NICOLA Sturgeon has admitted there is something “pitiful and sad” about the demise of Labour, but insisted she is not going to be crying “crocodile tears” for the party.
In an interview with former Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell, the First Minister insisted that every country benefits from a strong opposition, claiming that Labour got “lazy, arrogant and lost any real sense of purpose”.
Sturgeon said that it was now up to the SNP to fill the void of opposition at Westminster, saying Labour are no longer capable of performing the role.
“I feel sorry for generations of Labour voters and supporters who must look and wonder what on earth has gone wrong and what Labour is for,” the First Minister said during the interview for GQ magazine, held before Jeremy Corbyn’s election earlier this year.
“In Scotland, it is not rocket science. Labour got lazy, complacent, arrogant and lost any real sense of purpose.
“The question ‘What is Labour for?’ does not have an easy answer in Scotland, or in the UK. What is saddest is the failure to stand up and argue your view of the world.”
Campbell, the former director of communications for Tony Blair, told the First Minister that she had played a “role in Labour’s demise”, an accusation the First Minister did not dispute.
“I’m not going to cry crocodile tears,” Sturgeon said. “The SNP and Labour have long been opponents, but there is something pitiful and sad about it.”
“The UK needs a strong opposition and Labour shows no signs of being capable of being that.The SNP is filling that void and will go on seeking to do that. As First Minister, I think every country, every democracy, benefits from a strong opposition.”
The pair also discussed the drinking culture in Scotland and further afield – something both the SNP and Campbell have long been talking about. The former spin doctor has had well-documented problems with alcohol in the past, and Sturgeon was quick to admit Scotland’s “unhealthy” relationship with alcohol.
The full interview will be published in the magazine later this week.
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