IT is pointless pretending that UK politics is not having an impact on Scotland at present because, with Labour snapping at the SNP’s heels, it is obvious that what is happening at Westminster is going to have a very significant impact on the political scene in Holyrood and on everyone throughout Scotland.

In that case, reflecting on what happened at the Labour Party conference has to be worthwhile.

Three things really stand out from that debacle.

The first is that no-one had anything to say. I suffered the agony of watching both Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer make their keynote speeches, and they added nothing whatsoever to our understanding of what Labour might do. We were clueless as to their intentions at the time that they were elected to government, and we still are. After 14 years in opposition, Labour apparently do not have an agenda for government, and that is now apparent to everyone.

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Secondly, what is as clear is that Labour have no attitude for politics, let alone governing. If there was anyone who was vaguely competent in its ranks, then they would have told their leader, deputy leader and candidate to be Chancellor of the Exchequer to have avoided taking any gifts from anyone that might have brought their reputations into question. However, and quite extraordinarily, all three took donations for clothing, and much else besides in the case of Keir Starmer.

However much bluster and justification they have sought to offer, there is no ethical or political excuse for what they did. They look incompetent because they took these gifts, and they were incompetent when doing so.

Worse still, whilst they say they will not take such gifts in the future, their statement on that issue was so carefully worded that the opportunity to opt out of that commitment was clearly provided for in what they said. As a result, it is obvious that they have not learned any lessons from what happened.

Thirdly, so badly have they performed in their first few weeks in government that they cannot even win the support of their own party conference. Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer might say that it was essential that the winter fuel allowance in England, and the Scottish Winter Fuel Payment equivalent, must be cut because, as they have quite extraordinarily claimed, the financial credibility of the UK would have otherwise been in doubt, but no one believes them. That includes those who were at their own conference. That conference voted to reject this policy on Wednesday, but most of the party’s leadership is so closed-minded that they had already left that event to avoid having to face this uncomfortable truth.

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In summary, Labour are in office without any idea of what they should do. They have proven themselves to be politically incompetent, and even their own membership think that they are making a mess. That’s quite an achievement after little more than 12 weeks in government.

The question is, what does this mean for Scotland ... and what does it mean for Scottish politics?

It has  long been said that the Scottish Labour Party are nothing more than a branch office of the operation in London, and as everyone who is familiar with the way which Labour now work will know, no Labour branch office now has the right to make up its mind on absolutely anything at all. Total control is exercised by the Westminster-based centre over anything that Labour now do. In that case, whatever Anas Sarwar might like to say, he is nothing more than a puppet for Starmer and Reeves. We can safely conclude that he has nothing more to offer to Scotland than either Starmer or Reeves has, and that is close to nothing at all.

So, it has to be asked: Why it is that Labour might still be snapping at the heels of the SNP?

Is that just because Labour simply rode an immense UK-wide desire to be rid of the Tories in July, which sent the SNP into a tailspin alongside the Conservatives?

Or is it that the SNP are doing no better than Labour in terms of political competence and narratives?

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Time will tell on this one. If, as seems likely, Labour support in England is falling fast, then it might be that the SNP will get a benefit in Scotland, with their poll ratings rising as a result. I would, however, suggest some caution about that. The SNP are in office in Scotland, and Labour are not. Right now, that’s to the SNP’s disadvantage.

There is, instead, something else to consider. If these two parties are ranking neck and neck and we can objectively conclude that Labour are useless and in need of reform, might it also be true that the SNP are also due for a radical transformation if they are to answer any of the reasonable questions that people might ask of them?

Some might find that an uncomfortable question for me to ask. They might also not like the answer implicit in posing it. But what is absolutely certain is that the people of Scotland deserve better politics than they are being offered at present by either of these parties and all the other English-based parties represented in Holyrood. And that means Labour’s crisis is one we cannot ignore.