Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Former Labour First Minister Henry McLeish calls for another Scottish ref, Labour in Scotland is in no fit state to mount a proper campaign to save the union, the 2016 campaign described as no focus, no money; no hope and of course some Labour candidates deserted the campaign to watch Celtic play football
















Dear All

I was at the Big Debate last Friday when Henry McLeish dropped by to give us his wisdom to solve the disastrous problems that Scottish Labour faces.

Henry McLeish is calling not for his ‘party’ to be radical; he is calling for their destruction by proposing more devolution alongside the option of full independence.

The Scottish Labour has no one to work for it, its activist base has effectively collapsed, so how would Labour save the union in an indyref 2 situation?

In Pollok, not a single Labour MP, MSP or Cllr turned up to work with Better Together activists during the entire campaign.

The truth is that Scottish Labour wouldn’t be able to mount an effective ground campaign, the task would again be left to the majority of the people of Scotland, what the agenda of the Nationalists is 'independence by stealth'.

Nicola Sturgeon wants home rule as the final vehicle to run an economic argument that Westminster is refusing to let Scotland grow.

Two ways they can front this argument is one, not letting Scotland borrow enough and secondly use the issue of immigration.

There are growing calls for Kezia Dugdale to confront the issue of the constitution, this is already on the agenda down south, plans and discussions are already taking place about the constitution.

Plans that don’t involve the SNP!

Read this, this is what is really happening behind the scenes, and you aren't invited to have any real input regards the outcome.

http://www.constitutionreformgroup.co.uk/lord-salisbury/

Laughingly McLeish says that a federalist alternative would allow a reinvigorated Labour to be the architects of a sustainable middle ground.

Bullshit.

Why bullshit?

The reason for that observation is quite simple, there is no one to work for the Scottish Labour Party as I previously mentioned, don’t be fooled the pictures on twitter, most branch members don’t come out for the Labour Party, either in the short campaign or indeed the long campaign.

Some people turn up on the last few days of the doomed 2016 so they can claim they ‘done the election’ when what they actually did was nothing.

One senior ex Labour MP was gracious enough to turn up and work in a group I was in once, once during the entire election campaign!

Alex Rowley, Dugdale's deputy, wrongly blamed Labour's collapse on its failure to embrace genuine home rule.

This isn’t the reason, I will state clearly what the reason is, some elected Scottish Labour representatives in political office do……… sweet FA for the people!

It is the reason why Scottish Labour got wiped out in 2015, it was the reason why Scottish Labour got wiped out in 2016, and given the deflection of the real problems by McLeish and Rowley; it is shaping up to be the same in 2017 at the council elections.

I have a question, would you be more or less likely to vote for someone who has fucked you over because they stay in a home in Scotland in preference to England?

Think about that for a minute.

McLeish has called for ‘bold new ideas’ that would win the backing of the public, sorry is he actually talking about working for the constituents?

This is the root of Scottish Labour’s problems, too many people who get elected and don’t want to work solving people’s complaints.

McLeish said:

“We have got to accept that just saying no to independence is not a strategy or solution. If we accept that, we can go on to develop a credible path forward for Labour that gives the public the debate they want. There should come a time when Labour has the courage and confidence to take the Tories and SNP on over the constitution. We should be offering up a referendum on a new alternative of real home rule”.

In case you don’t understand what he is saying I will translate to simple speak, vote Tory, this is the logic case he is fronting to save the union, he is calling for the destruction of the Labour Party in Scotland.

He added:

"People might say that’s a bold option, and yes it is. But I can’t see an alternative way forward and if we’re serious about Scotland’s future, people deserve choices. We are not going back to the old days, and I like the idea of the absolute sovereignty of the Scottish people. We have got to trust them to shape their destiny”.

Question, why is he still in the Labour Party when he doesn’t support them or the union, have the grace to join the SNP instead of kidding on.

McLeish ends by saying:

"I believe Scots have not yet decided on the future because they are not fully attracted by either of the two options - grudging concessions from Westminster or straight independence. I believe Labour's future lies in unlocking a door to a more viable path, ridding the country of this narrow debate. Scots have not been given a viable, sustainable, attractive alternative to independence. Be in no doubt, unless we can get an audience on Scotland’s constitutional future, and take people with us, for Labour there is no future."

Will people flock back to Scottish Labour when so many elected representatives will not represent them; the SNP is a vehicle to get rid of Scottish Labour’s deadwood, cull in 2015, cull in 2016, and cull looks highly likely in 2017.

One thing is certain, Scottish Labour has lost the trust of the people, and it isn’t because of independence, the rot started decades ago.

If Scottish Labour back ‘home rule’ it will only strengthen a Tory revival, keep Labour in the wilderness and complete the destruction of the party on the ground.

Maybe that is what Henry McLeish wants, and if the Party buys into his lunacy, they deserve what is coming to them, if Scottish Labour had taken care of the people, those most in need, they wouldn't be sitting as the third party in Holyrood.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Talk about clutching at straws! He's honestly stupid enough to buy into the idea that a no-to-indy backing is what killed his party? First Corbyn, then Dugdale, now this.