The Crude Undermining Labour in Scotland; SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says she would be open to coalition government with Labour to stop Brexit, translation, trying to hang onto SNP seats; Sturgeon is lost in the world of Geo politics, and her ‘cut and paste’ retread ideas shows why Scotland is waiting for the implosion of her leadership and the SNP

Dear All

Think back to the Labour leadership of Ed Miliband.

The SNP ran an undermining campaign against the Labour Party, which was quite successful. The gist was that Ed Miliband was a total dud, he wouldn’t win a majority and therefore the SNP would ‘back’ Labour in return for concessions, basically bleed them dry for powers and a referendum.

Do you remember that ploy?

To show that the SNP is the party of ‘cut and paste’ and retread ideas, we have in now 2019, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon saying she has left open the possibility of forming a coalition government with Labour if there is a snap general election.

But the reality is even although Brexit is nearly upon us, there isn’t the will in Westminster for a snap election. Given we had an early election in 2017; the public wouldn’t be very forgiving especially if Brexit was delayed or stopped and to add to it they would be asked to go to the polls.

It is also not in the interest of the Conservatives; nor the country to have an election while Brexit hasn’t been attended too. The fact of the matter is, if there is to be a revival in the fortunes of Scottish Labour, the party has to rule out any deals with the SNP. Unsurprisingly a spokesman for Scottish Labour said there would be "no deal, no pacts and no coalition with the SNP". What this says about Nicola Sturgeon is that she is “prepared” to form a Labour-SNP coalition if an election is triggered, this is an election gimmick.

This is an election gimmick.

This is all about undermining the Scottish Labour Party which on paper stands to take back seats in Scotland from SNP control, especially in the central belt. Obviously there are no guarantees but when you look at previous results, there are plenty of seats which are basically seen as a two horse race. Sturgeon’s call for coalition isn’t just simply about winning seats or holding onto them, she is also angling for a position which gives her a second Scottish independence referendum. Like a kid in a sweet shop, she wants too many things at once, which shows she is just politically rambling.

The reality is Sturgeon is scared of an early general election.

Speaking to the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, she said:

“We will be ready to contest any general election if one is called, and we would also be ready to work with other parties to oppose the Conservatives' hugely damaging Brexit proposals.”

  

Having failed to campaign for remain in any real way both on the ground and finically, the SNP now want a second Brexit referendum. If you don’t know why, having botched campaigning in the first, they still cling to the idea of bypassing EU membership rules to become an EU member if they ever won their version of “fake independence”. Scotland would end up a financial basket case ruled by Brussels, sold out by the SNP whose leadership would be eyeing up EU jobs.

  

Down at Westminster, the Prime Minister's announcement of a vote on delaying the Brexit date until after March 29 won’t be doing down well, but it will not build the case for a second Brexit referendum. To have another vote would only show that democracy is dead, and would be politically damaging to the Conservative Party. So, if we assume they grasp that bunny fully, there will be no second Brexit referendum. If you will not honour the first vote, why should anyone believe you will honour the second?

This is why Theresa May as PM wouldn’t go that route.

One of the myths that Nicola Sturgeon is peddling is that people did not have nearly enough information when they voted in 2016, people knew what they were voting for. I like everyone else who voted to leave the European Union, knew what we wanted and that was to get back control from, a corrupt body which is a poison at the heart of Europe.

Nothing has changed in the EU since 2016.

We voted for return of sovereignty.

One theme which Sturgeon wangled into her spiel to the Greeks was that “Scotland's interests are not being served by a Westminster system that too often treats Scotland as an afterthought rather than an equal partner in the union”. This grievance is nothing new, like Sturgeon’s other strategy it is simply a retread of failed ideas.

  

A Scottish Labour spokesman said:

“We will be campaigning to win a majority at the next general election with policies to end austerity and invest in Scotland and the UK, and there will be no deals, no pacts and no coalition with the SNP. Labour has a credible plan to prevent a damaging Tory Brexit, and protect jobs and industries, so it was disappointing that the SNP abstained when we put it to a vote in the Commons in the week.”

Finally, you will have noticed that when Nicola Sturgeon speaks to the foreign press, she keeps attempting to up her position, to me this looks increasingly like Sturgeon is job hunting post SNP leader. The reality of her job prospects are bleak, as Cabinet Minister David Laws wrote in his diary, Sturgeon is a ‘cold and unattractive character’. If you look at the employment of former SNP leaders, the pattern is firmly downwards, big business doesn’t come a calling.

Nicola Sturgeon has nothing to offer, nothing to sell, and nothing to bargain with, Scotland is waiting for the implosion of the SNP; do you think she gets it?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University