Sunday, May 16, 2010

Labour Have Put Scotland’s Head in the Tory Noose



In a former post, I argued the case that we cannot realistically call opponents of Scottish independence ‘traitors’ for two reasons: first, Scotland is not yet an independent state. Second, there are only 5 million of us. Slightly more than Norway, a wee bit less than Denmark. Unless we plan to shoot people to improve the polls, those who disagree with us have to be persuaded, until those in favour of independence are in a healthy majority.

This means that the case must be made to those Scots, English, French, Chinese, Irish, Poles and Pakistanis living in Scotland that their quality of life would be vastly improved outside the financial and cultural straitjacket of the United Kingdom. To browbeat fence sitters by calling them traitors and fools sounds arrogant, and can only serve to harden attitudes.

Recent events, however, have changed my mind about one particular group of Scots. It is now beyond any reasonable doubt that the Scots of the Labour Party are traitors to their own people. I refrain from saying the ‘Scottish Labour Party’, an entity which does not actually exist. I mean the UK Labour Party in Scotland. (1)

If the post-Election negotiations proved nothing else, they proved this: that, knowing full well what the Tories will do to Scotland, a cabal of Scottish Labour Party members preferred to let the Tories back into power to wreak havoc on Scottish society, rather than work with the LibDems and Scottish and Welsh nationalists to form a progressive, social democratic alliance. They lined up to shoot down the idea of an anti-Tory alliance live on television. This while the leaders of their party were still in talks with the LibDems on forming a coalition.

No concessions on referendums or special powers were asked for by the SNP as a price, yet these Labour Scots slapped away the SNP hand, unwilling even to discuss the possibility of cooperation.

The central proposal on the table was to keep the Tories out. Yet it’s now clear for all to see that Labour’s priority was something quite different: to keep the Scottish Nationalists out.

So maybe now at last we can put to bed the tired old Labour mantra that the SNP let in Margaret Thatcher in 1979. In 2010, the Scots of the Labour Party – with living memory as a guide for what to expect from the Tories – walked away from a viable alternative UK government and let the Tories back into power. This government would have held a UK majority, just as Labour likes to claim that Unionist parties form a majority of opinion in Holyrood.

Think about what this means: that the Labour Party would rather sit out a decade in paid but impotent opposition under a UK Tory Government than give 1 second’s consideration to working with Scottish nationalists.

The Labour Party Scottish footsoldiers evidently have stronger attachment to their Westminster salaries, benefits, expenses, titles, privileges and pensions than their own people. Protecting those eking out a living in Scotland in the face of impending Tory cuts is a long way down their list of priorities.

So let us lay the blame for everything that now happens to Scotland under this Tory-LibDem regime fairly and squarely at the feet of the Labour Party in Scotland.

Thank you, Scots of the Labour Party, for putting Scotland’s head in the Tory noose.





NOTES
(1) The London-based British Labour Party is probably in violation of British electoral law by representing their party in Scotland as the Scottish Labour Party, a name that is an invention of Labour’s spin doctors.



UPDATE

Labour MP admits being 'relieved' when Tories got in



9 comments:

DougtheDug said...

The Labour party's top three priorities are:

Preserve the Union
Preserve the Party
Gain power in Westminster

Scotland doesn't get a look in.

Since the Union is the Labour party's highest priority it explains why they simply cannot enter any deals with the SNP or PC.

It also explains why they always accuse the SNP of bringing Labour down in 1979 when the Lib-Dems voted with the Tories as well. Nobody mentions the Lib-Dems in connection with the 1979 confidence vote and Lord Mandelson, and ex-Press Secretary Campbell were willing to ditch Brown in a last ditch attempt to get the Lib-Dems onside.

The most cynical campaign is being played by the Labour Party in Scotland as they accuse the SNP of "cuts" in Scotland. Since the Scottish Parliament is funded by Westminster, now run by the Tories, how do they think a Labour party in power in Holyrood could stop the squeeze on the block grant? Once the threat of independence is removed then it will be open season on Scotland from the cost cutters down south.

I saw Jim Sillars on the TV a couple of days ago and he said the best line the SNP could take would be to say that if Scotland doesn't want the Tories the best place to stop them is at the border of an independent Scotland. I don't agree with Jim on everything but I agree with him on this one.

The Labour party in Scotland can call themselves the, "Scottish Labour Party", quite legally as all political parties in the UK can register up to 12 "Registered Descriptions", with the Electoral Commission to use on their literature. The Labour party could register and use the more truthful, "The Scottish region Greater English Labour Party", if they wanted to.

The Tories and the Lib-Dems use the same trick as they don't have separate parties either. They might have in their imagination but not according to the Electoral Commission.

OutLander said...

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the info.

I think this year will be a very interesting one for Labour in Scotland. The cracks are starting to show, and the end will not be pretty. Salmond played them well in the election aftermath, and everyone saw their true Unionist colours revealed.

I think Sillars still has much to offer. He has a good mind, and I'd like to see him continue to put out white papers that generate public debate and push the SNP into a more aggressive stance on independence and its benefits.

The media love the 'SNP divided' angle too and give him airtime because of it, but if it gets the ideas out there and people talking, I'm not one to complain.

subrosa said...

Outlander, when I was active in politics I had no clue about how the systems operated. It wasn't long before I became aware just how much hatred the labour party has for the SNP. It was palpable and upset me to a degree and on occasion it was frightening to think people would go to such extremes to thwart an opponent. Of all politicians I came across I can quite honestly say the labour party were the most abusive, ill-mannered and mainly uninformed of them all.

They will stop at nothing but I too will be delighted to say those in labour here are responsible for what coming to us. As Doug says they have no interest here, it's purely subjective.

Anonymous said...

Jim Sillars taking Goven for the SNP and the anti-poll tax campaign was an inpiration for me and the end of Labour in Scotland for me.
Labour where the same bunch of quisling traitors that changed the rules on the devolution vote in the 70's .A vote that would of given Scotland a devolved parliment decades ago. These are the same quisling traitors that VOTED WITH THE TORIES to send Scotlands children off to 2 illegal wars. These are the same "immature" quisling traitors that VOTED WITH THE TORIES to give us the Edinburgh tram. Knowing full well the disruption it would cause and that the SNP would be blamed.
If you still think Labour has Scotlands interests at heart ,then you really are a deluded idiot.
They would rather watch Scotland raped by Tories ,as they stand by and watch , and then they say vote for us and we will stop them! But actually they then just take over the raping!!!

OutLander said...

Hi Rosy,

the labour party were the most abusive, ill-mannered and mainly uninformed of them all

From what I've seen lately, I think they may actually have got worse. You can almost smell the fear.

Keep up the great work!

OutLander said...

Hi Cuthulan,

Jim Sillars taking Goven for the SNP and the anti-poll tax campaign was an inpiration for me

Agreed. A magic moment indeed.


They would rather watch Scotland raped by Tories as they stand by and watch

You're right. That is exactly what has just been proved. People will not forget this.

Anonymous said...

think that the SNP have a real problem understanding never mind address the West of Scotland Labour voters' collective mindset.

Even if they could, or in fact do, to do would change internal equilibrium of the party and could well be a Judean Peoples' Front, Peoples Front of Judea formula for perpetual internecine war.

What is needed is a West of Scotland Socialist Labour Party with both intellect and political nous as well as am independence based agenda.

Sillars could have done that with Margo but I fear that it is too late for them now. I am buggered if I can think of a current Labour personality capable of doing so. I had thought that Purcell just might have been the man given to come forward in that role when the time was ripe, but.

Any other suggestions to divide the W of Scot Labour vote?

OutLander said...

Hi Bugger,

You've hit on exactly the problem that's been nippin ma heid since the election - addressing the West of Scotland Labour voters' collective mindset.

I think I might post on this.

Anonymous said...

Glad to have been of some bamboo chewing help.