The Big Scottish Labour Reset; The Scottish Labour Party needs to reform, rebuild and 'cull' from within, in an act of self harm, Richard Leonard is attacked by the Scottish Labour Left over Indyref2 refusal, Katrina Faccenda's unhelpful political views as a Labour candidate for Holyrood in May undermines the party's election chances, it looks like her 'self interest' is more important to her than Scotland's 'national interest' in remaining part of the UK family

Dear All 

Here is a simple question, 'would the Scottish Labour Party supporting indyref 2 make voters come back to it'? 

The answer to this question is so obvious, but it needs to be hammered home, not to those who seek to undermine the party from within, but to the general public, the answer is No!

The answer is No! 

In writing about the decline of Scottish Labour for over a decade, I have watched it over 40 years and saw how the more the party lives in a delusion that the old style of politics still has meaning to Scots, the more un-elected it has become. The arguments of the 'left' and the 'right' aren't about developing a better society but rather they are about a power struggle to get to the top of the party and be in control. There is a classic line used by people to describe the party, 'I never left Labour, Labour left me'. This describes how the party of the working class was taken over by the university educated middle classes, and what a mess they have made of it. When this happened the agenda shifted from representing the people to 'managing the people'. This shift which is mostly glossed over and ignored by the press and commentators became very noticeable in the Blair years. 

The right wing press also did something to deceive the public, they bought into the narrative that the 'right wing' of the Labour Party were 'moderates', this is nothing but a 'lie'. 

Even now in 2020, the 'lie' that the press used to call these people, 'moderates' has been seen by the Scottish public for what it is. The proof is the collapse of the Scottish Labour vote over the last two decades. In politics, the word 'moderate' is defined as 'a person who holds moderate views, especially in politics'. It also means not radical or excessively right- or left-wing. So, let's look at some key issues which the Blair years gave us and hold them up to the light to test you. Two examples, the 'Iraqi war' and the 'benefits' system, do you think the decision of Tony Blair to join George W Bush in the 'Crusades' which cost the lives of one million iraqi dead, and de-stablised the Middle East is the act of a moderate? 

The second example is closer to home, and in places like Scotland, it damaged the Labour vote beyond belief, the Labour Party changes to the benefit system which brought in ATOS assessments for the sick, introduced the 'bedroom tax' and the introduction of benefit sanctions leaving people destitute, are these the acts of a 'moderate'? 

These examples of foreign and domestic policy shows contempt, contempt for the people, contempt for British values and contempt for the notion of international law. So, why did these things happen? They happened because once in power, power corrupted the likes of Blair, he and his ilk, they saw themselves as untouchable under 'Crown' protection. The thread that run through their reign was as I pointed out above is, they abandoned representing people and decided to 'manage' people. They pandered to special interests groups, they ignored the views of the British people and practiced social engineering which was a disaster. 

In Scottish Labour, the 'right wing' seeks a return to power in the party by replacing Richard Leonard as leader, they think that they can get people to vote for them, and there will be a return to the 'Golden years' of Blairism. 

Blairism succeeded due to one thing, people didn't know about the real agenda of Blairism, but since 2007 in Scotland, they do now. Ever 'right wing' Scottish Labour leader in Scotland has been rejected the Scottish public for the past circa 20 years. As the party declined, it became normal to not vote Scottish Labour, Leonard inherited a party not at the height of its power, but at the lowest it has ever been in terms of support and abilities. The vehicle which Richard Leonard drives now isn't the shiny new 'Ferrari' ran into the ground on the racetracks by Blairities, it is now like a broken down electric milk cart which the kids argue about whose turn it is to drive it round the muddy fields at the back of their housing scheme. 

In the wake of the decline of the Scottish Labour, and the disappearance of the main players of the right, in came the 'left' who having been kept away from power in the party where keen to exercise it. When these people got power, they brought with them all their 'baggage' of nonsense, from one extreme, the Labour Party was tilted up to rush into another. At election time 2019, the new platform was rejected because of various reasons, but by this time, more than one 'cause' was the problem, decline at the top of the party had worked its way downwards to the bottom. Now, we have a situation where Richard Leonard is under seige by certain people on the 'left' who want the Scottish Labour Party to back indyref 2, these people are effective Scottish Nationalists wearing Labour clothes in my opinion. In Scotland, we have 'Momentum' version but because of a PR gimmick, they call themselves The Campaign for Socialism because they have to have a 'Scottish' tinge as a selling point, they have accused Leonard of aligning himself with “those who want to wrap Scottish Labour in a union jack”. 

It can't be stated enough that the refusal by people to not vote for the Labour Party has nothing to do with independence, it has everything to do with betrayal, the SNP are a vehicle to register their protest vote against Labour. Scottish Labour isn't earning the trust of the Scottish people, and wrapping themselves in the Scottish flag isn't a solution, either in the short or long term. Scottish Labour needs to become a people's party again, not a party controlled the university educated middle classes. The joke on the Scottish people is that these people think they are the 'Vanguard of the proletariat', when in reality, they are like old soviets who enjoyed a luxury lifestyle at the people's expense. The pretend parliament at Holyrood shined an unflattering spotlight on the workings of an organisation which acts like a student union political debating society. What does it say that the 'big' Bill of Scottish Labour is the repeal of the 'Fitba' Act. My question is and always will be, was that the most pressing social issue of our time in Scotland? 

No! 

At present various little organisations are producing poll after poll trying to drum up support for Scottish independence and a second referendum. The latest poll is showing most Scots agree pro-independence MSPs winning a majority of seats in next May’s Holyrood election would constitute a mandate for Indyref2. This is nonsense because Scotland is effectively been allowed to become a one party state which the ruling party preaches 'hate speech' against the English under the guise of calling them, 'Westminster'. In the toxic environment created by the SNP, the public are asked countless 'rigged' questions to get them to answer yes. 

So, who did this latest poll, James Mackenzie, he is a Campaign consultant, and was a former head of media for the Scottish Greens. He commissioned the survey and this begs the question why? It isn't to seek an opinion in my view but rather it is done to create interest which doesn't exist within the majority of Scots. Mackenzie said: 

“Anyone who wants Scotland to get a second chance to vote on independence should vote for SNP or Green MSPs next May. By almost 2-to-1, the Scottish public don’t buy the cynical chat from some quarters that only an SNP-only majority would count as a mandate, nor do they accept Boris Johnson’s anti-democratic line that we shouldn’t be allowed to vote again. It’s unclear how anyone will make the case for the Union next time with a straight face, which is presumably why the Prime Minister would rather we don’t get the chance. Whether it’s about responding to the pandemic or climate change, the semi-feudal Westminster system has repeatedly proved utterly unfit for the 21st century.” 

So, there you have it from Mackenzie, the real purpose of the poll, firstly, vote SNP and Scottish Green, secondly, personally attack Boris, and lastly in case you are mentally slow and didn't get the first two, blame Westminster, the 'Holy Trinity' of Nationalist campaigning. Conservative Scottish Secretary Alister Jack last week said there shouldn’t be a re-run of 2014 for up to 40 years. What makes this interesting is nothing, you see what is needed is not opinions from the UK Government but action. 

When I pointed out Scottish Labour's university educated middle class problem, I feel I need to give an example, criticism of Richard Leonard at present is coming from the CfS chair Katrina Faccenda. She is a Labour candidate in the Holyrood Election in May, if you check her linkedin page, she is listed as a self employed tour guide. The listing also shows that she is a graduate of the University of Glasgow and holds an MA in Italian Language and Literature. Given Ms. Faccenda likes travel, I am predicted that in May next year, she won't be travelling to Holyrood as an MSP. You see when I read what she is all about, I don't see her putting 'national interest' before 'self interest'. It should also give you a laugh that she accused the four rebels, MSPs James Kelly, Daniel Johnson, Jenny Marra and Mark Griffin who called for Richard Leonard to stand down, saying they had lost confidence in his leadership as “astounding” recklessness. When they made a fool of themselves she calls them recklessness but then fails to shine a torch on her own stupidity? What a remarkable example of not having self awareness and seeking public office. So far is 50/50 on blunders, right to lambast the plotters against the leader but howling at the moon on indyref 2. 

Faccenda said: 

“Scottish Labour’s right-wing still pushes its ‘Let’s make the party as right-wing as it used to be and people will vote for us’ rhetoric’, and is evidently prepared to burn the house down as long as it is in control of the ashes.” 

She got that right, I have been saying this myself. 

She added: 

“As we unite behind Leonard, we cannot ignore the fact that he does not always represent the developing position of the Labour Left on constitutional issues and it is disappointing he does not share our position on the matter of Scottish sovereignty and a second referendum on independence.  We understand his position as socialists who put international solidarity at the top of our agenda but we believe that only Scotland - not Westminster - must decide upon a second independence referendum. His reasons may be radically different from those who want to wrap Scottish Labour in a union jack, but the outcome is the same. We will continue to be seen as a party which prioritises defence of the Union when the majority of people in Scotland no longer do.” 

Never underestimate the extremism of 'left', travel far enough in policy and you get to extreme right wing! 

Richard Leonard is right to oppose independence and Indyref2 in 2021. Where he fails is bite the bullet and rebuild the party from within, the time for change is always now. There has been over two decades of recognizable decline in Scottish Labour backed up by hard data, the election results. Going forward, I don't see a turnaround happening soon because it seems that there isn't a person who is a driver for change in the party. Scottish Labour's future lies in its past, not harping on about creating the welfare state or the NHS, but coming up with the next Nye Bevan moments. You know, I brought this up at a Labour chat in a pub once because someone had to say it, where are the Nye Bevan style policies which would make the SNP irrelevant? People want a better quality of life, they want fairness, they want social mobility and opportunity, none of this would or will happen under Scottish independence. 

A Scottish Labour spokesperson: 

“Scottish Labour does not support independence. We believe that the 2021 elections must be about electing a Government and a parliament that will dedicate its entire focus to rebuilding Scotland’s economy, public services and communities after the devastating impact of Covid-19. That work must be the focus of the next Scottish Government and so we will be going into that election in 2021 with a Scottish Labour Party position that is not for a second referendum. We will be going into the 2021 elections with a transformative Socialist manifesto, with policies to rebuild the economy and public services, such as the Green New Deal to create jobs and lead Scotland out of a post pandemic jobs and economic slump.” 

Finally, the Scottish Labour Party should have no candidate, Cllr, MSP or MP representing it that isn't pro UK. It would be better to clear these people out of positions and start against, while they remain their mixed messages divide the party, they make the party seem weak. I have been a great believer in culling, its time the Scottish Labour Party took on the job of fixing its self. Culling has been done by the public at elections, isn't it time that Scottish Party did the job that the public was forced to do for them? Scottish Labour needs to be a centrist party with the values of Nye Bevan and John Smith at its core, and yes, Scottish Labour has to go the extra mile to win back trust from the people who it let down in the past. 

Yours sincerely

George Laird                                                                                                                                The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University