Laboured debate

The idea the referendum ushered in a new era of cross-party co-operation and debate is delusional: politicians will simply not allow it.

At the Labour conference, Ed Miliband, in thanking those he considered influential in achieving a No vote, reserved special praise for Alistair Darling, expressing his gratitude with the almost reverential declaration: “We will forever be indebted to you.”

The “we” clearly did not refer to the combined Better Together campaign.

Darling’s own pompously triumphant contribution, emphasising the extent to which he considered Alex Salmond to have been humiliated by supposed defeat, merely cemented the impression the entire exercise had been a contest between Labour and the SNP.

This insult to the electorate will cost them dearly at the coming election, as the massive increase in SNP membership in the few days after the referendum indicates.

I note that Margaret Curran intends to travel to the ten  constituencies with the highest Yes votes to meet Labour supporters who had voted for independence: would that be to react to their concerns or to show them the error of their ways?

Robert Dow

Ormiston Road

Tranent