Monklandsgate
Encyclopedia
Monklandsgate was the name of a political scandal in the former Scottish
local government district of Monklands
(now part of North Lanarkshire
) which dominated the Monklands East
by-election
in 1994.
Monklandsgate consisted of allegations of sectarianism
spending discrepancies between Protestant Airdrie
and Catholic Coatbridge
, fuelled by the fact that all 17 of the ruling Labour
group were Roman Catholics.
Accusations included: £21m spent on capital projects in Coatbridge
while only £2m was spent in Airdrie; councillors handing out green job application forms while the job centre handed out white ones; and also accusations of nepotism
as dozens of council workers were related to Labour councillors. The accusations were of increased interest to the media as the Monklands West
MP was Tom Clarke, former Monklands District Provost
and one time Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
, while the Monklands East
MP was the Labour leader, John Smith
. The allegations of sectarianism
were found to be untrue, however allegations of nepotism
proved to be true.
Despite the allegations Helen Liddell
narrowly retained the seat for Labour, against a strong swing to Kay Ullrich
of the Scottish National Party
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
local government district of Monklands
Monklands, Scotland
Monklands was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland....
(now part of North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
) which dominated the Monklands East
Monklands East (UK Parliament constituency)
Monklands East was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system...
by-election
Monklands East by-election, 1994
The Monklands East by-election was held on 30 June 1994, following the death of the Leader of the Labour Party John Smith, Member of Parliament for Monklands East in Scotland, on 12 May....
in 1994.
Monklandsgate consisted of allegations of sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
spending discrepancies between Protestant Airdrie
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
and Catholic Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
, fuelled by the fact that all 17 of the ruling Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
group were Roman Catholics.
Accusations included: £21m spent on capital projects in Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
while only £2m was spent in Airdrie; councillors handing out green job application forms while the job centre handed out white ones; and also accusations of nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
as dozens of council workers were related to Labour councillors. The accusations were of increased interest to the media as the Monklands West
Monklands West (UK Parliament constituency)
Monklands West was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament , using the first-past-the-post voting system....
MP was Tom Clarke, former Monklands District Provost
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
and one time Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
, while the Monklands East
Monklands East (UK Parliament constituency)
Monklands East was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system...
MP was the Labour leader, John Smith
John Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
. The allegations of sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
were found to be untrue, however allegations of nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
proved to be true.
Despite the allegations Helen Liddell
Helen Liddell
Helen Lawrie Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Monklands East from 1994 to 1997, and then for Airdrie and Shotts until 2005, whereafter she became the British High Commissioner to Australia until 2009...
narrowly retained the seat for Labour, against a strong swing to Kay Ullrich
Kay Ullrich
Kay Ullrich is a Scottish politician. She was a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland region from 1999 to 2003....
of the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
.