Political Parties

A right-wing agenda for the SNP

October 21, 2012December 1, 2020
Left Strategy, Media, Political Parties

Today the Scotland on Sunday has outlined a clear right-wing agenda for the SNP. We can’t afford to dismiss this as wishful thinking.

A party without a leadership, a leadership without a party

October 19, 2012
Left Strategy, Political Parties, World Policy

The NATO vote has destroyed careers and brought many in the SNP to the verge. But they must all be patient – today was a giant victory for principle and for the left. Stay – defend those who made you proud today.

Orientation Day

October 18, 2012
Left Strategy, Political Parties, World Policy

Tomorrow is a crucial day for the SNP. It is also a crucial day for quite a few SNP politicians. Here’s why.

The NATO poll nonsense

October 13, 2012October 13, 2012
Political Parties, Scottish Policy, UK Policy

Claiming the spurious poll on NATO membership tells us anything shows a complete disregard for the science of measuring opinion

We’ve had the debate: universalism won

September 28, 2012
Left Strategy, Political Parties, Scottish Policy

If Scottish Labour wants to open up a debate on universalism, I welcome it. It’ll be a brief debate and universalism will win. Again.

Is this the end of ‘Scottish’ Labour?

September 26, 2012
Left Strategy, Political Parties, Scottish Policy

It is hard not to conclude that Johann Lamont has retreated into a fantasy land. Cancelling devolution, retreating into local government and turning to the right to align herself with London Labour might solve her internal squabbles. But what does any of this have to do with Scotland?

Labour can’t be radical by default

August 3, 2012
Political Parties, Scottish Policy

Some in the Labour Party may think that the way the constitutional debate has exposed a clear vacuum in the SNP’s vision of what it is for has helped redefine the Labour Party by default. It hasn’t, and the really difficult questions for the Scottish Labour Party lie ahead. One more poll suggests they haven’t yet offered any compelling answers.

Why is the SNP rubbing the left’s nose in it?

July 23, 2012December 2, 2020
Left Strategy, Political Parties, Scottish Policy

The right-wing drift of the SNP is turning into a march. The same is true of the left whose drift away from the Party is accelerating. Has the SNP left just resigned itself to becoming like the Westminster Labour Left? Is there now no challenge to the creation of New SNP?

Don’t vote against NATO. Vote for something better.

July 17, 2012December 2, 2020
Political Parties, Scottish Policy, World Policy

So the motion to the SNP conference calling for a reversal in NATO policy has been made public. Those who have moved it have built principle into the heart of it. All the rest of the SNP has to do is build in a little more principle.

Now Scottish Labour has to decide if it has changed

May 16, 2012
Political Parties

Nostalgic for the tuition fees debate? Thought not. So why is Labour straying back into its old hunting ground of bashing universal provision? The Party really needs to think about whether it has changed.