Former Scottish health minister, Susan Deacon, has
tabled a motion against her party's policy on Iraq:
Ms Deacon - a fierce political opponent of Jack McConnell, the First Minister - and six other Labour MSPs signed the motion in a direct challenge to the party leadership in Edinburgh and London.
Ms Deacon is
not without support from her Labour colleagues:
FRIENDS of Susan Deacon, the former minister who stirred a rebellion in Labour ranks over her party's stance on the war against Iraq, claim she has been overwhelmed by grassroots support.
Now, it looks as though
Jack McConnell may be missing from the proposed pre-election television debate:
As his rivals prepare to take their places for the live head-to-head discussions during the imminent election campaign, Jack McConnell, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, is still, apparently, "making up his mind" on whether to appear.
As Maggie Thatcher would put it, McConnell is giving the appearance of being "frit". With the start of the likely Iraq war getting pushed back, the nearer it gets to May 1st, the date of the Scottish election. A quick allied victory by late April would suit McConnell perfectly but anything else could see Labour out of office.