In an article for the Record, Labour peer Lord Foulkes of Cumnock has dismissed claims that Sir Keir Starmer's unpopularity was the primary cause of Scottish Labour's defeat in last month's Holyrood election, calling such arguments a 'cop out'.
Lord Foulkes acknowledged that Anas Sarwar was 'the most charismatic of all the Scottish party leaders' during the campaign, and that the SNP had to defend a record of 'incompetence and scandal' including non-sailing ferries, declining NHS, and failing educational standards. Yet Scottish Labour lost, and the SNP was returned for a further record term.
Easy Excuse Does Not Hold Up
'The easy and now familiar excuse is to blame the unpopularity of Labour at Westminster and Sir Keir Starmer in particular. But that is scapegoating!' wrote Lord Foulkes. He conceded that Westminster factors played a role, but argued that Scottish Labour's own campaign lacked 'bold and attractive policy proposals'.
For example, he suggested a plan to build tunnels to replace failing ferries to and between the islands, similar to those in the Faroe Islands, which would provide weather-independent access paid for by tolls while highlighting the SNP ferry fiasco. This was rejected 'for no good reason'.
Missed Opportunities
Other proposals that were overlooked included a public bus network for Glasgow, like those in Edinburgh and Manchester, as well as tax reform, community schools, directly elected 'Mayors', and major land reform. Lord Foulkes lamented that these could have won more support but were ignored.
'So now we are faced with five more years of SNP rule with its secrecy and incompetence, shown again dramatically by the media 'pen' at Holyrood,' he wrote.
Lessons from the Past
Lord Foulkes pointed to the Scottish Conservatives' success in Aberdeen South as evidence that the SNP can be defeated with the right policies and a strong candidate. He urged Scottish Labour not to 'sit back' but to reflect on why they lost and take action ahead of local elections next year and possible by-elections.
He rejected the idea of separating the Scottish Party from the UK Labour Party, noting that Scottish Labour already has all the power needed to produce a 'bold and innovative manifesto' on devolved areas.
Drawing a historical parallel, Lord Foulkes recalled how in the 1970s, a group of young activists including Robin Cook and Sandy Ross took over Edinburgh Corporation, ending fee-paying and selection in schools and cancelling a planned inner-ring road. 'Bold policies and dynamic leadership can make a real difference,' he concluded.
'Scottish Labour MSPs need to rise to the challenge now so that at the next Scottish Parliament election the debacles and cronyism of the SNP can be confined to the history books.'
