Lord Foulkes of Cumnock has written an open letter to the new Leader of Scottish Labour, offering congratulations and urging boldness in the face of challenges. He encourages the new leader not to be discouraged by naysayers and doom-mongers, citing examples of successful risk-taking in Labour's history.
Historical precedents for bold leadership
Lord Foulkes points to Keir Starmer's transformation of UK Labour from an all-time low to a great victory, and Andy Burnham's risky by-election challenge that led to Labour topping UK polls. He also recalls the 1970s when a group of "Young Turks" in Edinburgh, including Robin Cook and Jim Boyack, took over the City Labour party, defeated the Tories, scrapped the Inner Ring Road, and ended selection and fee-paying in Council schools.
He also credits Alex Salmond's boldness in 2007, when he hired a helicopter to fly to Prestonfield Hotel assuming he would be First Minister, despite uncertain outcomes.
Underestimated army of support
Lord Foulkes emphasizes that the new leader has an underestimated army of support, including MSPs, thousands of activists in CLPs across Scotland, 37 Scottish Labour MPs (8 of whom are Ministers), Scottish Labour Peers, and a large number of Councillors. He suggests that Labour Ministers in Energy, Industry, and International Development should have a substantial presence in Scotland, along with the Secretary of State and Under-Secretary.
He also mentions a pool of former Labour MPs and Ministers, including a former Prime Minister, who could be mobilized to advise and help.
First test: Local Council elections
Lord Foulkes identifies the Local Council elections next May as the first test, calling for a first-class list of candidates and a bold, imaginative manifesto, which he says was lacking in the Holyrood campaign. He suggests using the campaign to highlight what the Scottish Government could and should be doing.
He proposes several policy ideas, including tunnels instead of ferries (as in the Faroe Islands), a publicly owned bus network for Greater Glasgow on the model of Lothian Buses, and community schools that are used year-round by the whole population. He concludes by wishing the new leader good luck and offering his full support.
