The implosion of the Scottish National Party has led Scottish Labour to dream again of one day returning to what it assumes is its birth right: the berth at the top of Scottish politics.
Many of the banalities and buzzwords in Labour’s most recent manifesto make Humza Yousaf’s blandishments about a ‘wellbeing economy’ sound deep and serious.
Humza Yousaf’s increasingly pyrrhic looking triumph in the contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon was met with much merriment in Labour ranks; one source quoted in the Times during the leadership contest bluntly said, ‘I hope Humza wins because he is fucking s****.’
Polling since Yousaf’s win has found that the SNP’s lead over Labour in Westminster seats has been slashed to five points. Any poll after this week’s arrest of the former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell will also be worth watching.
Yet, it is increasingly hard to shift the perception that Scottish Labour are largely incidental to this supposed upswing in their fortunes.
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