Both candidates for the Scottish Labour leadership have been quick to back greater autonomy from London.

Ken Macintosh, the underdog, said he wanted to lead an "autonomous party" that made a "positive choice" to stay part of the UK organisation.

Kezia Dugdale, at her launch in Edinburgh today, also used the A-word to stress how determined she was to be a leader in practice as well as in name.

The candidates have hit upon a vital issue. Scottish Labour, as Johann Lamont famously said, was treated like a "branch office" by the UK party after London-based officials removed her general secretary

Her toxic phrase hit a nerve and reflected a widely-held perception about the party, so it was encouraging to hear the candidates speak out.

However, there is a difference between words and deeds. While the candidates were paying lip service to autonomy last week, the UK party was pushing ahead with business as usual.

The UK party, in the middle of the Scottish Labour leadership contest, has decided to recruit new staff for the operation north of the border.

Under an autonomous party, the new Scottish leader would work out staffing needs and hire accordingly.

Under the status quo, UK Labour is the formal employer, pays salaries, and so leads on recruitment.

If either Dugdale or Macintosh is to have a chance of turning around Scottish Labour's fortunes, they must have full control of the machine. At that point, attention can be turned to strategy and policy.

Speaking to activists yesterday, Dugdale warned her party: "We may not be at the bottom of where the Labour party could get to in Scottish public life. There might be another storm coming."

Her party, which dominated politics for around half a century, has one final chance to tell UK Labour who runs the Scottish party.

Failure to do so could make May's general election disaster look like a staging post to even worse times.