LOSING THE PLOT

A perhaps predictable headline for this post, but I have been thinking over the last week or so that the recent developments at Westminster are part of a wider malaise within New Labour as they appear to stumble towards the Election.

Whilst acknowledging that some of the publicity that Brown receives from the English establishment is out of order, what was the rebellion actually about?  From what I can observe there is no political difference between the so-called Blairites, and Brownites.  Their biggest problem is they have no political narrative, and most importantly no real difference with the Tories.

Given Brown's admission to Darling to accept that big cuts are needed on public spending, surely we will hear no more nonsense of rip-offs campaigns?  Perhaps not.  Last weeks dreadful performance by the Holyrood New Labour Group, where they blame the recent cold weather on the SNP demonstrates that they have lost the plot too, if they ever had one!  As Michael Russell said to me only the other day, if the SNP had invented the light bulb, New Labour would attack this as an anti-candle device!

The statement that voting New Labour will lock out the Tories only has reasonance if there are actually big differences between the two.

The SNP now has a wonderful opportunity to show clearly to the voters that the SNP can make a big difference at a Westminster election.  The fight for our rightful share of public money, a vision that the unregulated market is not the only way to run an economy, that people can be put before profit, that a non nuclear Scotland can succeed and take its place in the world..

Thats what I will be doing in the next few months.

Meanwhile, the rest will be losing the plot.