15-06-2020, 21:25
(15-06-2020, 18:15)hibeejim21 Wrote:(12-06-2020, 01:28)St Charles Owl Wrote:(12-06-2020, 01:19)hibeejim21 Wrote:(11-06-2020, 22:50)St Charles Owl Wrote: Disagree with you on this. One of the biggest problems with the LP under Corbyn was their inability to get off the damn fence with regards to Brexit and this is what cost them at the GE. While you may not agree with his stance on Scottish independence, the fact that he has a firm stance at all is a move forward for Labour. Scotland still seems to be fairly well split on the subject according to the latest opinion polls with Yes to Indy have a slight lead, so if those polls are correct there is a good proportion of the population that may support a Labour partly who are taking this stance, and in theory Labour could become the 2nd party to the SNP and the main opposition to them. Politically at this stage I think this is the best move they could make.
I'm not sure what labour will achieve by going in harder against independence SCO, They might win back some old, wealthy and hardcore loyalists voters from the Tories, but to what end? The Tories poll about 25% and Lab about 15% in Scotland right now - Is getting that up to 20% worth alienating themselves further from half the electorate for ?
Plus Scottish labour is an absolute joke, Doubling down on the stance that has almost wiped them out up here is not a good move.
I don't know either what they will achieve but decisions about policy are not taken lightly on topics like this and either he is a staunch fan of the UK or he feels that Labour has more to gain by taking this stance politically. At the moment the party is in the toilet in Scotland, a policy decision like this aligns them with approx half of the population as we stand, maybe he thinks that will get them off life support in Scotland.
A smarter move would be to be more conciliatory towards independence and attract back a lot of soft SNP voters who aren't hugely sold on going it alone yet. It's not a good look for Scottish labour to be aligning themselves with the tories right now.
Maybe, time will tell if he has this one right or not and I suppose on the whole Labour currently has nothing to lose in Scotland anyway. I think making a stand on their stance, even if it is the same as the Tories, gives them a chance to challenge the SNP to at least try to provide a distinct alternative to them in the seats that Labour have lost to the SNP over the past 20 years. Personally I don't think it will work but at least voters know where the party now stands.