A DEEP sense of angst pervades the Scottish Labour Party.
Grassroots activists and senior figures alike share an ominous feeling the party is adrift.
Having held their noses to put aside traditional enmities and help deliver a No vote in the referendum, they are frustrated the SNP has emerged from defeat strengthened and determined to make the running. "What do we stand for?" was the uncomfortable question posed by Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell at the weekend.
For some, the answer will only be found with a change of leadership. However, demands for Johann Lamont's head are fewer and farther between than Labour's opponents would like to think.
There is an understanding even within the newly launched Labour for Scotland group that the party's difficulties predate her time at the helm and that her opportunities to address them have been curtailed by the referendum and hampered by the electoral cycle.
Ms Lamont marks - celebrates is probably not the word - three years in charge in December. She spent the first year proving she could stand up to Alex Salmond and the next two fighting the referendum, usually in the shadow of Alistair Darling or Gordon Brown.
Only now is Scottish Labour starting to think about some of the internal reforms identified in the wake of its 2011 election defeat. As for a policy platform, the next Holyrood election is still 18 months away.
A shift in spending priorities away from some universal entitlements has been signalled and, earlier this month, Ms Lamont promised a gradual roll-out of affordable childcare.
Nothing will be fleshed out until the back end of next year, however, making it harder for Scottish Labour to define itself in the meantime. And before that happens, the party has to help mould a convincing devolution package through the Smith process and withstand an onslaught from the SNP at next May's UK General Election.
If Labour fails either of those challenges, Ms Lamont knows the angst felt by her followers will turn to panic long before the 2016 Holyrood campaign begins.
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