Still Labouring

Sir Keir Starmer has adopted the slogan “New Leadership” to distinguish the present Labour shadow cabinet from both the government’s team and the previous Labour team.

I agree that no matter how poor Conservative governments have been, Labour has rarely seemed capable of challenging them since 2010.

In Scotland, however, Richard Leonard, a Corby ni te, provides continuity, not new leadership. Sadly, the complete in competence shown by Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 election brings ridicule to all Labourites who took a cultic view of Socialism. While leftwing economics has a respectable academic following, the cult-like approach of Jeremy Corbyn failed to provide arguments which could in any way impress a broad audience.

Any Labour leader who wants to win has to listen for and promote credible arguments and have a planned and costed economic po licy. Labour in Scotland needs to sing from that hymnsheet and not be saddled by the cultic sensibilities of the past. I’m not sure if Labour in Scotland has New Leadership.

ANDREW VASS

Corbiehill Place, Edinburgh