IT has been said that winners focus on winning, while the losers focus on the winners. Does this ring any bells? It should do, since Monday’s National was awash with feared-based comments and initiatives coming from Labour personalities.

Yet again (yawn) Gordon Brown needs a public platform, so seeks to establish a series of “neighbourhood assemblies” in Scotland to bring the country “back together”.

Since they’re to be held in community halls, but not ticketed, and therefore open to all, we will be present to voice an opinion presuming there are no mechanisms to exclude us. Will pro-indy voices be heard, noted and referred to in any conclusions and recommendations?

READ MORE: Gordon Brown calls for Brexit powers to go to UK regions, not Westminster

Is this yet another less-than-subtle message that he and other Union supporters have no faith in the Scottish Government’s Citizen Assembly, even before it completes its task and makes public the deliberations?

His language, I assume, is deliberately inflammatory, equating Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to England’s regions, hoping for some knee-jerk retaliation. Instead of entrenching themselves further into a them-and-us situation, why not allow the already operating Assembly its allocated time, space and remit, and then respond to its conclusions?

If that’s not possible, why not take the initiative to us, the people of Scotland, and stage a series of events that enable and empower us to ask, debate and discuss what we see our future as being? Well managed, of course, no rammy, no shouty domination from one side or the other.

The issue is “asking us”, Gordon. Not creating an arena and having us respond to your outdated views of reviving federalism, and your incorrect assumption that what we need are “radical alternatives to nationalism”. You presume too much.

We do not seek to live in a Scotland that is inward, petty, and isolationist. We seek the opposite, as our voting record over the last decade demonstrates. And after the love-in of 2014, false promises and broken views, we have no truck with a request to the Treasury for funding decisions to “new councils of the north”.

I rather suspect that undermining our parliament, or its complete shutting down to be replaced by a council, would be a pleasing outcome for the Tories.

Labour will not restore its fortunes in Scotland by hitching itself to pressure groups being established across the UK and labelled assemblies.

I do hope Ian Murray takes note. In a generous moment, we might recognise some finer points of the late Donald Dewar and Robin Cook, but to consider them “titans” is one thing. To align himself with them smacks of wishing to appropriate Gordon Brown’s self-awarded grandeur.

With the majority that is theirs, the Tories are laughin all the way to the next General Election whilst they get Brexit done.

So please, let us continu to focus on regaining our independence, building and strengthening alliances across the Yes movement, engaging with the public at meetings, stalls, on social media and on marches.

As we gather impetus and take new pro-independence voters with us, expect those wedded to their rejected argument of the past to produce more of the same, never realising their failure to join with the people in seeking and creating a positive future will prevent them coming to power in the future.

Selma Rahman
Edinburgh