Race-Abuse Councillor To Stand For Labour

A councillor convicted of racially abusing a constituent has been selected to stand for Labour at next month’s local elections. Danny Meikle was fined after a row at his surgery with Tecwyn Thomas, about open-cast mining. He was convicted in 2005 of a racially aggravated breach of the peace for calling the Welshman “boyo”.

Mr Meikle, who represents the Douglas ward in South Lanarkshire and runs a building company, appealed, but the guilty verdict was upheld, although his original fine of £750 was reduced.

The Standards Commission for Scotland held a hearing into the case last November and censured Mr Meikle for a “serious breach” of the councillors’ code of conduct. But The Scotsman has learned the local branch of the Scottish Labour Party has still selected him to fight the new South Clydesdale ward.

Mr Thomas told the councillor’s trial at Lanark Sheriff Court that Mr Meikle swore at him during a heated discussion and he had been subjected to a barrage of foul-mouthed racist abuse.

The trial heard he and a friend had gone to Mr Meikle’s surgery to ask about a letter to which the councillor had not replied. “His response was a torrent of foul language,” Mr Thomas said. He told the court Mr Meikle had said he “wouldn’t answer any of your f***ing letters, boyo”, and had placed particular emphasis on the last word. He said the councillor also told him: “You don’t f***ing frighten me boyo.”

Ali Jarvis, director of the Commission for Racial Equality in Scotland, declined to comment on the case, but said: “We work with all parties to ensure all promote race equality through every aspect of their selection and recruitment process. That’s especially important at grass-roots levels and we would hope individual office bearers take these matters seriously.”

Last night Mr Meikle, who claims to adorn his home in Coalburn with Britain’s biggest Christmas lights display, dismissed suggestions he was unfit to stand at the election. He said “I was not censured for racist remarks – I was censured for telling him to f*** off, for which I have apologised.”

The councillor, who claims to have received death threats since the case, said: “I was only done for racism by an over-zealous sheriff. Many Welsh people I have spoken to are appalled at what happened to me when there is much more serious racism going around. The Labour Party had the opportunity to toss me out of the door if they liked but I’m a well-liked councillor.”

Eddie McAvoy, the Labour leader of the council, said: “It’s up to the people of Clydebank to decide whether he’s fit to represent them.”