JUST when it seems like Scottish Labour might finally be getting the message – that Scots are tired of the party’s usual suspects and their Blairite ways – they go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like: “We might have let you vote for the UK and Scottish party leaders, but we’re not about to let you meddle with the Holyrood election.”
Kezia Dugdale might talk a good game about getting fresh talent into the party, but her party’s executive committee seem to have other ideas – like ensuring former MPs who were conclusively trounced at the General Election get a free pass into the Scottish Parliament.
The likes of Anas Sarwar and Thomas Docherty may be the best candidates to top their respective regional lists, and current MSP Jackie Baillie might have earned the same status with her efforts at Holyrood over the years, but shouldn’t the party’s new members be allowed a say in the matter?
Perhaps Labour high command are watching skeletons tumble out of SNP closets and concluding that a safe pair of hands is a better bet than an unknown activist. But this is an argument for solid vetting procedures, not for attempting to rebrand UK losers as Scottish winners.
Those who joined Labour to vote for Jeremy Corbyn – or who signed up amid the tide of optimism that followed his election as leader – are likely to be in need of some fresh encouragement by now.
Corbyn may be struggling to assert his authority at Westminster, but Scotland has a distinct political identity, as the hapless Jim Murphy eventually learned. The Scottish Parliament needs strong opposition voices to effectively challenge the SNP. It’s a vitally important job.
A Holyrood seat should not be a consolation prize, and our parliament is not a retirement home for past-it politicians.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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