Labour Leader hopeful Jeremy Corbyn says, ‘I'm a Socialist not a Unionist’, if he ever wishes to be Prime Minister, he better have a good explanation as to why he is suitable to PM, comments like that are enough to supper anyone’s chances of the top job in British politics

Dear All

In politics, there is at present a limited choice which most people see as no real choice describing all parties are the same, whoever gets in isn’t helping them.

In Scotland, the political landscape has changed and not for the better, again, there is a lack of choice but also huge dissatisfaction wh9ich has built up over several years.

Currently;

The Labour Party is in dire straits

The Conservative Party is still toxic

The Lib Dems have been wiped out by Nick Clegg’s bad judgement

The SSP is trying to rebrand itself with something called the Scottish Left Project, which won’t work

The Scottish Greens, well just struggling along

Solidarity which is Tommy Sheridan’s Party is pretty much dead and buried politically, despite his attempts using indy and hope over fear rallies.

Ukip is struggling in Scotland; they have managed to turn anti EU feeling into seats

The Scottish National Party tapped in the dissent of voters but people will find out the hard and painful way that the Nationalists don’t care about them.

Most people are finding out that they don’t have a party to vote for; it isn’t about voting for the most popular it seems that many people, they are voting for the least worst.

For politics to be healthy there has to be real choice, but mostly it isn’t.

Down South; Jeremy Corbyn is looking increasingly like the only game in town as people switch from New Labour Blairities to Corbynites whatever that means. I would say that Jeremy Corbyn represents for Labour a transition.

The Labour Party needs to listen, and act on behalf of the people, not as it was acting like ‘managers’ of the people. It took a long time for Labour to fall in Scotland, and when the Westminster election came, it was like quicksilver.

Now, up pops Jeremy Corbyn saying he is a Socialist not a Unionist, is this going to make voters switch back in Scotland?

Anyone sitting about thinking ‘if only we had a ‘socialist in charge’, personally I doubt it, what people want is a good MP who will work their socks off to get their constituents problems solved, they want a party that addresses the needs of the poor and vulnerable, a party that is pro-active in making sure that life chances are increased for all, and that ‘equality and justice’ isn’t rationed to certain select groups as it is at present.

That is what Scots are wanting, a fair crack of the whip, is that what Jeremy Corbyn is offering?

Or, is he the man who is going to re-run the Labour policies of the 1980’s and not get anywhere and achieve nothing.

 

He is correct when he says that “the Union of itself” did not end austerity, health inequality and poor housing.

Corbyn added:

“Only a radical political programme guarantees those things. That’s why what we were doing in Scotland last week - and will be doing again - is something that does offer an alternative and is therefore attractive to working class Scots to stay within the UK in order to achieve those things.”

A word to look out for in politics at present is ‘alternative’, but in some cases ‘alternative’ is linked to pie in the sky and delusion.

David Miliband, the ex-Foreign Secretary isn’t backing Corbyn, he is throwing his weight behind iz Kendall and claimed a Corbyn victory risked creating a “one-governing-party state”, the party being the Conservatives.

Andy Burnham although standing is hedging his bets because the tide and winds seem to be with Corybn, he says there is a "good deal of common ground" between himself and Corbyn.

He cites transport and education, whoopee!

Yvette Cooper’s campaign doesn’t seem to have steam despite being a well-known figure within the party,

Could she spring past everyone?

Seems a bit ten to midnight if you ask me if she could win given the circumstances as they are at present!

In an interview with what many see as the pro SNP paper the Herald, Corbyn was asked if he was a Unionist.

He said:

“No. I would describe myself as a Socialist. I would prefer the UK to stay together, yes, but I recognise the right of people to take the decision on their own autonomy and independence”.

He added:

“I would hope that we can offer a sufficiently radical economic agenda for the whole of the UK that will ensure that all those traditions of Labour in Scotland, in Wales for that matter as well as in England do come together within the party.”

Corybn rather looks signed up to the Conservatives’ idea of strategic disengagement which to my mind doesn’t tick the box of being ‘radical’.

One thing Corbyn got right is that there needs to be an alternative economic strategy.

He said:

“By offering an alternative economic strategy which addresses the levels of poverty and inequality. Look at health inequality in the UK. The worst places for this are London, Birmingham, parts of Manchester and Glasgow...If you’re poor and in a bad place, you’re poor and in a bad place. Labour can play a huge role in uniting people on the basis of a radical economic strategy and that’s why all of our campaign has essentially been around challenging the political agenda of austerity and it’s chiming with a lot of young people, particularly with young, working class communities in Scotland.”

Tony Blair entered office, he ran on change, he ran on hope, he ran on being an alternative, once he got in f*cked the poor, the sick and the vulnerable.

Scotland eventually had enough, and the rot set in, and it grew and grew and then the entire Labour project collapsed in the most dramatic fashion.

Kezia Dugdale said once elected ‘hear me out’, the trouble is that too many people have closed the book on Labour, and it will take something rather special to get them back. Looking at the situation if there is another vote down the line the Labour Party won’t work with the Conservatives.

This isn’t why they lost in Westminster 2015, they lost in 2015 because people were sick of being ignored; Labour won’t cull bad MPs so the task fell to the public, when it clicked with them, the good got swept away with the bad.

One thing is certain; we will all know pretty early on whether the new team in London and in Scotland will connect with the people of Scotland as they lay out their vision.

This could be the darkest time in the history of the Labour movement on both sides of the border.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University