I SHARE Brian Lawson’s uneasiness about the election of MPs to Westminster, and note that there is an overwhelming Tory majority, which makes life difficult for SNP MPs.
In Ruth Wishart’s article in Monday’s paper (Telling voters they’re stupid isn’t a great look for Labour, June 8), she hints that Keir Starmer has discovered federalism; in the same issue George Kerevan highlights that Ian Murray, sole Labour MP in Scotland, trashes federalism (Why I grudgingly admire Ian Murray for his desperate last throw of the dice, June 8).
READ MORE: George Kerevan: Why I grudgingly admire Ian Murray's desperate last throw of dice
Apart from the fact that Starmer and Murray do not appear to speak to each other, or listen to each other, the federalism issue has raised its head yet again. In the late 1960s, the Liberals in East Aberdeenshire decided to contest the seat. This pleased those of us in the SNP since it would split the Tory vote, as we regarded the Liberals as second-class Tories.
The adoption of their candidate was at a public meeting so a few of our SNP members went along; the local Buchan Observer styled us as “partisans”. I was the branch chairman, and as Mr Grimond warbled on about federalism, I asked him if he could give a timetable of when this could happen. He rambled on to ecstatic applause from the Liberal audience; when I asked the question again, he answered again to further rapturous applause. I again asked the question, and pointed out this was the third request and he had no answer.
READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: Scottish Labour telling voters they’re stupid isn’t a great look
When the Liberal candidate, Mr Hoyer Miller, made his acceptance speech he was fulsome in his praise of Jo Grimond, and concluded by saying: “... and if we cannot have him as Prime Minister of all England, then let us have him as Prime Minister of Scotland” – to further rapturous applause!
At the next General Election, in 1970, the result was Tory 41%, SNP 30%, Labour 18% and Liberal 11%.
Douglas Henderson won the seat for the SNP in 1974.
Jim Lynch
Edinburgh
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