YES voters have been shortlisted to become Scottish Labour candidates for Holyrood, as the party relaxes its attitude towards members who backed independence.
At least three potential party candidates, two of whom are trying to stand in Glasgow, voted to take Scotland out of the Union.
A spokesperson for Scottish Labour said last night that the “referendum is in the past” and candidates “were not asked” about their referendum vote.
Although Kezia Dugdale’s party was on the winning side in the referendum, Labour has lost around one third of its support since the 2011 Scottish Parliament election.
Her predecessor, Jim Murphy, explicitly tried to woo Yes voters in the months leading up to last year's general election, but failed to make any traction.
Dugdale is facing similar problems as her party trails the SNP by over 30% in the most recent opinion polls.
However, in a sign Labour is softening its position to Yes voters, a number of independence-backers are currently trying to get the top party List slots for May’s election.
Simon Macfarlane, 45, a Unison official from Glasgow, said he is not a nationalist, but had voted Yes “with a heavy heart” for “very complex reasons”.
He is standing in Glasgow and explained: “I was not an exuberant Yes, but on balance I did it and I made no secret about that.”
Macfarlane said many of his fellow union activists had also voted Yes and Labour could not afford to turn its back on members who had backed independence.
He cited Scottish Labour’s autumn conference, with its wide-ranging policy debates, as a sign the party was evolving and jettisoning the “machine politics” of the past.
“We don’t need to position ourselves as always critical of the SNP,” he said.
“We have to be talking about what we can do and want to do.
“There’s a record there to be scrutinised and in many respects called out in regard to the SNP.
“But my position is that we have to get beyond the constitutional issues and use the powers that parliament has now.”
Samantha Ritchie, a trade unionist with Unite, is also vying for a competitive List place in the city.
In May last year, she was one of 100 Yes voters who signed a statement backing a Labour vote in the general election.
The pledge stated: “Last September we voted yes in the independence referendum. But we are now facing another choice just as important as the one we took last year.
“The election is neck and neck in England. If Scotland votes Labour we can get the Tories out, stop austerity, ban zero-hours contracts, end the need for food banks and make work pay.
“That is why all of us are voting Labour on Thursday.”
She told the Sunday Herald that the Labour Party is a “broad church” and is optimistic about the future:
“We are in the right direction and on the right track.”
Mary Lockhart, who is trying to secure a top place on the Mid Scotland and Fife List, announced her support for independence in 2013.
She wrote: “It won’t deliver Utopia. But it will deliver the chance for socialists to help shape a Scotland which reflects the identity of its people.”
The voting for the internal Lists selections commences shortly and the results will be announced next month.
A spokesperson for Scottish Labour said: "The referendum in in the past and our leader Kezia Dugdale has made clear she wants to see new and younger candidates representing Scottish Labour. Those wishing to be candidates were not asked how they had voted in the referendum. We were more interested in their views and ideas for our policies on how to tackle poverty and inequality. We have ranks of talent from all walks of life in our lists that members have the chance to choose from now. What unites them all is a belief that labour values in action can transform this country."
SNP MSP James Dornan said: "Congratulations to those Labour candidates who have the courage to admit voting Yes in the Referendum, however this represents just 3% of candidates and polls suggest Indy support among Labour members was much higher than that. Maybe it's time for the others to be honest about their position on Scotland's constitutional future."
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