JEREMY Corbyn is coming north to campaign. Scotland is neither a country he knows well nor a political entity that he understands, though even the midlands and north of England seem foreign to his London roots. His limited interest and understanding are no different to many past Labour leaders, but devolution has accentuated political differences and heightened the need for greater empathy.

But which Labour Party is he coming to support? Is it the radical party he unleashed south of the Border that appealed to many, especially the young? Old enemies were converted and even I rooted for him when he was mercilessly pilloried, yet remained dignified and calm. “For the many, not the few” resonated with those who felt either that they’d been left behind or the values of their society were being undermined by the greed and avarice of the rich and powerful.

Or is it the Scottish Labour Party which ignored the political fire that had been lit down south and steadfastly stood, as internal critics have said, on a continuation of the Better Together platform? Indeed, many socially just policies advocated by him had already been implemented by the Scottish Government, yet had been derided by Scottish Labour as the something for nothing culture.

A close friend was involved in writing and filming some Labour party political broadcasts this election. When I settled down to watch them I discovered that Scottish Labour had opted out and persisted with a mind-numbing condemnation of a second independence referendum, rather than the inspiring and entertaining political hit that I later caught on social media. When star quality is offered by the Ken Loach/Paul Laverty combination, to ignore it is particularly inept. The Scottish Labour leadership who so maligned Mr Corbyn and damned him as unelectable, owe him, for what could be a revival – or just a reprieve.

Which Labour Party is it when Kezia Dugdale supports the single market and Mr Corbyn opposes it? She’s for rewriting the Treaty of Union but he isn’t; they welcome migrants in Scotland but seem to condemn immigration in the UK; even more bizarrely, he opposes Trident but his UK party supports it and she supports it, yet her Scottish party oppose it. Make of that what you will?

Moreover, the political debate is dominated by Brexit and yet on both sides of the Border Labour manages to find itself in an even more perplexing position than the Tories. Tory cabinet ministers give conflicting statements on a seemingly daily basis, yet Labour has contrived to have an even more obscure and irrational position. Just what the party’s precise position is seems to vary on a daily basis and on to whom you speak. All this, when a willingness to embrace a defence of the single market and other economic essentials could in all likelihood bringdown the Tory Government.

Mr Corbyn had a remarkable election. Written off from the start and beset by internal wrangling, he overcame all that and had the election run on for a week longer he would in all likelihood be Prime Minister. But there’s no consolation prize, other than that his credibility has soared and internal dissidents have diminished, for a while at least.

For the Labour Party in Scotland the election was a success. The SNP, which actually won in votes and seats, is perceived to have lost and Labour , which polled relatively poorly overall in Scotland, is regarded as having had a good outing. Rumours of its demise proved premature and it now possess a modest grouping at Westminster.

However, just as the SNP before the 2015 General Election would have gladly taken the result, Labour with its previous hegemony in Scotland would have been bitterly disappointed. This, after all, is the remnants of the colossus of a party which presided over Scotland for more than two generations.

It’s visibly weakened and badly needs to restore some credibility. It cannot rest solely upon the Corbyn factor lingering. For sure, an early election could see deliverance for the party and disaster for the SNP but unless the Tory Cabinet decides to commit hari-kari that isn’t coming.

With the SNP apparently moribund, though, there’s a window of opportunity. There’s a significant section of the Scottish population who seek both social justice and a strong Scottish Parliament. They’re open to persuasion as to who is best placed to provide it.

Labour in Scotland needs to decide what it is for, not be defined by what it is against. That means being more radical on social and economic policies where it has been found sadly wanting in recent years and yet more radical on the constitutional issue where Mr Corbyn has been sorely lacking. It’s not just the spirit of Attlee and Bevan but the beliefs of the Red Clydesiders that are required.