SINCE its beginnings in 2014, it is no secret that All Under One Banner has occasionally been riven by what can only be described as faction fighting and personality clashes that are unfortunately typical of most grass roots political movements.
AUOB really is a genuine grass roots movement. It has no formal links to any political party though its leadership has or had connections. It has three main leaders – Neil Mackay, Manny Singh, and Gary Kelly.
READ MORE: Crunch talks for All Under One Banner as Manny Singh is suspended
The current crisis comes down to a serious falling out between AUOB founder Mackay and its suspended director of operations Mandip ‘Manny’ Singh. It appears that Gary Kelly has sided with Mackay at this stage of the crisis which is very unlikely to be sorted out tomorrow.
SNP member Singh is the man who is currently facing criminal charges as he was the organiser of the giant Glasgow march in early May. It was Singh who stepped in last year after former AUOB member Bill McKinnon alleged financial misdealings, Singh bringing in security systems to ensure all donations were accounted for.
As founder, Mackay holds a lot of sway in the group, and is known to be unhappy at some of Singh’s recent conduct though Singh says the same about Mackay.
Kelly, the former election agent of Tommy Sheridan, may yet hold the balance of power.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel