JIM Murphy ended his disastrous six-month spell as Scottish Labour leader yesterday with a modest triumph.
He unveiled a set of internal reform proposals, which he had trumpeted in advance, and his party's Executive narrowly endorsed the plans.
However, it is doubtful whether the piecemeal set of initiatives amount to the wholesale restructuring required to turn around Scottish Labour.
Introducing one-person-one-vote for the upcoming leadership contest is a no-brainer, rather than the great leap forward being spun.
Ending the absurd practice of 'protected places' for List MSPs - where sitting members automatically get the top slots on the regional rankings slate - is another self-evident reform.
These are sensible, small steps, but not the radical surgery some senior party figures believe is long overdue.
Labour MSPs, as well as the UK Party leadership contenders, pay lip service to giving Scottish Labour more "autonomy", but yesterday's reforms appear to be an endorsement of the status quo
Scottish Labour will continue to hire its own general secretary, but his salary, as is the case with other staffers north of the border, will continue to be paid by the UK party.
The current funding arrangement, whereby Scottish Labour depends on subsidy and cash transfers from the UK organisation, will also remain unchanged.
The bizarre anomaly of Holyrood candidates' selections being controlled by the Scottish Executive, but Westminster selections being under the remit of the London-based national executive, will also persist.
And crucially, yesterday's modest set of reforms will not allow Scottish Labour to adopt its own policy positions on reserved areas, such as on Trident and austerity.
In both policy and funding, Scottish Labour will still be controlled by its parent party.
If Murphy was serious about leaving behind a legacy, he would have backed an independent Scottish party along the lines suggested last week by former Home Secretary Jack Straw.
It would require Scottish Labour to become self-financing and would empower the party to take different policy stances ahead of Westminster elections. Post election, Scottish Labour MPs could negotiate the terms of an agreement with a Labour government.
As was the case in 2011, when Murphy co-chaired another review into the party's future, yesterday's brave new dawn has seen modesty prevail over bravery.
Labour in Scotland is in a parlous state and Murphy's final act will inevitably be seen as another missed opportunity.
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