Opposition talk

He must be wondering what his party has done to deserve its ignominious defeat. The answer must relate to too many promises of jam tomorrow, but undelivered, even having dominated Scottish politics, not just over the recent past, but over several decades, and their grass roots eventually gave up and found refuge in the SNP.

Labour, and Scott Arthur, must rue the day when they drove through devolution, lucky for them, with the support of only 45 per cent of the electorate. It was predictable and predicted that there was nothing that would work between the old status quo and independence.

It is mystifying that Scott Arthur accuses the SNP of newly becoming left-wing, because they were, traditionally, always seen as being on the left, but that attitude fits in with the accusation that they stole Labour policies, but paradoxically, Labour also rejoiced in referring to them as “tartan Tories”.

The problem the unionist  parties have is that the SNP sucked in supporters from Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, so they have become a voluntary coalition of various views.

Scott Arthur cannot escape the fact that Labour held office for 21 parliamentary years, 13 at Westminster and eight at Holyrood, with every conceivable power at their disposal, yet they failed to pass muster, while remaining in denial that they did any wrong.

Remind us – how many seats did they lose in Scotland?

It will take more than new Labour darling Kezia Dugdale chanting about how excited she is, and how much she supports “Labour values” such as education and health, without ever spelling out the substance.

Douglas R Mayer

Thomson Crescent

Currie

John Birkett (Letters, 25 September) has called it right on the money when he says that unionist leaders Kezia Dugdale and Willie Rennie have contrived to significantly reignite the issue of independence.

And anyone who watched the shambolic and incoherent television interviews during which Kezia Dugdale was hoodwinked into agreeing to allow Labour members to campaign for independence will be astonished to read Scott Arthur’s contention that under Kezia Dugdale Scottish Labour has got its act together.

Dr Arthur clearly has an abiding admiration for Kezia Dugdale, but I very much doubt that it is shared unequivocally within the Labour Party, far less  beyond it.

Douglas Turner

Derby Street

Edinburgh