After her latest string of blunders, is it curtains for Kezia Dugdale? – Bret, Helensburgh

WELL, Bret, there are rumours that Kezia Dugdale may be the latest Scottish Labour leader to be ousted from her role. Perhaps they should consider installing a revolving door on that office? There’s certainly no denying that it’s not been a great time for Kezia recently. She prompted the humiliating “buttongate” fiasco last Thursday, where she somehow failed to register a vote at Holyrood and allowed the SNP’s council tax proposals to escape opposition amendments. Scandalous though it was, Kezia forgetting to push the vote button was hardly surprising – Labour have forgotten to be an opposition party for years. Indeed, Labour are so accustomed to abstaining, it’s understandable that Dugdale simply forgot to vote out of habit.

But the worst was yet to come. On Monday, Kezia reaffirmed her 50p tax pledge at the Labour Party conference; a pledge that was wholeheartedly rejected by the Scottish public at this year’s Holyrood elections.This was the political equivalent of trying to get out of a hole by digging. However, it was perhaps her absolute car crash of a television interview with the BBC’s Gordon Brewer that was the low point of her week. Kezia had previously stated that Labour would be “unelectable” under Corbyn, but following Jeremy’s reappointment as leader, this stern opinion had miraculously given way to her claim that Labour could “win” a General Election under Jez in 2020. While Labour winning a General Election under Corbyn cannot be ruled out, it seems certain that Labour will not win a Scottish election under Dugdale.

Kezia’s endorsement of Owen Smith, who did not view either the Scottish or EU referendum results as definitive, while she maintained that both were, is just one example of the indecipherable mess that she’s scrawled as Scottish Labour Leader. Dugdale’s situation is all the more troubling given her happy-go-lucky denial that any of these illogicalities are happening. Kezia’s inconsistencies are so commonplace, and yet her denials of them so sincere, that it has crossed my mind that there are actually two Dugdales running Scottish Labour. I simply cannot accept that any human being can possess such a limited capacity for self-awareness, Jim Murphy excepted.

So, I am left to conclude that there is “Nice Kezia” and “Career Kezia”. Nice Kezia strikes me as someone who longs to be free from the shackles of frontline politics, where she would be able to directly tackle the social issues she feels strongly about, while using her naturally likeable personality to bring happiness to all around her. Career Kezia strikes me as someone who is overcome with the lust for power and seething jealousy of those who wield it, like Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May. Dugdale’s own internal conflict mirrors that of the Labour Party itself.

Considering we live in a country with free eye tests, it’s amazing how many Scottish politicians are blind to the truth. By simply saying what they believe, rather than what they think the public want to hear, Kezia and pals would be stunned at how much more successful they could be. As it stands, there are motorbikes with more seats than Scottish Labour, and their leader is akin to a puppy that keeps defecating in your favourite trainers. As much as I’d like to see a stronger opposition in the Scottish Parliament, I cannot bring myself to say that Scottish Labour – in its current form – can possibly provide it. I’ve always believed that Kezia Dugdale is an extremely nice person who would no doubt be an asset to any workplace...as long as it’s not in politics.


With Owen Smith comprehensively defeated, can Jeremy Corbyn now start to focus on beating the Tories? – Donna, Glasgow

Sometimes I wonder if there’s any point in writing about the Labour Party anymore, Donna. With the farcical leadership contest now over, it will certainly be interesting to see how Corbyn copes with challenging actual non-Labour opposition. Can he do it? Possibly. But the ugly nature of the leadership contest shows that Corbyn has a mountain to climb just to recover the party name from Blairites, who’d sell the party and all its principles for a sniff at power.

Having spent months fighting off guttersnipes from Labour’s centre-right, Corbyn is now saddled not only with the challenge of defeating the Tories but also the challenge of redeeming the “Labour” name. With Blairite reboot Owen Smith now silenced, Corbyn must now reassert his authority as leader of a party that is welcoming and inclusive. One way of doing this would be to offer letters of apology to those who were barred from voting in the leadership contest or denied the right to join the party in recent times. Generally speaking, a party is going to be more successful if it is nice to people than if it is mean to people.

The popular media buzzword regarding Corbyn is “unelectable”. I’m still not sure that anyone knows what it means, but many of those who have used it will have been the same people who will have spoken so strongly about the electability of Blair, Brown and Miliband in the past. Also, have we all forgotten than Corbyn was a 200/1 outsider to become leader of the Labour Party? If he can overcome those odds, he’s probably more than capable of tackling the Tories. As such, I don’t think anyone should take the word “unelectable” seriously when used in the context of British politics.

There’s no denying that the Labour party has a tough road ahead of it. One saving grace for Corbyn is that the Tories have been embroiled in their own dismal disagreements over the meaning of Brexit. While it’s undeniably the case that Labour are in dire straits right now, the Tories are hardly in a position of strength themselves. With British politics in a state of inertia – more so than ever – at the moment, Corbyn needs to grip the reins and crack the whip before his race is run. It’s now time for Corbyn to get down to business. Might I suggest a pink beret to replace that mouldy old flat cap, Jeremy?