Monday, September 6, 2010

Labour Party continue to storm ahead in the polls for a stunning Holyrood victory, their 10 point lead is a wake up call, needs to be dealt with















Dear All

The next Holyrood election is unusual as it will see the Labour Party trying to become the dominate Party and thereby form the next Government of Scotland.

And for the Labour Party, the signs are looking promising as a second opinion poll shows Labour with a 10 point lead.

I have highlighted that there is a pressing need for change if the Labour Party are to be kept out of power for sometime.

At Holyrood and in the press, there is talk that the independence referendum should be shelved because it seems doomed to failure.

Not one minute more should be wasted on this bill.

The boat has sailed long ago and people should accept that.

I have never been a supporter of introducing the bill within this Parliament term because in order for success a track record of achievement needed to shown over successive periods in office to the people.

Add to that the bill doesn’t answer fundamental questions which the public need to know, these issues need to be explained in detail to allay justifiable fears.

Effectively the people were being asked to vote independence on trust and that everything will work out okay.

For Scotland to vote for independence, everything will have to be spelled out in great detail, that work so far hasn’t been done.

And if people can’t be bothered to do that work then what trust can anyone have?

The latest poll from TNS-BMRB, formerly System Three, sees Labour on a healthy 42% for the constituency vote with a 10-point lead.

The Conservatives are up two points to 12% but we should remember they are pretty much hitting rock bottom so upwards is their only option.

LibDems are on 11%, however they are a threat much more than the Scottish Tories who are simply lost and have been cut adrift by their English counterparts.

There is a real dilemma over the Referendum Bill but the solution is simple, practical and necessary, shelf it, no more time should be diverted to this legislation, it isn’t a winner on the doorstep at this time.

Events have overtaken this issue.

People have to understand this simple concept, popularity doesn’t last and hoping that the Labour Party is going to be equally unpopular as it was in 2007 isn’t a viable election strategy.

Labour’s unpopularity was the main reason why they lost the 2007 election, others benefited from that. Some mistakenly thought that the protest vote which went to them means that they were popular.

Should the referendum issue be the transcending issue of the election?

No, not if any party is serious about wishing to be the next government of Scotland.

What would I like to see?

The next election should be fought on what is the real issue, the budget settlement of the Westminster Parliament.

Other issues like service reforms of Councils should feature as well.

Quangos need to be tackled, merged and streamlined to cut costs.

It is now time for the various Police forces to be merged into one single Scottish Police Service.

This concept should equally apply to the Fire Service.

LIT should return and highlight a manifesto based on fairness and equality.

Tackling the crime issue and freeing up the courts should also be a priority; more offences should be dealt with by way of fixed penalty that doesn’t involve criminalising people over trivia.

The legalisation of drugs is controversial but necessary to wrestle the control of that market away from criminals who use the money to further other activities like human trafficking.

If certain people want to be the next government of Scotland, then slogans aren’t going to work, detailed plans which show how government is going to help them and their communities are needed.

No slogans and no cheap gimmicks which people easily see through.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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