EX-LABOUR MP Tom Harris has given further evidence, as if further evidence was required, of the interchangeability of the Conservatives and the uber-Unionist faction of the Labour Party in Scotland. Both are united in their arrogance and in their belief that British nationalist political parties are immune from democratic norms and don't have to respect the outcome of votes in Scotland where the electorate has delivered a result that is not to their liking.
Having been resoundingly rejected by voters in his former constituency of Glasgow South in the Westminster General Election of 2015, Tom has apparently come to the conclusion that the real reason why the electorate of Scotland dethroned Labour from their former position of political dominance after allying with the Conservatives during the independence referendum campaign in 2014 is because Labour in Scotland have not been Tory enough.
READ MORE: Former Labour MP Tom Harris takes on job in UK Government's Scotland Office
For this kind of political insight, Tom has now been rewarded with a post as an adviser to the Scotland Office where he can give the governor general Alister Jack advice on why the need to respect Scottish democracy ended the second that the result of the 2014 referendum was announced.
And there we were thinking that one of the core arguments of Tom's Vote Leave campaign for leaving the EU was so we could get rid of unelected and unaccountable political apparatchiks making our laws and influencing our public policy. He never told us that somewhere buried away in the small print of the case for Brexit it said, "except for former Glasgow Labour MPs called Tom who were rejected by the electorate of their former constituency. You're never going to remove them from positions of public responsibility."
Tom was the director of the Scottish branch of the Vote Leave campaign in support of Brexit, where he led such a successful campaign that almost two thirds of voters in Scotland opted to remain in the EU. He left Labour in 2018 because it wasn't right-wing and Brexity enough and announced that he'd be voting Conservative in the December 2019 Westminster General Election where, in Scotland, his party of choice lost more than half its seats and achieved a paltry 25% of the votes cast. He has continued to argue in support of Brexit since the 2016 referendum and the Scottish public has remained resolutely immune to his powers of persuasion.
If nothing else, Tom has been consistent in backing the wrong political choice. If the Scotland Office is now relying on his advice for ways to shore up opposition to independence and fend off demands for another independence referendum, it's safe to say that Scottish independence is in the bag.
This piece is an extract from today's REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.
To receive our full newsletter including this analysis straight to your email inbox, click here and tick the box for the REAL Scottish Politics
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel