Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection campaign highlights why it's important for politicians to be able to dissent from the party line – Scotsman comment

Parties should be embarrassed not when their politicians disagree, but when they all parrot the same words

The beginning of Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election campaign could have gone better for both the leading candidates. The SNP's Katy Loudon conceded the current police investigation into the party’s finances was “not an ideal situation”, in a considerable but reasonably frank understatement.

And Labour candidate Michael Shanks, asked about the two-child benefit cap and gender recognition reform, admitted there were “differences of opinion” on both subjects between the Scottish party and national leader Keir Starmer. The remark was immediately seized upon by Humza Yousaf, who claimed Shanks would still “do Keir Starmer’s bidding and back cruel Tory policies”.

Perhaps the First Minister’s take on Shanks’ likely actions was influenced by the iron discipline within the SNP under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership. For his part, the Labour candidate stressed he would vote against the “heinous” two-child cap, despite Starmer’s plan to keep it because of the UK’s economic situation.

A politician disagreeing with their party leader is something that rivals will always try to exploit and it’s probably fair game. However, what should cause much greater embarrassment is when MSPs and MPs unthinkingly parrot the party line, as if bereft of the power of independent thought. Democracy only thrives when there is a clash of ideas, when there is a genuine debate that gradually thrashes out the best courses of action. And this should take place within parties, not just between them.

Since Sturgeon’s departure, the SNP has undergone something of a revolution as MSPs and MPs rediscover their right to free speech. “Wheesht for indy” – staying silent about problems in the hope of achieving the promised land – was always a recipe for disaster.

It is also politically sensible for parties to be broad churches. They do need to be guided by over-arching values, but intolerance of understandable “differences of opinion” – as seen in Boris Johnson’s purge of Conservative MPs not sufficiently committed to Brexit – only robs them of talent and alienates potential supporters. So well done to Shanks for sticking to his principles and to some SNP politicians for finally finding their voice. May it long continue.