DOES the resounding victory of Mr Corbyn bring cheer or fear to Kezia Dugdale? Well, both of course. The Scottish party leader who consistently changes her mind, her policies and her professed loyalties whenever opportunity knocks set a new record on Saturday for quickfire unthinking reaction.
At high noon it was down with Corbyn for our labouring Owen Smith campaigner, then in a BBC interview only hours later came the spin-doctored repair attempt: her aim is to help in uniting the party, Kez made perfectly clear. She didn’t specify “at Westminster” or “in Scotland” (where her deputy supported Mr Corbyn’s re-election). And she didn’t mention Trident, the EU, or independence. Never mind, anything can change for Ms Dugdale in her dug-out. Forward to the future, Kez.
Jack Newbigging, Irvine
LISTENING to Kezia Dugdale continue to redefine her views is to hear a politician whose first action each day is to find out which way the wind blows and then to follow that wind direction. She thinks that Corbyn cannot win and can win the next General Election.
She said that despite believing he is not fit for leadership, given he has won the Labour leadership election everyone should not oppose the democratic will of the Labour membership, and get behind him. For Corbyn and Dugdale to take that position logically means that as the Tories have a democratic mandate as they won the last General Election, all the other people elected as MPs should just accept that decision and support all the Tory policies.
The only logical and principled position is for her is to say: “I accept Corbyn won and I do not think he is fit so I will represent my constituency from the back benches and will speak about what I belief.”
Kezia, go and find a principle please.
Robert Doig, Address supplied
I WAS sorry to read that Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp does not like Jeremy Corbyn (Time is up for traditional politics of left and right, September 23, The National).
I do like Gordon’s articles and I was delighted at Jeremy Corbyn’s win on Saturday. I don’t believe he is about “political posturing”. Perhaps Scotland may have a less toxic neighbour when we become an independent nation and England comes to its senses.
Catriona Whitton, Dunblane
AS we watch the turmoil and painful infighting of the British Labour Party, you ask yourself if they will ever be in a position to provide a credible opposition to the very right-wing British Conservative Party.
As the largest opposition party in the corrupt palace known as Westminster, you would think they would wish to form alliances on at least some issues with the SNP, but that appears to be as dead as a dodo as they continue to squabble among themselves and follow Jeremy up the path to nowhere. In Scotland British Labour is in a dire position. They have always claimed to be autonomous but now they tell us they have sealed another autonomous deal with British Labour – I presume they are now autonomous from their autonomy. My advice to them is do the brave thing: come out of the closet and support independence or at least full fiscal autonomy in Scotland then you really would be back in the game.
There is no Scottish Labour party just as there is no Scottish Conservative party – they are part of the British state and will always do exactly as they are told by their masters in London.
When they do support something in Scotland that is then given the big knockback from their party masters in London, they then use the excuse that we tried but were outvoted, after all we are all British. This state of affairs has existed for too long. These people trade on their Scottishness but when the going gets tough they disappear like snow of a dyke.
You can’t trust Labour. They had their chance and made a mess of it and now you can't even trust them to register a vote in the Scottish Parliament.
Bryan Auchterlonie, Perthshire
THE Labour victory in the Coatbridge North by-election should be put into context (Under-fire Dugdale receives boost with by-election victory, The National, September 24).
There was a 10 per cent swing to the SNP here. The SNP took two seats in this four-councillor ward at the council elections by coming in third and fourth so Labour were always likeliest to win a single-member election in the ward. They were likely to win on a very low turnout, which was the case on Thursday and has been the case recently in a number of by-elections in which we have been close but not the winners.
What the SNP has to come to terms with is that our massive support is on the issue of independence and that unless the SNP is continually keeping independence as a high-profile campaign a lot of our potential support has little interest in coming out to vote.
I hope that lesson is taken on board for the council elections next year. The removal of Unionist-run – underline “Unionist run” – councils as impediments on the road to independence has to figure strongly in our message. Without the independence spur in our message our vote in such elections is no different from anybody else’s.
Dave McEwan Hill, Dunoon
Maritime border was changed in secret
BEVERLEY J Burns’s letter (Letters, September 24) reminds us all of the devious way in which our North Sea maritime border was floated north by Tony Blair and Donald Dewar.
Not included in her letter was the fact that it was done secretly on the night before the Scottish Parliament was opened and without recourse to any parliamentary scrutiny or discussion.
This only became public knowledge during the last independence referendum process.
Beverley Burns tells us of her deep involvement in, and knowledge of, matters relating to UK maritime border law, and rightly questions the legality of the Blair/Dewar attempt to rob Scotland of its oilfields.
Given that this is bound to become a major issue before or after independence, may I respectfully suggest that Beverley Burns and other relevant people are asked by the Scottish Government to become part of (open!) discussions on how our North Sea maritime border can be put back where it belongs?
Dennis White, Blackwood
Letters II: Taxation based on property prices, rather than income, is never fair
Labour will not back another SNP 'austerity budget', says Kezia Dudgale
Kezia Dugdale insists Jeremy Corbyn can unite Labour and win in 2020 ... after saying the opposite
Carolyn Leckie: Labour left must now work with Scotland
George Kerevan: Labour's terminal crisis is shared by social democratic parties across Europe
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here