Honesty in Politics
One of the contenders in Labour's Scottish leadership election - Tom Harris - makes a remarkable admission in today's Scotland on Sunday.
The Labour MP concedes - for the first time I've heard anyway - that Alex Salmond and the SNP deserved to win this year's Scottish Parliament elections.
Which gave the SNP an historic overall majority at Holyrood - of course.
Now Tom Harris will probably not win many friends for speaking so honestly - because it's traditional for politicians - of all parties - to stick to and keep repeating the party line.
But Harris is right to be worried that Labour's arrogance could kill the party off north of the border - because of what he describes as Labour's 'complacent and arrogant' attitude.
So I take my hat off to Tom Harris - for speaking his mind and rattling a few cages.
The fact is that Labour's leadership contest in Scotland has been woeful - lamentable even - with the party giving the impression that no one really wants the top job.
And that if Labour puts up a 'monkey' in a sharp suit - then the Scottish people will just vote for the party again - at the next election.
Somehow I doubt that will happen - and as the only candidate so far to try and shake Labour out of its complacency - my vote, if I had one - would go to Tom Harris.
The Labour MP concedes - for the first time I've heard anyway - that Alex Salmond and the SNP deserved to win this year's Scottish Parliament elections.
Which gave the SNP an historic overall majority at Holyrood - of course.
Now Tom Harris will probably not win many friends for speaking so honestly - because it's traditional for politicians - of all parties - to stick to and keep repeating the party line.
But Harris is right to be worried that Labour's arrogance could kill the party off north of the border - because of what he describes as Labour's 'complacent and arrogant' attitude.
So I take my hat off to Tom Harris - for speaking his mind and rattling a few cages.
The fact is that Labour's leadership contest in Scotland has been woeful - lamentable even - with the party giving the impression that no one really wants the top job.
And that if Labour puts up a 'monkey' in a sharp suit - then the Scottish people will just vote for the party again - at the next election.
Somehow I doubt that will happen - and as the only candidate so far to try and shake Labour out of its complacency - my vote, if I had one - would go to Tom Harris.
