THE first indication that some existing Westminster MPs may not be allowed to contest seats for the Scottish Parliament was seized on by political opponents yesterday.
The Herald's revelation that three MPs and one of the Scottish Secretary's special advisers were deemed to have failed at the interview stage to get on the panel of acceptable candidates has prompted a cheeky advertisement in today's press from the Conservative Party.
The Tories placed a spoof job advert headed ''Hello Dollies!'' and mocking: ''Wanted: Labour candidates for Scotland. Only mindless clones need apply.''
The sheep puns are heavily employed, but Scottish Tory chairman Raymond Robertson insisted there was a serious point: ''Rather than allowing its Scottish party to make its own decision, it will be London-based control freaks and a few of their lackeys north of the Border who determine Labour's candidates for Holyrood.''
SNP chief executive Michael Russell joined the criticism: ''The ideological strait-jacket which was always feared but which Dewar denied would ever be imposed is now wrapping itself tightly around Labour's prospective candidates. The new Parliament needs new thinking, not Tony Blair clones.''
Senior Labour sources had confirmed to The Herald that three MPs appeared to have failed the interviews - Falkirk MPs Dennis Canavan and Michael Connarty, and Glasgow Pollok's Ian Davidson, along with Donald Dewar's adviser Murray Elder.
A party statement yesterday insisted that the procedure had not been completed yet. Rosemary McKenna, the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth MP who chairs the selection board, said the party was leading the way, with a system that was choosing the ''best and brightest'' candidates.
''With self-nomination, professional application forms and now a rigorous interview process involving independent advisers, Labour has put in place procedures to select the most capable candidates worthy of serving in our new Parliament. The procedure is tough but fair,'' she said.
Mr Davidson, who was said to have been marked down for failing to wear a suit to his interview, expressed incredulity yesterday, but would only say: ''I am concerned about the way this is appearing in the media when we have all been assured that no decisions have been reached.''
Another Scots Labour MP expressed amazement that Mr Davidson may have been rejected for this reason, adding: ''This is the man who, after all, defeated Sillars in Govan. I wonder how many people who today got through the process could have achieved that.''
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