The letter from Allan C Steele (Letters, November 27th) is enlightening.
He urges trade union members to cast their votes for Jim Murphy not because Mr Murphy will advance the interests of working people or because he will effectively represent the poor, the disabled and the disadvantaged. There seems to be no requirement for the new leader to avoid sending our young men and women off to illegal conflicts or, indeed, to make Scotland a better place for all. The only requirement seems to be that the new leader should "unsettle the nationalists".
Mr Steele seems not to have seen the new research indicating that the negative campaigning of Better Together persuaded many voters to switch over to the more positive message of Yes Scotland. If we are to be subjected to a rerun of "Project Fear" at the next Holyrood election, I expect the SNP to sweep the board.
David C Purdie,
12 Mayburn Vale,
Loanhead.
Is Allan C Steele not putting the cart before the horse? He suggests Jim Murphy is the best candidate to be leader of Scottish Labour because of his track record and because he would unsettle the nationalists. Surely the reason Labour supporters in Scotland have deserted Labour in their droves is because they feel Labour deserted them, to chase votes in Middle England. Electing as leader a Trident-supporting Westminster MP who backed Tony Blair and his illegal war hardly seems the way to go.
The UK leadership problems have piled further woes on Labour in Scotland, with a recent opinion poll suggesting that only 2 per cent of Scottish voters trust Ed Miliband.
It is time for Scottish Labour to cut the apron strings from its UK parent. Under Jim Murphy, with his Westminster based background, that looks extremely unlikely.
Ruth Marr,
99 Grampian Road,
Stirling.
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