WHAT is Labour, other than the act of selling one’s skills and services on an open market? It certainly isn’t a political party for the downtrodden masses, not any more, and let’s be clear, there are still downtrodden masses.

Labour as a political party with the ideals of standing up for the working class, attaining social justice for all within an equitable society, no longer exists. By any standard, that party died some time before the oil crises of the 1970s. It went on life support not long after accepting its first peerages.

How often have Scots been told “we’re all in it together”, that we must support the party of the red rose in order to reap meaningful changes across the entire UK, that we were/are all part of a worldwide brotherhood or sisterhood of the masses.

Twaddle.

The current Labour party bears no resemblance to what its founding fathers both fought for and envisaged. Imagine MacDonald or Bevin raiding the pension pots of the “foot soldier” while dismantling and privatising by stealth the nation’s beloved NHS, simultaneously permitting devolution to be undermined, home rule having been a founding principle.

The Labour party has indeed evolved, it has come under the thrall of the British state and its various appendages, it grovels before big finance – for in reality, if it is ever to govern again within a UK, it needs big finance, it must pay homage to The City and what it demands, it is beholden to the Lords.

Why then would anyone promoting fairness and equality vote for such an organisation? Is it misplaced loyalty? Is it some kind of Stockholm syndrome, that once the vote is captured, it is always retained? Or is it simply that those doing so are utterly unaware and too lazy to consider just what they’re lending their support to, that they operate solely by soundbite?

Certainly, why any at all vote Labour is something which leaves a thinking human being with much to puzzle over, almost as much as voting Conservative – almost, for at least the Tories are (relatively) honest in what they will do.

Labour is not, it is utterly disingenuous. At this time when the unitary UK state’s existence is actually in doubt, when its masses are preparing for a hit to their relatively meagre collective wealth of virtually biblical proportions, the Labour party, on both sides of the Border, is consistently posted as “missing in action”.

By its silence, it supports a bought referendum.

UK Labour cannot help Scotland, it has never truly helped Scotland since discarding its home rule manifesto in the 1920s. It is now preparing to abandon like-minded parties in Europe, for with Brexit the possibility of international alliances to forward the social interest of average Europeans will evaporate.

Labour UK has, for years now, nailed its colours to the mast. Since about 2012 and the run-up to the indy referendum, the banner was fully unfurled, it effectively declared that Labour UK is the party of little, corporate and titled England, that it is party of the establishment, and it will forge whatever alliances are required of it to further this.

It seems fairly simple; if any Scot is determined to impoverish our children, see charges laid at the doors of our students, look to our elderly being forced to penury, and support the privatisation of our NHS, then a vote for this “newest Labour” is clearly called for.

Otherwise, we should all think very carefully about where to make our mark, for each and every one of us, in choosing to vote or not, will undoubtedly leave our mark.

A MacGregor
East Kilbride