Henry McLeish

NEVER, in the post-devolution era has Scotland looked so vulnerable and bitterly divided in a rapidly changing political landscape and lacking any sense of national or political unity. A worrying time as the Brexit mantra of, “taking back control”, is being ruthlessly applied to Scotland.

THE UK and Scotland are on the brink. High Noon beckons. A decade is ending in which “truth” has become a victim of the rise of populism, an emerging English nationalism and a Prime Minister determined to use his post-Brexit base and the idea of “culture wars” to rewrite the history of devolution and to reframe the debate on Scotland’s future. His approach will only add to the growing sense of historic mistrust and alienation between London and Edinburgh.

LABOUR has to be more confident. It has to rewrite its narrative in Scotland.

THE Brexit nightmare is just beginning. After two and half years of toxic and corrosive politics, a shambolic set of negotiations and the humiliation of this country overseas, Theresa May’s government is now offering the UK, not a bad deal, or a no deal, but just “any” deal.

VIEWED from the United States – amidst the chaos of Trump’s White House and the disintegration of a once-decent Republican Party – the actions of the Tory Party in Westminster, its beleaguered Prime Minister and the treacherous behaviour of members of her Cabinet looks even more remarkable, representing an even greater threat to the internal stability and international credibility of Britain.

FOR the Tory Prime Minister, her delusional right wing, and the dangerous fanatics driving Brexit, 2017 was a year in which the worst excesses of a broken government started to dismantle Britain’s reputation abroad, destroy the integrity and credibility of British politics and bitterly divide Britain as the madness of Brexit started to unravel.

RICHARD Leonard has a fresh mandate, a decisive victory and leads the Labour Party at a time of seismic political change, unprecedented historic challenges, and unparalleled opportunity. There will of course be, the, “events, dear boy, events”, aspect to the new leader’s work, a phrase famously used by Harold MacMillan to describe the slings of outrageous misfortunate that can head your way, erupt at any time, and derail or destroy, “the best laid schemes of men.” Putting matters into perspective is never easy. It is an important cautionary note requiring, good and grounded advisers.

A TORY revival in Scotland is being predicted. The local council election results and recent opinion polls suggest that June 8 will see a reversal of the fortunes of Scottish Tories at Westminster and confirm the progress made by their leader, Ruth Davidson. The significance of this is that it provides a stark reminder of the troubled and turbulent politics of our time and the prospects of a very uncertain future for Scotland and Britain.

IN 2007, 10 years on from the historic Scotland White Paper published in 1997, Tom Brown and myself co-authored, Scotland: The Road Divides. We said “that the maintenance of Scotland within the Union can only be achieved if politicians across the Unionist spectrum are prepared to be open minded, face up to uncomfortable truths, shed outdated prejudices, realise the need for new political ideas and accept pragmatic solutions”.

BREXIT has made the future of Britain more complex and confused. But some issues remain crystal clear. Scotland has limited real political or constitutional power in what remains a UK dominated by the ideas of the absolute sovereignty of the Westminster Parliament, the assumed superiority of that institution, the closed community of London-based politics and an increasingly authoritarian mindset dictated by Downing Street: and no written constitution.