Darling says Labour must accept that part of core Scottish vote lost in Holyrood election, Labour parachute 3 MPs to do report on poll debacle

Dear All

Alistair Darling had a decent run as Chancellor in the last Labour Government, part of the time he made sense.

In the aftermath of the scorched earth policy that saw the Labour heartlands turned into political wastelands, he has opined that to his fellow Labour MPs that the party has to wake up and realise it lost some of its core vote in Scotland.

Here are a few direct quotes from a Labour voter talking to a Labour activist at a polling station overheard by me on Iain Gray.

The punter said:

“Iain Gray’s a lightweight”.

Adding:

“He is a wanker”!

Yes, Glaswegians have the ability to use few words to sum what three Labour MP’s Jim Murphy, Anne McGuire and Anne McKechin who are looking into the debacle will pad out to a full report.

But the whole mess cannot be laid squarely at Gray’s door.

Spindoctor Rami Okasha and John Park played their part in the fall of the Labour Rome Empire.

Although the Labour party has emphasised that its support held up Darling urged it to recognise that it had lost some of its traditional vote, and that was right across Scotland.

People are sick of Champagne Socialists in the Labour Party who will not work for their constituents; will that be in Labour’s post-mortem report?

From Councillor to MSP to MP to MEP, there is a culture of careerism which doesn’t include helping the people who put them into public office.

They think public service is the people who serve them in the canteens.

Ed Miliband told the same meeting that Darling spoke at thatLabour’s organisational structure had let it down.

And gave the platitude that it will never to let it happen again!

Aye, aye, aye very good!

In a damning statement Miliband accepted that the party had made neither an “offer nor a vision” to Scotland, Gray and Co just wanted power.

Or to be more blunt the trappings of power plus the cash, perks and cars.

So, who voted SNP?

Everyone right across the board, Tory, Lib Dem, socialists, Labour and of course SNP.

On point highlighted is that there is a ‘them and us’ mentality between Labour Holyrood and Labour Westminster.

So sticking three MPs to do the report isn’t helpful.

Labour has constantly faced accusations that it prioritises Westminster above Holyrood, in contrast to the SNP.

Which is true, Holyrood isn’t seen where the real political action is for Labour careerists.

All the heavy hitters go to London, leaving to the most part the Labour dross who are devoid of talent.

If Labour thinks back to the early days of Holyrood they shot themselves in the foot when they rejected Dennis Canavan’s bid to be a candidate in the first Scottish Parliament election.

He stood as an independent won by a landslide.

When Canavan retired four years ago after serving two terms, he declined to endorse the Labour Party Candidate and the SNP duly won the seat.

Canavan transcended the party brand which only a few in Scottish politics can do successful.

Because he was a people’s candidate!

A senior Labour politician said all parts of the party, including councillors and MPs, had to “look at their role” in the defeat.

Labour don’t look in the mirror.

Tom Harris, the MP for Glasgow South and former Labour minister, says if Labour gets their act together he was “reasonably optimistic” it would have a fair chance of being in pole position at the next Holyrood election.

Bull shit!

Mr Harris makes a bizarre addition when he says Labour had been regarded as the “establishment party” in Scotland and that last week’s election had seen “not a pro-SNP vote but an anti-Labour vote”.

It was a pro SNP vote for the party and Alex Salmond based on the record of the last Parliament, 84 out of 94 pledges done.

Ian Smart, a former member of the party’s Scottish executive, and a founding member of the pro-devolution pressure group Scottish Labour Action chipped in that Scottish Labour failed to understand which election they were taking part in.

Smart stood for the candidacy in Wendy Alexander’s seat, and it went to a Welsh- American who had no history of activism in the community who was parachuted in because the ‘locals’ weren’t good enough.

Alexander’s former seat went to the SNP.

Smart also that there had been “no more telling exchange” in the campaign than Alex Salmond’s reply when asked in an interview whether an SNP victory would send a mixed message to the Westminster Coalition.

Alex Salmond said:

“This election ... is not about sending messages to anybody, it is about electing a government for Scotland.”

Mr Smart added:

“One might think he was only stating the bleeding obvious, but, obvious as it was, it passed by the Scottish Labour Campaign from start to finish.”

Rami Okasha, not as smart as the hype methinks!

One Labour MP said:

“This election was left up to the Scottish party alone, because there had been criticism before, and that obviously did not deliver the magic bullet.”

Looking at the political map of Scotland since the election it is obvious that people thought that Labour and Iain Gray were poisonous to this land.

Labour may have destroyed our lives but they will never take our votes as we march towards….. Freedom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University