Dear All
Sir Keir Starmer has decided to look at the 'Scottish Question' being from the rightwing of the party, he has an 'oven ready' solution, which is simple, uncomplicated and wrong. If we take the example of a fire, his solution to put it out is throwing more petrol on it. When the Labour Party was controlled by Tony Blair, he inflicted the disaster that is known as Scottish devolution on us. Firstly, the system was setup to be rigged, it was setup to be anti democratic, it was setup to exclude the public having a say on part of the people elected to the Scottish Parliament. The list system is a corrupt practice which foster on the public, people who would under entered parliament any other way.
The Labour leader has been giving a speech on devolution, and what he says is the need for a fresh alternative to Scottish independence this morning. There is said to be a listening exercise in the pipeline with Gordon Brown being touted to chair it. But a question I would put to you is what is 'listening' if it results in Keir Starmer attempting to shove federalism down Scots throats? No one in Scotland is interested in federalism, the Scottish public have shown no interest in it, the Nationalists don't want it, and the pro UK voters are against it. So, who is Starmer listening too, given the entire country of Scotland aren't interested.
Does federalism fix the problems caused by the SNP?
The answer is no! Could federalism win back the voters who deserted the Scottish Labour Party? The answer is no! So, who benefits from federalism? The SNP as they get powers which in part, is part of their fallback strategy of a gradualist approach, and to making the UK seem irrelevant to voters. What Keir Starmer isn't going is addressing the core issue, which is, why won't people vote for the Scottish Labour Party? The answer is uncomplicated, they don't like the policies, and especially, they don't like the people who have been selected as candidates? The decline of the Scottish Labour is linked to decline of the party to serve the interests of the people they were elected to represent. It is also historically linked to policies which hurt Scotland, particularly in poor working class areas? Who can forget that it was the Labour Party who introduced the bedroom tax, who can't forget it was the Labour Party that introduced ATOS health assessments, who can forget it was the Labour Party who introduced enhanced benefit sanctions?
Scottish Labour has one single MP in Scotland, in a recent by-election for a council seat, they polled well under double figures, and considering they are a major political party, that is a disgrace. One thing you will have noticed on my blog is a lack of 'good news' stories about the Scottish Labour Party. If you want to know why that is, the answer is simple, I simply cannot find anything of note that they have done which is good enough. I can't find anything which I would even consider is even Nye Bevan lite which is worth the trouble to write about. You may say what about the free 'fanny pads' which Scottish Labour led the charge for? I would say, how would you stack that up against free prescriptions? If you had to pick what was more important to society, which would you come out in favour of, as providing the greater good?
To highlight my point, Sir Keir Starmer dodged questions on a range of Scottish Labour Party issues, for example, he was unable to say what the biggest achievement of Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard. There hasn't been a major achievement by Richard Leonard, but there are issues which could be a major achievement, if he had the courage and foresight to tackle them. I have blogged on some of them previously. Issues I have mentioned in the past include reform and reviews of all the CLPs, review of the Scottish HQ staff and practices, and introduce a new campaigning model. If he was to make a start on that, he would be seen as forward thinking, taking the party in a new direction, or even seen to be making an effort. He would have had a CV ready for anyone who challenges his leadership on being proactive. Starmer has also decided to dodge the prickly question of how he will tackle infighting within Scottish Labour because the solution has to be drastic. So, the solution has to be brutal which is why he has no interest, but what are the nuts and bolts of fixing Scottish Labour's warring sections? It's no secret who the players are, and what is need is a cull, either done quietly or my preferred option done in public. Starmer has to simply say, anyone who undermines the party will be removed from office, or as a candidate, or have the whip removed. And to ram the point home, they and their activities will be monitored, so don't even make one mistake.
Starmer was asked how he planned to increase support for Scottish Labour with the same leader in place. I suppose this is an awkward question because without reform is meaningless. Entering the Holyrood 2021 election after being effectively dormant as a party for an entire year doesn't tend to inspire confidence either. Nothing worthwhile has been done this year by the Scottish Labour Party to even frame in the minds of Scottish voters that Scottish Labour is a government in waiting. You could even say the ill-timed intervention of Keir Starmer and his federalism question is an anchor round the party's neck going forward. Scottish Labour doesn't want to touch devolution with a bargepole going into this election, because it has no value for them in talking about it. Pro Uk voters don't want any part of this, in fact, this could lead to a 'Ratner's moment' for the party if they place this in a manifesto.
I have said repeatedly, that the Scottish Labour Party is in no fit state to campaign as an organisation, the activist base has declined, the education of activists is thread bare poor, the infighting makes campaigning unpleasant. I have turned up to campaigning sessions, and been made to feel unwelcome, in fact, on one occasion, even a party official noticed how I was treated and spoke out about it. In a group photo, being taken, the person taking the photo even adjusted the camera to ensure I was 'clipped' out, then the photo was stuck up on twitter as a record of who turned up. I think the idea was to give the misleading impression that these people were driving political campaigning forward in Glasgow South West.
Asked about the infighting Starmer replied:
"It is vital that we rebuild trust in Labour and in Scottish Labour in Scotland. That's absolutely what I'm committed to doing every day, every week, every month, into May of next year and then on from there, working with Richard Leonard and Scottish Labour. It is absolutely clear that in order to achieve that we need to unite as a party and I'm absolutely committed to that as well but that is the challenge, and it's the challenge that I have to rise to and I completely accept that."
Basically what Keir Starmer is saying amounts to nothing, it's like run on sentences where the speaker feels that he has to stick in a required amount of buzz words to appear meaningful. Nothing he said in anyway points towards answers or solutions to Scottish Labour's problems. And let's be clear. Scottish Labour's problems are his problems, no fix of Scottish Labour means no prospect of entry to Number 10, and ultimately reducing the tenure of his leadership.
When I read that Starmer announced that he will start a constitutional commission in the new year, headed up by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, I wasn't impressed. It's the wrong thing at the wrong time, and headed up by the wrong person. Gordon Brown is already pushing federalism. Clearly the commission should have had a neutral chair appointed who had no fixed public position. Is there a point to the constitutional commission, no, it is a waste of time, the outcome has already been determined. A constitutional commission should not be a front for party political advancement, if devolution is supposed to be fluid, then will the commission look at the removal of powers? Will that even feature as a discussion point? And who will be appointed to this constitutional commission, and what remit will it have, isn't the whole concept wrong as it appear to be a single party vehicle? In a democracy, surely any constitutional commission must be opened up to be cross party for it to have any legitimacy?
On the thorny issue of Brexit where the Labour Party got it spectacularly wrong, misjudged the British people, and failed to support the current government when a united front was called for against Europe, this issue doesn't get any better for them. When Starmer was asked if he thought there should be an extension to the end of the transition period, as called for by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. He failed to say no! Starmer is a remainer, so even at this late date, he cannot bring himself to admit he was wrong. he said:
"I don't want an extension, I want a deal. Get on and deliver that. Just delaying it further isn't going to help."
As Starmer knows, the Europeans want things they are not entitled too, such as access to UK fishing waters. Something which Boris Johnson cannot give away, if he does, he risks open warfare in his party, and importantly seeds his own destruction as leader. Johnson would also endanger his majority in 2024 which he and his advisors should know all too well. If he cannot get a good deal, then coming home with a bad deal is political suicide, he might as well resign his premiership and while he is at it, his seat in the House of Commons. The Conservatives are a party who get rid of leaders very efficiently and ruthlessly.
Finally, having entered Scottish politics, Keir Stamer's speech is a wobble, maybe he is finding his feet, however, it cannot be seen as a good start. He isn't fixing any of Scottish Labour's problems. He isn't inspiring voters and activists, he has potentially gave the Nationalists another stick to beat Labour with, in the shape of the constitutional commission, he has setup something the Scottish public didn't ask for, wants or needs. And I doubt he asked the real immediate question to Richard Leonard, what resources, personnel and money can the party provide you with in order to win over lost constituency seats for Holyrood?
Yours sincerely
George Laird The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
1 comment:
The last lie@bour government was so awful..in the 2010 general election. I voted Tory and I'm a socialist.
They were fake. People like them have destroyed democracy and with it, the belief we can change anything thru voting.
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