AS astute political analysis goes it wasn’t exactly brimming with insight and wisdom. Yet everyone knows that Diane Abbott, London Labour’s new and self-appointed spokesperson for Scottish Political Affairs, is probably correct to state that it is now too late for her party to have any chance of winning in Holyrood. The SNP are out of sight in Scotland and, even when they do appear to be vulnerable, Labour’s attempts at exploiting the situation are, too often, dire.
If any in the party require to be reminded of this then they need only observe the antics of their business manager, James Kelly, in Holyrood last week. Kelly obviously felt he needed to teach some of his less experienced colleagues some new tricks by being all counterintuitive.
Lesson number one: How Not to Conduct Business. His suspension after falling out with the presiding officer, Tricia Marwick, was lamentable. His repeated accusation that Marwick kept interrupting his point of order about Westminster’s Trade Union Bill contained one fatal flaw: you can’t accuse someone of interrupting you, James, if you haven’t yet started to make your point.
There are some Nationalists who shout ‘Treachery!’ at anyone who voted Yes in the independence referendum, but who now dares to criticise the SNP Government. There is an obvious flaw in this position too. If Scotland is to gain its independence, the SNP, while in government, must be at the top of its game, and be seen to be. To perform at such a level it must be tested, criticised and properly opposed; the better to have its policies honed and fit for purpose. The Labour Party in Scotland for many years now have been unable to provide the quality of opposition required to properly examine the SNP on some of its policies including, it would seem, justice.
In Scotland you don’t have to wait until the Christmas season to watch a pantomime. There’s one running every day and free to view from anywhere in the country. It’s called Police Scotland and stars some of the best unsung comedians in the business. And if Michael Matheson, the justice minister doesn’t begin to assert his authority over it soon it will cost the SNP votes next May. We are now at a point, I believe, where the public’s trust in the police is approaching breakdown.
If that situation is allowed to get any worse then it will become even more difficult ever to gain sufficient support to make an independent Scotland a reality at any time in the foreseeable future.
It was revealed yesterday in the Sunday Herald that the justice secretary has asked home secretary Theresa May to extend the scope of the Pitchford Inquiry to include Scotland. This is the inquiry that was set up to establish the truth about stories that police officers were spying on an assortment of left-wing, environmental and animal rights activists for 50 years in England and Wales. The same paper has also previously revealed that some police spies have operated in Scotland.
MATHESON is right to ask the Home Secretary to extend the scope of this inquiry to include Scotland. Very soon though, he must also set up a public inquiry here to examine the customs and practices of Police Scotland.
The revelation that police spies who developed sexual relationships with women in order successfully to deepen their cover for their spying activities were also active in Scotland is a troubling one. On its own this is bad enough but it comes just a few weeks after it was revealed that Police Scotland were routinely conducting unlawful phone surveillance of members of the public, including former police officers, who were asking awkward questions about the handling of the investigation into the murder of Emma Caldwell 10 years ago.
There has also been unlawful phone surveillance of some journalists for the purposes of flushing out sources. The journalist Paul Hutcheon is effectively scrutinising the conduct of Police Scotland on our behalf as another justice secretary is sleeping on the job. A picture is emerging of a police force that is corrupt, utterly incompetent and spinning out of the control of the government.
The antics of some in the Police Federation, who really ought to know better, on social media point to an organisation that seems also to be in denial about the implications for public trust and confidence in the police.
The vile spinning of stories to the media about issues pertinent to the case of Sheku Bayoh’s death in police custody is utterly beyond comprehension. These tales have been designed to blacken the character of a young man whose family are still mourning his death and who are quite reasonably seeking answers to some questions about his violent death. Who is behind this slew of poison and does this person have any official connection to the police?
The death of Lamara Bell, who died after she lay undiscovered in a crashed car three days after the accident was first reported to police, was also met by howls of denial by some in the police that this was not indicative of a system failure. The justice minister, unforgivably, even advanced the falsehood that the death was caused by a single rogue operator. That’s right, when there are serious questions that need answering, find a conveniently lowly and low-paid scapegoat. And if that doesn’t do the trick, perhaps slip out a claim that the driver of the crashed vehicle was unqualified to drive.
The stop-and-search figures of law-abiding citizens in the west of Scotland are at a level which suggest the police think they are operating in a violent and lawless banana republic. The decision to arm police in areas where there could be no possible justification for this deepened the perception that Police Scotland have declared there to be a state of emergency in some parts of Scotland. The forces’s exploitation of the Paris gun massacre to call for more armed cops was callous and insidious.
If public trust in the police disappears so does the first bulwark of a civilised society. That’s why Michael Matheson must conduct a public inquiry into this dysfunctional and sinister organisation.
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