Tom Gordon
JIM Murphy's continuing friction with Labour's biggest donor resurfaced yesterday, after it tried to block his overhaul of the party's constitution.
The super-union Unite, which wanted left-wing MSP Neil Findlay to be leader, vocally opposed Murphy's inclusion of the phrase "patriotic interest" in the party's new aims and objectives.
Vince Mills of Unite told the one-day conference in Edinburgh that Scottish Labour should be talking about "the class interest", not the patriotic interest, which he likened to nationalism.
However all other speakers backed the change, which delegates approved by 69% to 31%.
In an attempt to make the party more overtly Scottish, the new Clause IV of the Scottish Labour constitution now says: "We work for the the patriotic interest of the Scottish people".
Most other constitutional changes passed by around 90% to 10%.
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