Christmas Cheer
The Sunday Herald is not exactly full of Christmas cheer with this editorial on Jim Murphy's failure to back one of his own Labour MSPs, Dave Stewart, who called for cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament the other day for a campaign to save the Rescue Coordination Centre in Kinloss.
Now as a new Labour leader I can understand why Jim Murphy is keen to make his mark, but on the other hand I think the newspaper has a point about politicians working together and speaking with one voice whenever they can.
Murphy fails his first test
IT was a chance to prove he really did mean what he said.
When Jim Murphy was elected last week he promised a "fresh start for Labour", and said his aim was to "unite Scotland".
But he has fallen at the first hurdle - hobbled by the weary, useless tribal Westminster-style politics he represents.
When offered the chance to unite with the four other party political leaders in Scotland - Nicola Sturgeon, Patrick Harvie, Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie - to save the Aeronautrical Rescue Coordination Centre at Kinloss in Moray, he walked away.
Instead of joining the cross-party effort and collectively putting pressure on UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon to reconsider the closure, Murphy snubbed the move and went on his own way, writing his own letter to Cameron instead.
Let's get this in perspective: Kinloss is a key air search and rescue centre. It saves lives. It co-ordinates RAF, Royal Navy and Coastguard search and rescue helicopters, as well as the RAF mountain rescue service.
If it closes, Scotland will lose a crucial and highly valued service, which will instead move to the south coast of England. At least 27 RAF posts and 10 civilian posts would be affected.
Murphy's actions were petty and embarrassing - even more so given that the proposal for cross-party co-operation to save Kinloss was proposed by a Labour Highlands and Islands MSP, Dave Stewart. Where Stewart was prepared to put old squabbles aside, Murphy was not. Where Stewart was prepared to think of the people of Scotland above the Scottish Labour Party, Murphy was not. So, there's at least one elected Labour representative in this country who seems to be seeking a new start and a new political paradigm, but it is not Jim Murphy.
Murphy might have been elected Scottish Labour leader last week, but in truth he is yesterday's man. The tide of history is against the tribalism which has for too long driven politivs in Scotland.
If the SNP promised universal peace and wealth for all by tomorrow morning, Murphy would turn his back because that is the sort of politics he has been schooled in - petty, negative, and serving the people of Scotland not one jot.
He represents a party which would do almost anything to score a political point against the SNP.
We have repeatedly heard Labour insist it has learned lessons from past defeats.
The most important lesson it had to learn is not to put political point scoring above the best interests of Scotland.
Murphy himself suggested as much when he said after his election as Labour leader that he would employ 'yes' in his team.
Sadly, he seems to have reverted to the depressing Labour habit of rejecting any collaboration with the SNP, which he can only view as an arch enemy of his party.
