Why the SNP should be glad that Ed has won..

This is going to be a slightly controversial post, but let’s take a wee step back and examine what just happened this week in the Labour Party and what this means for the North British Branch. Apart from the high profile David M supporters ( Murphy, Sarwar, Bain, Harris..) , many in Scottish Labour are highly delighted at Miliband Minor’s win and the very public break with the New Labour brand, calculating that this will bring electoral rewards next May. That level of optimism verging on arrogance and complacency will only help our campaign, as Scottish voters don’t like being taken for granted.

However, what if Labour’s strategy for the next five years is to stop drinking Southern Comfort and sup Boddingtons, Newcastle Brown and Tennents instead ? Is a move to the left (actually the centre , it’s only the media that define the middle ground in politics to the right) going to prove a tonic to the troops but a turn off to the voters south of the border ?

When there’s a significant divergence between Scotland and England in terms of preferred political parties, then the pressure grows for change. Obviously the greater the vote for the SNP, the more legitimacy for independence and that is what we are all campaigning hard for. However.. what if.. Labour’s Year Zero (as their conference has seemed to be this week) and retreat to the heartlands gifts the ConDems their re-election but has Scotland rejecting them and their little liberal helpers completely ? The same level of pressure will build from all part of Scottish society and that delivered the parliament – not one political party can claim that result, it was a collective effort, the settled will of the Scottish people. We are moving to the next phase as the union is gradually and inevitably fragmenting.

 Incidentally one of the better quips from Labour conference was that well-known joker, Liam “there’s no money left” Byrne when he emphasised the importance of attacking the Tories instead of the Liberals – Business before Pleasure …