A quick note to thank Left Foot Forward for helping us with the Political Innovation essays; see here for more about the project and a list of all the essays so far, with a few more to come in the next few weeks. We would like to invite LFF readers to a couple of events that we’re doing in Edinburgh (13th November) and Belfast (20th November) – both are Saturday get-togethers – details can be found here.
In his speech to Scottish Labour’s final conference before next May’s elections to Holyrood, Ed Miliband declared “Labour’s fight back has begun”, but what have we learnt from the weekend on Oban? First, these’s no love lost between the Liberal Democrats and Labour, with Miliband’s deputy Harriet Harman calling Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander a “ginger rodent”.
A spokesman for the SNP has said: “There is no possibility whatsoever of a coalition deal with the Tories at Holyrood now or in the future… To suggest a deal is possible is simply ludicrous and reveals that the Tories still don’t understand how deeply opposed the vast majority of Scots are to what they represent.”
There was disappointment, anger and devastation as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland learned the full scale of the cuts they would have to endure in the CSR.
Following reports the MoD budget faces an 8pc cut in Wednesday’s spending review, the SNP’s Angus Robertson says the cuts will be a “calamity for Scotland”.
If the publication of Lord Browne’s review has proved controversial in England, in Scotland the mood music from the SNP Government has been positively frosty.
Ed Miliband accused the Tories of being “pessimistic”. With elections due in Scotland and Wales, the Conservatives have marched to the new Labour leader’s tune.
Reports in Scotland suggest the Tories will perform a u-turn and pledge that they would be prepared to enter into coalition government – even with the SNP.
Left Foot Forward looks at the challenges facing the new Labour in Scotland and Wales, where there will be assembly elections next year.
In echoes of the trialing of the poll tax in Scotland, the coalition has selected Aberdeen as one of only two cities for an “attack on incapacity benefit”.
