We’ve noted on a number of occasions that the BBC is fond of using the late-night papers review show on the News channel as a sneaky little Nat-bashing section in which London-based broadsheet journalists (always, always Unionists) get to display the full depth of their arrogant cluelessness about Scottish politics.
Last night’s, however, was quite something even by the usual standards.
In the wake of the story carried by many newspapers today about Scottish Labour changing its position on the devolution of taxation for (by our count) the 15th time, we thought it only fair that we should let each of the three candidates for the branch office managership explain it in their own words.
We’re certain that it’ll all be clear once they’re finished.
On last night’s Scotland Tonight, prospective Scottish Labour deputy “leader” Katy Clark MP told the nation that “it could be Scotland that lets us down”.
It wasn’t a slip of the tongue. By “us” she meant the Labour Party, and she went on to elaborate, telling the old Labour story about how UK general elections are about an Old Firm-style showdown betweeen two parties and how it was in essence the duty of Scots to vote Labour to keep the Tories out at Westminster, seemingly unaware that just as with the Old Firm, most people despise both of them pretty much equally.
(And conveniently overlooking the fact that Scots voted overwhelmingly Labour in 2010 and got the Tories anyway, as Labour obstinately refused to consider a “rainbow coalition” because they hated the SNP too much. What Scots learned that year was that Labour would rather let Tories rule Scotland than be civil to left-wing nationalists.)
The comments followed just a couple of days after Holyrood Magazine editor Mandy Rhodes had penned an article about the Scottish branch’s current woes that had a very telling first paragraph.
Jim Murphy has finally announced that he’ll stand for the leadership of the Scottish branch office of the UK Labour Party. Tonight he told the Daily Record that:
“I am not going to shout at or about the SNP, I am going to talk to and listen to Scotland.”
For any of you who might have forgotten, here’s some recent footage of how Jim listens to Scotland and avoids shouting about the SNP:
Our undercover agent inside Labour (whose identity we can’t reveal, other than their codename “Nasa Warsar”) just leaked us this internal security-camera footage from both the Scottish and UK party HQs at the time of Johann Lamont’s resignation.
Scottish Labour, having seemingly faced up to their shortcomings as a political branch office and thereby despaired of being able to win any arguments, have now resorted to what appears to be a final strategy: telling undecideds to vote No for no reason at all.
“If you don’t know, Vote No” is the very basest sort of political message. A direct appeal to people’s fear of change, a call for blind faith in a party that’s proven itself unable to earn that faith from the Scottish or British electorate for the past nine years and shows no sign of doing so in the future. It’s a message that has very little going for it other than a sort of crude animal simplicity.
(Emphasised by the fact that “If you don’t know – vote No!” is the very first line, but Johann and Gordon feel the need to batter it into what we must presume they think are their voters’ thick, primitive brains by repeating it as a PS mere moments later.)
But Scottish Labour being Scottish Labour, they can’t even get THAT right.
Stevie on Still Time To Save Her: “I despise the SNP : of coursee they/them will agree John Swinney “Oct 8 My duty as First Minister is…” Oct 10, 23:30
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robertkknight on Still Time To Save Her: “cont. The wording of the Act is as follows: 84. In respect of Scotland, national security is a reserved matter,…” Oct 10, 00:53
robertkknight on Still Time To Save Her: “You’re wrong, sorry… “Because national security and core intelligence powers are reserved, the UK legislation still takes effect in Scotland…” Oct 10, 00:25
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robertkknight on Still Time To Save Her: “Perhaps due consideration should be directed towards… Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Act 2021 “The Covert Human Intelligence Sources…” Oct 9, 19:27
Dan on Still Time To Save Her: “Aye, and folk should also remember that a remarkably similar modus of dubious activities and procedures by certain organs of…” Oct 9, 19:23
BigJay on Still Time To Save Her: “Something that has always piqued my interest was the resignation of then Chief Constable of Police Scotland, Sir Iain Livingstone.…” Oct 9, 19:08
