BATTLE LINES

The battle lines are becoming clearer since the Liberals did the dirty deed with the Conservatives, and could lead to an interesting battle for the Holyrood Elections next year.

The Liberals, to paraphrase George Galloway, look set to get the mother of all hidings next year, for propping up a Government who are set to use a butcher knife to public services.  I am starting to believe that it is not altogether surprising given the authors of the Orange Book are now the leaders of the Lib Dems.  The proposed part privatisation of the Royal Mail is only the beginning I fear for public services.

It will be incumbent on all of us of a left of centre persuasion in Scotland to ensure that we protect our country’s vital services and infrastructure against these attacks from the Tory vultures, and their Liberal poodles.  The SNP are well positioned to be the social democratic champions.  All Lib Dem votes are up for grabs.

Labour in Scotland has many choices, but will I believe be also held to account for their lack of achievement at Westminster.  For a Party to have had two landslide majorities and one comfortable one to have failed on so many fronts will not be forgotten in the context of a Holyrood Election, where the understandable fear of a Tory Government was so prominent only a couple of weeks ago.

The disgraceful court decision regarding the BA strike, thankfully overturned today on Appeal, is a result of the last Westminster Government failure to bring about real change to employment law, and to bring some justice to working people.  An outrage for a party funded by Trade unions.

The idiocy of New Labour allowed itself to be attacked by the Tories from the left on civil liberty issues.

Even today the Holyrood Labour group have not grasped opposition, and stand accused of double standards.  Iain Gray complains about cuts to Health Service Jobs, yet his Finance Spokesperson, Andy Kerr, criticises the SNP Government for delaying Westminster cuts till next year.  Indeed only a few weeks into the SNP administration, New Labour demanded 4% efficiency savings, more than the SNP asked for.  Put simply you can’t ask for more savings then complain about cuts.  It is this lack of thinking and strategy which will ensure they have no credibility.

Next years elections will be determined by those who can stand up to the CON-DEM coalition.  The votes of those who ran, understandably, to Labour a few weeks ago as they were the least of the two evils, know they have a different choice for Holyrood.

A PROGRESSIVE REFLECTION

So I wasn’t able to blog during the campaign, I was so busy talking to voters on the doorstep, now that the blisters have rested, it is of course time to reflect on the result n Glasgow south west, and how we go forward.

There is no reason to blame voters for trying to block the Tory vultures from entering into Downing Street, and that was the clear message in the last few days.  Even at the polling station, some people said to me when I was asking for their vote – not today.

 This really gained ground in the last few days of the campaign when it looked like a balanced parliament was a real possibility, because for weeks I have never known so many electors who said they were undecided.  In a Westminster election, we must accept that some will vote for New Labour, warts and all, to prevent the Tories ruling the country.  To many of us of course this is a contradiction and we must ensure that should Scotland vote again in a Westminster election we hammer home the message that Independence means the Tories would never ever rule our nation again.

Sadly, it looks like Scotland’s efforts were in vain, and the lib dems look to be the poodles who if they do the dirty deed, will never be forgiven for a generation.

Yet,  

I support the progressive alliance proposal, should talks break down we must offer Labour a chance to govern, yes warts and all, because the clear, and overwhelming message from the election was the Tories are not wanted in Scotland, they are still a decontaminated brand, and have never been forgiven for the destruction they caused Scotland.  Indeed the Scottish voter would I believe be comfortable with the SNP reigning in New Labour from its right wing excesses.

This would of course require more maturity from New Labour in Scotland than what we have seen in the last few days.  To say that the SNP is irrelevant in an election and then claim that the result was a rejection of the Holyrood Government is frankly stupid, and kids no-one.  The Scottish electorate is more sophiscated than they are given credit for, and unfortunately the lazy analysis of the media in Scotland means that no-one has quite grasped that the Westminster and Holyrood elections are different and the electorate can distinguish between them. Also, the great unsaid truth is that there are many people who vote Labour who are entirely relaxed about an independent Scotland, even amongst the activists, who would welcome the opportunity to redefine what a Scottish Labour party would stand for in that new reality,

The next few days will determine the future of the UK, because I predict that if the CON/Lib Dem deal goes ahead, the Scottish people will run a mile at the earliest opportunity. If it is a progressive alliance the people of Scotland will reward us for complying with their wishes.

Over the next 12 months, the party with the values of social and economic justice, the values that say we do not need nuclear weapons, and the values of internationalism, will triumph, and that will be a victory for the SNP