A New Vision for Scottish Labour
Scottish Labour is drifting to a point of crisis. From its heyday at the turn of the century, the party has faced repeated humiliation at the ballot box from the SNP and more recently have fallen to third behind the Scottish Conservatives. And on their current trajectory that seems likely to continue. Yet at this point in time, the party and its membership face a turning point.
The increasing threat of the Scottish Conservative has largely grown from the leadership of Ruth Davidson, as she positioned her party at the centre of the political spectrum, and fiercely opposed to Scottish Independence. Even since stepping down as leader and announcing she will not be running for re-election, Baroness Davidson has positioned herself front and centre of the Scottish Tories, putting herself front and centre of the current campaign as a compassionate conservative, a softer image successfully shaking off the shadow of Thatcherism which has haunted the party north of the border for decades.
Scottish Labour has similarly been drifting towards the Tories. After standing alongside them in the No campaign for the 2014 referendum, they have been seen by the electorate as one and the same. By holding the same policy views as the Conservative on the most important issue in Scottish Policy, but just being weaker on it, Labour risks further devastation in May. Unfortunately, the front runner in the ongoing leadership election seems poised to do just that. Anas Sarwar, a self-described Brownite, stands to the right of the outgoing leadership on most major issues and is positioning himself to oppose consulting the Scottish people on their constitutional future. By electing Sarwar, Scottish Labour would simply be repeating their previous mistakes, setting a course for electoral irrelevance and restricting the UK parties hopes of electoral success.
His opponent, Monica Lennon, by contrast, has a record of standing apart from the party. She manages to present a nuanced view on the issue of independence, supporting the Scottish People’s right to choose the future they see as best suiting them, a future she believes is within the United Kingdom. Through this distinction, a Scottish Labour Party under Lennon would be one that could appeal to Scots of both Unionist and Nationalist leanings and unite them around a progressive platform.
But the issues Scottish Labour face do not end with the rise of the Conservatives. The SNP have successfully positioned themselves as the primary progressive opposition to the Conservatives at Westminster and despite cuts from Holyrood and their freeze on Council Tax, the SNP are, in the eyes of many Scots, the leading left-wing party. To tackle this false notion, Scottish Labour will need a leader with a record of achieving genuine improvements, a record Monica Lennon has. In January, to much international acclaim, Scotland became the first country in the world to end period poverty. This was the result of a members’ bill introduced by Monica, which gave a free provision for period products across the nation.
With this track record of achievement and policy positions that would allow Labour to retain relevancy in 2021 and move onto success in the future. Monica Lennon seems to be the perfect candidate for the grassroots of the party to rally around and elect as Scottish Labour Leader.
