Jim Murphy resumes “100 streets” referendum tour after nationalist abuse

Jim Murphy is resuming his soapbox street meetings tour of Scotland tomorrow, after suspending it last week in the face of increasing co-ordinated abuse by supporters of independence. These protests at Murphy’s open-air meetings came to the attention of the media (and the police) when the Shadow Defence Secretary was hit with eggs last week.

In a blog for the Spectator this weekend, Murphy explains how the organised groups go beyond the “normal cut and thrust” of politics that the meetings previously resembled:

“It has been real people from all sides of the debate having passionate discussions. It works best when there is genuine disagreement and heated questioning.

“But recently something else has happened. Things have become much more sinister. Groups of Yes voters are being organised to turn up to intimidate the No campaigners and silence undecided voters at these street corner meetings. This isn’t about the odd impossible to control idiot that every political campaign has. This is concerted and coordinated. It has caught the media attention because one man in these crowds threw eggs at me. I don’t care that someone throws eggs at me – that’s just the sometimes messy pantomime of politics.” 

After discussions with police, Murphy agreed to postpone the tour for three days while safety issues were considered and the rotation of Better Together staff who had been targeted for personal abuse. The “100 streets in 100 days” tour, that Murphy has been writing up for LabourList in recent weeks, will now return tomorrow morning in Edinburgh.