“I want us to be the real Scottish Labour Party, rooted in traditional socialist values which might be over a century old, but are just as relevant today as they were back then.”
By Brian Leishman MP
Come rain, hail or shine, Scottish Labour Party activists were out leafleting and knocking doors.
It was inspiring to see their tireless efforts, supporting the many excellent candidates because they believed our party offered the best chance to see a fairer more equal Scotland.
However, with the results in, the party must now take stock and analyse another poor result.
It is time to acknowledge the painful truth – that yet again Scots shunned what we had to offer, another five years out of government.
On the one hand, it is undeniable that this most unpopular of Prime Ministers has contributed to this disastrous outcome.
U-turn after U-turn, mistake after mistake, the shortcomings and errors of judgement are widely recognised.
I have been saying it for months, and I will say it again, Keir Starmer’s resignation is what is best for both the Labour Party and for the country.
On the other hand, however, we cannot place the blame on him alone. Scotland has refused what we had to offer, despite a litany of SNP failures over the past nearly two decades.
We were unable to beat them in spite of the many scandals, a crumbling health service and an education system that sees the attainment gap between the richest and poorest continue to grow.
When I was out campaigning, people regularly told me that they no longer knew what Scottish Labour stood for.
Much of what was once our core support, now look to others, mainly the SNP.
We have allowed the SNP to replace Scottish Labour as the party for progressive views in people’s minds.
Make no mistake. The SNP is not a left-wing party. Not after savaging public services, not after chronically underfunding local authorities.
They are no friends of the Scottish working-class, having refused to challenge vested interests and private capital. They always allow corporations and billionaires to make obscene profits while slashing jobs.
But unfortunately, it would appear there has been no other, genuine, left-wing option to all of this.
Scottish Labour did not offer an alternative to the SNP’s budget earlier this year, failing to challenge cuts and job losses, and making no demands.
The Scottish Labour Party should never have been silent on these issues.
And on the campaign trail, and in our manifesto, we pledged to “get the basics right”.
In the wake of SNP failure and the rise of Reform, who are set to divide and create even greater inequality in our communities, Scotland needed us to be a lot bolder than that.
Following austerity, a pandemic and amid a cost of living crisis which people fear will never end, the country deserved better than the offer of simple management.
Scotland is desperate for radical transformation and the same is true for Scottish Labour.
I simply wish for a Scottish Labour Party clear about who we are and what we stand for.
That means championing the needs of working-class Scots no matter where they live.
It means lifting families out of poverty and transforming our economy so that it works for the many.
In short, I want us to be the real Scottish Labour Party, rooted in traditional socialist values which might be over a century old, but are just as relevant today as they were back then.
We should always stand with those who feel like they have nowhere to go, those existing in dire circumstances, abandoned by a society which has forgotten them.
If Scottish Labour, the party I love, does not change, I fear we will fade into obscurity and the chance for a more equal Scotland will go with us.
- Brian Leishman is the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth. You can follow him on X/Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook.
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