 | 'Together we can secure the future of St John's (Hospital), reverse the proposed cuts in fire cover and ensure that Tony Blair wakes up on the last day of the Labour Party conference with a huge electoral hangover.' SNP candidate Cllr Angela Constance, 7 th September 2005. |  |
Reports of Jim Devine's selection as New Labour candidate in Livingston make a tacit assumption that the by-election is a mere formality and Mr Devine will be the next MP for Robin Cook's seat. Well, perhaps the opposition parties in Scotland are as feeble as such an assumption supposes but there are good reasons why they should try not to be.
Iain Macwhirter pointed out in the Sunday Herald (August 28) that Blair, a prime minister so despised that he dared not hold open, public meetings, nevertheless won a majority of more than 60 thanks to the Murdoch press and a deeply corrupt electoral system. New Labour got just over one-third of the votes cast and the support of one in five of those eligible to vote. The Livingston by-election gives the first opportunity to deliver a protest against this New Corruption and to assist the campaign to lever Blair out of the premiership.
Blair's rule has been characterised not only by a contempt for law and convention but also by mendacity and incompetence. Iraq is the outstanding and ongoing example but perhaps we should cast our minds back to the foot-and-mouth epidemic of 2001-02. Blair's chaotic style of government resulted in there never being any clear chain of command Ð now it was the minister of agriculture, then it was Blair himself, then back to Ag and Fish and finally the whole sorry mess was dumped in the lap of the Army. All that panicky dithering was within a couple of weeks. Enormous animal suffering was inflicted at huge economic cost.
It is worth remembering how Blair failed to cope with that crisis because a much more serious one may be on its way should avian flu appear in the human population. We must hope this never happens but should be preparing lest it does, not least by replacing Blair with Gordon Brown who, although not guiltless over Iraq, at least understands how government works and is the only choice on offer unless we want to end up with the likes of Bully Reid, Oily Jack or Lovegod Blunkett.
The attack on Iraq and its aftermath, of which there is no end in sight, is the main reason why Blair must go. All the opposition parties opposed the attack except the Conservatives but those in that party who supported Blair because they could not believe a prime minister would lie the country into an illegal war on behalf of a foreign power must feel especially betrayed.
Given that a by-election in an apparently safe seat at the beginning of a parliament is of no great significance in party-political terms, it should be possible for the parties to withdraw in order to give an anti-war candidate (John McAllion comes to mind but there are many excellent possibilities) a straight fight against New Labour. The return of an anti-war MP would not only be a blow to the rickety Blair regime but would provide a more fitting succession to Robin Cook and a better standard of representation for Livingston than the installation of another New Labour apparatchik.
Gordon McNeill, 68 South Scotstoun, Queensferry.
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