The Labour Party goes through bouts of introspection. At these times, which inevitably follow electoral reversal, Labour throws all its energies into internal dispute. It was famously said of the Left in the 1980s that they "refused to compromise with the electorate". Doctrinal purity or factional harmony has all too often taken precedence over winningContinue reading "Leadership contest shows Labour needs to get serious"
Jim Murphy hands Scottish Labour a chance to rebuild
Every pundit in Scotland knows what ails the Labour Party and the prescription for its malaise. We’ve written many columns and monopolised hours of airtime telling you so. On Saturday, Jim Murphy took his turn to lay out a framework for reforming Scottish Labour and electing a new leader and deputy leader. He did soContinue reading "Jim Murphy hands Scottish Labour a chance to rebuild"
What is Scottish nationalism, what is it not, what could it be?
Half the country thinks it's a cult, the other half is chugging down the Kool-Aid. The SNP is a political and cultural phenomenon sweeping away the old certainties of British politics, enthusing and enraging in equal measure as it goes along. As things stand, the Nationalists are the majority government at Holyrood, the third partyContinue reading "What is Scottish nationalism, what is it not, what could it be?"
Swinney comes out swinging in stand-in FMQs joust
John Swinney was one of the best leaders of the SNP in decades. Nothing will dissuade me from this view. Not the party's mediocre electoral performance during his tenure (down one MP and eight MSPs). Not his failure to unite the gradualist and fundamentalist wings. Not even his role in the departure from the partyContinue reading "Swinney comes out swinging in stand-in FMQs joust"
Next Labour leader needs to win back England, not Scotland
We Scots are a pretty self-involved bunch when it comes to politics. The independence referendum had world leaders pleading for us to stay part of the UK. The general election saw international media descend on the country they assured us was about to hold the balance of power in the House of Commons. Scotland, itsContinue reading "Next Labour leader needs to win back England, not Scotland"
Charles Kennedy embodied a decency all too rare in politics
You will be hearing the word 'decent' a lot today. That is to be expected. How else to describe a man so essentially good. A politician who stood on principle and reminded a cynical public that politicians still could. Charles Kennedy, who has died aged 55, led the Liberal Democrats for just over six yearsContinue reading "Charles Kennedy embodied a decency all too rare in politics"
Presiding Officer can take pride in a legacy of reform
The current term at Holyrood will be the last for one of the parliament's most prominent and respected members. Tricia Marwick, the presiding officer, has announced that she will stand down as an MSP at next May's elections. The Mid Fife and Glenrothes MSP was one of the original 129 members of the reconvened Scottish ParliamentContinue reading "Presiding Officer can take pride in a legacy of reform"
Queen’s Speech sets out Tories’ new blue-collar conservatism
When Napoleon described the English as "a nation of shopkeepers" some among their number took the barb to heart. For the aristocracy and the radicals, commerce was long a common enemy, at once vulgar and elitist. It is why the upper classes and the liberal intelligentsia despised Margaret Thatcher, the social-climbing daughter of a grocerContinue reading "Queen’s Speech sets out Tories’ new blue-collar conservatism"
Not another one of those columns about why Labour lost
This is not, I promise, one of those columns. You know the ones I'm talking about. You've seen a dozen of them quoted on Twitter in the past fortnight. You've probably read at least two or three. You may even have written one. "Labour lost because it was too left". "Labour lost because it wasContinue reading "Not another one of those columns about why Labour lost"
Jim Murphy’s departure alone will not save Scottish Labour
It's been a right mad few months in Scotland, hasn't it? The SNP, a mere 80 years into its existence, brought the 300-year-old Union between Scotland and England to the brink of destruction. Then the most successful Scottish politician in a generation, Alex Salmond, managed to lose the referendum to the massed forces of JohannContinue reading "Jim Murphy’s departure alone will not save Scottish Labour"
Stephen Daisley 