It was the independence referendum that helped dispel the myth of Scottish Labour as a formidable election-fighting force.
Better Together was funded by Tory money but the arguments for the Union were made by Labour heavyweights like Gordon Brown. The cross party group was also supposed to benefit from Labour’s fabled party machine.
The reality, if you speak to Conservatives, fell far short of the the hype. Scottish Labour’s internal workings were Byzantine; its organisation clunky and out of date. It was the opposite of impressive.
An interim report from the Laird review, which was commissioned by left wing leader Richard Leonard, will make for painful reading for party supporters.
Against a backdrop of 12 years of electoral defeats, the report paints a picture of a party in disrepair. Governance? Weak. Financial strategy? Non-existent. Money coming in? Next to nothing.
Party insiders believe Leonard’s motivation for the review was to find a reason to replace the then general secretary Brian Roy, who was not seen as sufficiently pliant. Roy was forced out last year - mid review - so it is unclear whether Leonard will continue to have as much interest in the findings.
Sources believe the treatment of Roy, a respected party figure, was unfair and sense he is being lined up as a scapegoat for the party’s shortcomings.
Roy’s defenders have a point. Scottish Labour’s failings are political, not organisational. Internal reforms are overdue, but are no substitute for a dynamic leader selling a credible message to voters.
The party has invested a huge amount of effort over the years in reviews, commissions and other naval gazing exercises. Talking to voters who have left Labour would be more worthwhile.
