The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
If anybody can, Kezia can
Some green shoots of recovery have emerged this week that have left me feeling optimistic about the future of Labour and Scotland.
There is no doubt Labour has taken a battering lately and many people in Scotland have stopped listening to us.
They feel we have lost our way and no longer see in us the reasons they once had for voting for us. I don’t accept Labour has been complacent or tired but I do admit that is how many Scots viewed us.
Something had to change. Now it has and the first signs are emerging that we may have turned the corner.
We have hundreds of new members signing up to join us, a UK leadership debate which is energising political debate in this country and a new leader in Scotland who represents a fresh start for the party.
You may have caught the news this week that Kezia Dugdale has been elected Scottish Labour leader.
Kez and I were elected to the Scottish Parliament at the same time four years ago. We were both thrown into the deep end after the 2011 election as new MSPs and hopefully represent a new generation of Labour politicians with fresh ideas and ambitions for Scotland.
I had no hesitation in supporting Kez when she told me she was going to stand for leader of our party and was delighted with the thumping mandate she received from Labour supporters on Saturday.
I know she will bring energy, intelligence and determination to one of the toughest jobs in Scottish politics.
Kez is someone with ambition for Scotland and her commitment to trying to drive up standards in our schools so everyone can reach their potential is particularly welcome here in Dundee.
I believe Scotland needs a strong Labour Party and Kez’s leadership represents a fresh start after some tough years for us.
I was honoured when she asked me to serve in her shadow cabinet as Labour’s equality spokesperson – covering health, care, welfare, equalities and social inclusion.
By building her shadow team around values – equality, opportunity, justice, community, public services, wealth creation and democracy – rather than the traditional ministerial portfolios, we have a chance to escape the process of the Scottish Parliament and get out and talk to the country about our values. It’s a challenge I relish. With our NHS under tremendous strain, stories and statistics on waiting times longer and longer and Tory attacks on the most vulnerable through benefit reform, this is a key area of policy that I will be working on.
I believe Labour values of fairness and equality will be integral to tackling these issues.
There is no doubt that people all over Scotland have lost faith in us – if anyone doubted that then the point was forced home in the General Election, where we lost almost every seat.
One of the most common reasons people give for not voting for us is they no longer know what we stand for.
Kez is determined that charge will never be levelled at us again.
I hope you see some of the changes we are making, recognise they are rooted in the Labour values which are so important to so many Scots and take a fresh look at us under Kez’s leadership.
As Scotland’s official opposition, we have a major responsibility. Whether it is the attainment gap in education, the pressures on our NHS or an economy that is insecure for so many people, there is a lot we need to do to achieve the fairer, better Scotland we would want.
It’s our job to help the Scottish Government get the right policies and help them on the issues where we agree, or set an alternative where we don’t.
We know we have a long way back after the last few years. Earning the trust that has been lost with the public will take time and attention.
However, if we can put some fresh new ideas into the public debate, be a responsible but effective opposition to the SNP and set out an alternative vision for the people of Scotland, then I am confident people will put their faith in us again.
Now we have a new leader in Scotland, we still have to wait another few weeks to find out who will lead the Labour Party across the UK.
Jeremy Corbyn has surprised many people by going from outsider to frontrunner with his brand of traditional values and socialist messages and he has certainly got people interested in the debate, speaking to packed meetings across the country.
While I am impressed by Jeremy’s energetic campaign, I decided to give my first preference to Yvette Cooper.
I think her experience and economic record marks her out as the best candidate and I think it’s time Labour had a female leader.
However, mine is just one vote among thousands across the UK and I look forward to finding out who will lead us as we try to stop the Tory Government from imposing cuts on the most vulnerable in society.
Kez’s leadership represents a fresh start after some tough years for us