An election communication from the Labour candidate in my constituency said he would like to hear from me. Taking him at his word, I told him: “Most of my life I have voted Labour as have most of my family. Several have been active in the Labour party at constituency level. As a teenager I was much influenced by Donald Dewar who was at school with me and we had over a hundred conversations about constitutional arrangements and voting systems. In the event that you become an MSP in my constituency or region you will have one
constituent, perhaps the only one left, who was
trained half a century ago by The Father of the
Nation himself. It is for that reason that I will not be voting for you or for Labour on the Regional vote in this election. The unremitting negativity of the Labour group in the last parliament has diminished the effectiveness of elements of the design of Donald’s Home Rule parliament which foster cross party working. It is also ignorant and foolish (as anyone with the most basic
understanding of sales technique could tell you)
to rubbish the competition. Clearly, SLAB
politicians with few exceptions prefer to play the
party games of public school and Oxbridge debating societies and ape the practice of the
Westminster parliament in which two “house” teams take their turns to alternate their roles like
cricketers do, sitting two sword’s length apart (though they have red belts to hang their swords on outside) and record their debates on calf vellum. I do not think independence for Scotland is the best way to deliver competent government in the UK as a whole, but it is the only way that I will be comforted by the thought that when I am gone, my grandchildren will grow up in a country with a parliament designed for purpose, based on the four founding principles and respecting the values on the mace. Few issues have disgraced the party of men of the stature of Donald Dewar, John Smith and Robin Cook and their precursors in the ILP more than the automatic opposition for oppositions sake on the Megrahi release, and few actions of a Scottish minister have better demonstrated these values. Both the Greens and the Conservatives, small though they are, are able to operate in the parliament in a responsible way. It seems likely that they will have between them more talented MSP’s and serious legislators than will Labour with many more MSP’s. Miss Goldie understandably makes the most of her party’s claimed successes. Labour merely girns unappealingly. Even with four parties and the prospect of a return of socialists at the election after this one, the Scottish Parliament could function very well without Labour, and better than it has done in the last session. I expect that losses of Labour voters who remember a party of principle will be offset by former LibDem voters in some constituencies, but it is in the interests of Scotland, the Scottish Parliament and even the Labour party that you lose this election and reflect on whether there are any principles in politics that you adhere to or whether the opinion of the foreign owned press,
knowing which pop group inspires you, and
which biscuit best conveys the image focus
groups like, is more important. Under the sixth Leader in twelve years you will have the opportunity to rebuild the party relying
on the new intake, and you should also
Bavarianise to rid yourself of a superimposed
leadership of people too busy to understand the
dynamics of the Scottish parliament and ignorant of Scottish history and values and the many issues in which population sparsity or rural industry is a factor. Where a leader with such potential may come from, and whether the
London leadership would allow him or her to do
what you need to do is problematic. The SNP has at least four ministers who could do the job for
you. Scottish Labour is in no condition to lead a
government at this time. The problems of a
dearth of talent, inept strategy, and lack of new
ideas are enough for you to deal with and
competent government would be beyond your
capacity. The root cause of all these problems is because your party is now bereft of any principle worthy of the name and membership, active support and funding would all be transformed by a party with a vision which could inspire people in the way it used to do nearly a century ago. I won’t be voting for you on a matter of principles: Labour’s abandonment of them.