Labour, the UK’s largest political party, has elected a left wing leader by a landslide. This is not a revolution, but a giant evolutionary step forward. Even those on the right recognise that Jeremy Corbyn has offered many hope where there was none, and that policies such as reducing student debt and nationalising the railways are hugely popular right across the UK’s political spectrum.
Kezia Dugdale was one of the first people to meet Jeremy Corbyn after his election, and he has made it clear that he will support her in her efforts to rebuild Scottish Labour. When he visits Scotland in the coming days I fully expect that he will call on the SNP to work with him in Westminster to oppose the Tories by winning arguments, not playing games in parliament. However, I very much doubt he’ll have much time for the SNP’s woeful Holyrood record on education, policing and the NHS.
As positive as many people are about the impact on inequality Jeremy Corbyn can have has a conviction politician, the very last thing the SNP hierarchy want is for the news agenda to be dominated by jubilant left wingers supporting his agenda. This is because Jeremy Corbyn’s vision is not the regressive centrist platform cloaked in a tartan left wing veneer so loved by the SNP, but something which is genuinely focussed on delivering social justice in every corner of the UK. This is a real threat to the SNP’s dominance.
To distract the SNP’s core support from Jeremy Corbyn’s positive agenda, Nicola Sturgeon has been forced to play her referendum card early. By talking up the chances of a second referendum in the near future, she simultaneously reassures hard-core nationalists whilst keeping on side those on the left who reluctantly see the SNP as the necessary means to deliver a socialist Scotland once independence is gained.
Whilst the SNP may have been successful in moving the agenda back on to the ground they are comfortable with, I am hopeful that the rebalancing of politics across the UK will expose their record in government to forensic scrutiny by the Scottish public.
Dr Scott Arthur 
Our Education is free at point of entry from cradle to grave and no university tuition fees. Our hospitals constantly out perform those of England and Wales. Granted policing does need a rethink. However, compared to consecutive UK governments i would say the SNP are blowing them out of the water. Jealousy will get you nowhere.
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Education is not free – the SNP cut the grants given to the poorest students and replaced it with loans.
The SNP do not even meet their own NHS targets…. and have cut NHS spending.
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Are you serious? How much are student fees, Doctors prescriptions and care for the elderly in England again. Funny how in Scotland they are free thanks to the SNP oh and I forgot to mention the freeze on Council tax for over 8 years which if your Labour lot had been in they would have more than doubled.to over £2000 each which is beyond the scope of most working people to pay.
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Free personal care for the elderly was a Labour policy.
Free tuition was a Labour policy. Labour also gave poor students a fair grant – SNP cut it!
Council tax freeze has been funded by cutting services for the vulnerable. Rich Scots benefit by around £300 per year. Those of welfare get nothing.
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Who gives a shit if Labour may have at some point come up with these policies if…they don’t bloody well implement them. Council tax is completely regressive Eg asking low incomne people (like me) to pay 10% of their incomne on council tax. Snp correctly recognise how unfair this is. PS don’t listen to what I say but what I do. Labour has to prove their credibility- SNP has proved it many times over but if they fail to, we will as voters hold them to the fire. Meanwhile, 90% of Labour party MPs are just Tory apologists…despite Corbyn s much welcomed victory.
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Alasdair, Labour did come up with these policies AND implement them.
I understand your argument about the council tax being unfair. HOWEVER:
1. The SNP have had since 2007 to fix it.
2. The council tax freeze makes it MORE unfair. The rich benefit most and services for the poor are cut to fund it.
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You need to do some more research the SNP tried to introduce a local income tax. Labour joined with the Tories to block it.
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Labour blocked the SNP’s proposals as the SNP had reinvented the Poll Tax.
That was in the 2007-11 parliament when the SNP needed Tory support to have their policies passed.
Since 2011 they have had a majority and could have scrapped the Council Tax any time they wanted. They didn’t.
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