Beauty Contest


One of the issues that caught my attention at this year's Scottish Labour conference is that the party leadership is apparently embarked on a 'charm offensive' - to woo the country's trade unions.

The trade unions have been making noises about their support being taken for granted - with some suggesting they need positive reasons to vote for one side or the other - in next year's referendum on Scottish independence.

So, if you like the trade unions are demanding a bizarre 'beauty contest' - to see  which of the two sides (the Yes Campaign and Better Together) is the better 'catch' - the more alluring prospective partner.

Now that is pretty dumb if you ask me - as well being in the worst possible taste.

But it seems to have jolted the Labour leader - Johann Lamont - into action if the  following report in the Scotland pages of The Times is anything to go by:

Asked about the role of trade unions, Ms Lamont referenced her party’s defeat to the SNP at the last Holyrood election. She said:

“One of the terrible things that happened in 2011 was that ordinary trade unionists didn’t vote Labour. They didn’t believe that we stood up for things that they cared about and they believed the false prospectus of the SNP."

“My commitment is absolutely to work hand in hand with the trade unions.”

She suggested a review of trade union legislation.

Now Johann has been a Labour MSP since the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood was  established in 1999 - and she was a Labour MSP throughout the lifetime of the last  UK Labour Government which had an overall majority at Westminster from 1997 to 2010. 

But I can't remember any Scottish Labour MSP or MP in all that time demanding that there should be a review of trade union legislation - which kind of says it all really.

So what exactly is Johann suggesting is in need of review - could it possibly be that Scottish Labour is beginning to doubt the wisdom of requiring trade unions to conduct  a secret ballot before calling a strike? 

If so, I think we should be told because it's the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time - an act of sheer desperation - and one that is likely to result in Scottish Labour making a complete ass of itself.

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