SNP hopeful attacked for membership of Opus Dei
By Anna Arco

24 July 2009

SNP candidate David Kerr campaigns on Glasgow Fair weekend (PA Photos)

The SNP candidate for the Glasgow North East constituency has hit back over claims that his membership of Opus Dei raises questions over his fitness to stand.

"Religion has no part to play in this or any other campaign," David Kerr, a former BBC Newsnight journalist said. "Modern Scotland and Scottish political parties encompass people of all faiths and none. My faith is a personal matter."

It was reported that Richard Baker, Labour's justice minister, said that Mr Kerr's membership of Opus Dei would cause voters to question him. Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, was also quoted as saying that Mr Kerr's affiliation with the group raised questions about whether it was appropriate to have a candidate who was a member of a "secretive" and "hardline" organisation.

However, spokesmen for the Labour and Conservatives parties told the Scottish Catholic Observer this week the politicians had been misquoted, their comments taken out of context, and that neither believed that membership of Opus Dei would bar a candidate from public office.

"Richard Baker has complained to the editor of the Sunday Times where his comments originally appeared," said a spokesman for the Scottish Labour Party. "He was furious at the way his comments were reported. David Kerr's membership of Opus Dei should never be a barrier to him entering Parliament."

Labour's candidate Willie Bain, who is also a practising Catholic, echoed this view.

"Religion should play no part in this by-election... it does not matter what religion or religious organisation a candidate is in," he said. "I pledge never to make religion an issue in this campaign and hope nobody else does either."

Mr Fraser also said he had been misquoted, according to Ramsay Jones, the Scottish Conservatives' media director.

He was not questioning whether, as a member of Opus Dei, Mr Kerr had a right to be a candidate, but was stating that his views on certain issues should be known to the electorate, Mr Jones said.

Opus Dei encourages members to live out the Church's teaching in their working lives.

A spokesman for Opus Dei said the organisation was "completely accessible" and could not be described as secretive in any way. He said that the group adopted a policy of complete transparency three years ago.

Mr Kerr has been open about his membership of the organisation throughout his career.

Mr Kerr, who became the SNP candidate for Glasgow North East last week, has had a challenging start to his campaign to win the constituency which had been held by another Catholic politician, former House Speaker Michael Martin, prior to his resignation.

Although Mr Kerr called for an immediate by-election with his party's support, Scottish parliament decided to postpone it to November.

In addition to allegations related to his faith, Mr Kerr has faced heavy criticism for comments he made at his alma mater, St Andrews University, in 2007 when he is said to have questioned whether Protestant reformer John Knox had attended St Andrews. "I've always liked to think it was Paisley Tech or Glasgow Caledonian - they don't have a reputation to tarnish," Mr Kerr said at the time.

Mr Kerr's Labour opponent has called on him to apologise, saying he could "not believe" the remarks. Glasgow Caledonian University borders Glasgow North East constituency.

Dr Ian Johnston, former Caledonian principal, said the remarks were at odds with the SNP's aim to get more young people into higher education, but Mr Kerr has said that his university banter has been blown out of proportion.