It is now 2015, and the Scottish political spectrum could be on the verge of a new dawn. However there are still dark clouds forming over the country, as Labour will not want to surrender their territory without a fight.
"Offer the Scots more of the same and they will acquiesce," is the Labour mantra these days. They really do think that most of the electorate will suffer from collective amnesia or dementia this May in that polling booth, or that Scotland will be suckered again by the propaganda peddled by the mainstream medai. The glorious new Scottish Labour leader has more heads than Wurzel Gummidge, and if anyone is fooled by the Scotland top and calm measured mannerisms then they really need help.
So reading yesterday that Labour have HALVED the SNP's lead in a WEEK, left me choking on my toast. I mean, this statement has more spin than a rotary clothes drier in a force ten gale. Anyways, it's an undated TNS poll of 1,006 people compared to Ashcroft's poll of 16000, Curtice's poll of polls, which includes these figures, still shows SNP with a 20% lead. The SNP stuck to their promises and delivered their commitments.
The Labour party never had any intention of honouring theirs; they will promise anything to get back into power. All SLab do now is kowtow and toe the line with direct orders from London HQ. Almost every Tory government policy that has caused such misery, and heartache and despair for the poor, sick, disabled and disadvantaged of this country, SLab have supported them. If Scotland votes Labour it will only benefit Labour.
Labour have objected to many of the social policies of the SNP because they have an agenda to crush the SNP, and this is now more important than making the lives of ordinary people in Scotland any better: The SNP have done a better job in Holyrood than Labour.
The new leader of SLab can't even sit in Holyrood, and still states that Labour will not be controlled by Westminster, and now pledges to fight for social justice for the poor and downtrodden of Scotland. He could have done that at any time in the last 15 years he has been a Westminster MP, so why now? The Irn Bru crate tour of Scotland was a calculated tactic not to save the Union, but to feather his own nest and take the poisoned chalice that is the leader of Scottish Labour. I'm sure there are plenty who saw through Murphy's barefaced ambition and ridiculous exaggeration and spin. Labour have failed to learn the lessons of the referendum and the previous two Holyrood elections, and in doing so they are depriving millions of Scots of any real hope of change. Saying they are "sorry" and "have changed", just doesn't cut it any more. They are DESPERATE and RUNNING SCARED.
Just go for a walk through the leafy and prosperous suburbs of the West End of Glasgow and all seems very cosy indeed, but head further down Great Western Road and you come to one of the many housing schemes.
Drumchapel has long been a Labour stronghold and is home to some of the most appalling poverty and deprivation you will ever see. It did also once have a decent MP in the shape of the ex-first minister Donald Dewar, who at least used to be seen out and about in the area and did indeed campaign and do his best for his constituents. But sadly, the values of Labour seem to have died with Mr Dewar.
A friend of mine lives in this scheme and asked his MP why he voted to continue the austerity policies. He did receive a reply, that stated it was a vote to "balance the books." I am sure that will assuage the hunger of all those people that have to rely on handouts from food banks while the Red Tory leader claims expenses for two cans of Irn Bru.
The real brass-necked arrogance of Labour in Scotland was displayed a few days later: someone on social media from Ayrshire has posted the reply they received from their MP asking the same question and received the EXACT SAME letter in response. Cut and paste politics is all that Labour feel that Scotland is now worth. However, they are to be applauded on their environmental stance, as most of their policies seem to be recycled from the SNP.
There is only a recovery if you have money in your pockets. If you or a member of your family are struggling to make ends meet and need to resort to a food bank, or being penalised for having a spare room because you cannot get a smaller house, then why would you vote for a party that has said it will continue austerity, misery and despair for the most vulnerable in our society? Remember, Labour is the party that voted AGAINST primary schoolchildren receiving a free hot meal every day.
So what are the Labour MPs doing? They must have a lot of time on their hands, when they aren't abstaining from voting on issues that matter. We are now wise to their deception and lies, as every single vote is indeed scrutinized, to see if they could even be bothered to show face; that's what they are paid for after all.
The key for SNP now is getting out on the streets and informing old school dyed-in-the-wool Labour supporters just what the parties now stand for and who is going to represent them. A lot of the electorate will still cling to the old adage of "my family always voted Labour, and so oo I no matter what". The likes of John McClean, Manny Shinwell and Keir Hardie, great Scottish Labour stalwarts, will be spinning in their graves at what their party represents now. Times have changed, and now we have to vote for what is right. You had your chance to kill Thatcherism and you blew it. Scotland's not coming back, we won't turn up like robots any longer to vote for the party that has betrayed Scotland for so long. You happily stood with the Tories in September, stabbed Scotland in the back, and celebrated with them as the referendum came in.
Labour's whole strategy in Scotland is to belittle our strengths and terrify our people. The scaremongering worked so well last September, the same apparatchiks that ran Better Together have been put in charge to indoctrinate and weave more lies. The pensions lie that had been debunked by the DWP springs to mind, despite evidence to the contrary. Vulnerable pensioners were door-stepped and telephoned and informed that in an independent Scotland their income would be in danger. Does this sound like the tactics of "socialists" to you?
The Red Tories do not want Scotland to have additional powers - all it wants is for Scots to slavishly follow the electoral patterns of the last decades and return Labour. After that's done and dusted they all return to Westminster and Scotland is left to its own devices. The new proposals by Murphy and Brown were scrawled on the back of a bookie's line. Let's ensure at the post this tired old nag gets put out of its misery - it needs shooting! The only time I ever believed anything that Gordon Brown said was when a microphone was left on by accident.
Remember all SNP supporters - go on your canvas armed with the sitting MP's voting record. That will do the trick as they cannot deny factual information, and Labour's record is abysmal for a so-called 'people's party.' Do not be lulled into a sense of complacency by the polls, go out and ensure that the map turns SNP Yellow. Every dirty trick in the book will be used before the general election. The best way to fight against propaganda and spin is with the cold hard evidence.
The SNP is NOT looking to go into coalition with Labour. They are looking at "confidence and supply" support - which is definitely NOT the same as coalition, and means support can be withdrawn when required, which would keep Ed and co. on their toes.
If the SNP went into a Westminster coalition with the Tories they would be utterly finished. Labour had their chance to rid Scotland of the Tories last year, but instead played Quisling. The people shall remember that in May. You have deserted Scotland and what the country, and your party once stood for.
The SNP have made it very clear that they will never support the Tories but will support a Labour government, so that blows the 'vote SNP and get the Tories' fable clear out of the water. The government will be formed by whichever party commands a MAJORITY of votes in the Commons. Voting SNP gives Scottish voters that want further powers the best of all options, as SNP MPs will be committed to Scotland at Westminster and not a bunch of Scottish Labour MPs who answer to UK Labour and have put Scottish interests last.
Don't fall for the "Vote SNP, Get Tory", tactic. Scotland only has one Conservative MP. if I vote SNP how will I get a Tory government? I find this concept farcical and insulting. However, I can't find any evidence for it.
If England want Labour they're more than capable of voting them in all on their own. The Scottish vote has only made any radical difference to the outcome of a GE about twice since 1945, but why let the truth get in the way of a good lie?
Labour in Scotland have always put Westminster's wants above Scotland's needs.