5 and were considered by the party’s candidate assessment panel.
Successful applicants could then seek a nomination for a constituency, while those who failed to make the cut were blocked from standing.
Waters, despite his role in helping topple Murphy, did not pass vetting and is said to have had an appeal turned down by party bosses.
His rival, sitting List MSP Stewart Maxwell, has been unveiled as the “sole nominee” for Eastwood.
Maxwell contested the Eastwood seat in 2011, came third, but was elected on the regional List.
Local party activists will this week vote on whether to accept the MSP as their candidate for a seat the SNP is tipped to win next year.
However, the meeting will see some local members vote against Maxwell in protest at the treatment of Waters.
It is understood that around 40 complaints have been made to the party leadership and headquarters.
SNP sources said that some MSPs felt threatened by the impact tens of thousands of new SNP members across the country could have in selections.
The insiders believe the party “machine” is using the selection process to protect MSPs against challengers who could make a pitch to the new membership.
In Eastwood, members only have Maxwell to approve or reject, despite the membership surging from the low hundreds to nearly 1400.
It follows other cases where the selection process is leading to members only having one potential candidate in the internal contest for winnable seats.
Glasgow List MSP Bob Doris is the “sole nominee” in the Glasgow Maryhill first-past-the-post constituency.
In Dumfries, local councillor Yen Hongmei Jin resigned from the party amid allegations of unfair practices in the selection process.
She told her local newspaper: “Despite being already approved by the SNP as the approved candidate for the local elections, Westminster elections and Scottish Parliament elections, the party officials suddenly withdrew my approved status without any explanation, claiming it was an error.”
An SNP spokesperson said: "Any individual who is on the approved candidate register can be nominated to stand in any constituency, and there was a wealth of talent for Eastwood members to choose from. The number of individuals nominated is a matter for the branch. The SNP is looking forward to fielding its strongest team of candidates yet at the Scottish Parliament elections next year as we seek to build on our outstanding record of delivery and success over the last eight years."
Waters could not be reached.
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