Ayr by-election Result 16 th March 2000

'Now Secretary of State John Reid tells the public that it is not getting the message and blames the media for failing to deliver the good news. That is a hopeless tactic reminiscent of the last Tory administration.'
Scotland on Sunday, 19 th March 2000.

Timely lessons from Ayr poll

From Scotland on Sunday

THERE are few individuals more experienced in the weird science of interpreting by-election results than Donald Dewar. In 1978 his storming victory in the Glasgow Garscadden by-election was a sign that the nationalist surge was abating. After that defeat and the following general election, the SNP struggled in vain to reassert itself for a decade. Such contests are weathervanes – indications of the changing political climate.

Donald Dewar must know his party’s defeat in Ayr on Thursday was a warning both ominous and timely. Despite claims from some in the Labour camp that it was a mere by-election, the result nonetheless has serious ramifications for Labour in Scotland.

After all, the last six months have been extraordinarily bruising for the First Minister. The litany of fumbles, missed opportunities and failings by his ministers do not need yet another recounting. The phrase ‘get a grip’ has been used ad nauseam during discussions of the performance of his ministerial team – and on each occasion with increasing frustration and desperation. Parallels have even been drawn with the directionless government of that most accident-prone of Prime Ministers, John Major.

Happily, when it came to the crunch in Ayr, the electorate once again exhibited admirable ruthlessness by using its right of democratic censure against the powerful who are deemed to have become arrogant, out of touch or just plain incompetent.

Harsh words have been used on all sides since the Executive’s difficulties began to mount . Now Secretary of State John Reid tells the public that it is not getting the message and blames the media for failing to deliver the good news. That is a hopeless tactic reminiscent of the last Tory administration. Reid should know this.

But let us pause as the Labour recriminations fly following the Ayr humiliation – incidentally, a defeat is often the best tonic for the powerful. Those in the Executive say they have been falsely maligned and that they want to talk about policy rather than the so-called ‘froth’ of personality and powerplays. Fine.

If Tuesday’s budget prompts a renewed vigour in the Executive to commit itself to widening Scottish prosperity, improving the NHS and really tackling standards in education, then that will represent a start. That is the core of what Labour was elected to implement – the building blocks of a better Scotland.

Some vision is called for in tackling vested interests. If ambitious, thoughtful ministers are held back by a government machine which has run Scotland for a century, then it is time for Dewar to take charge and encourage his ministers to think radically. He should say: "Challenge the dull Scottish Office orthodoxy which appears to have embedded itself at the heart of the Executive and I will give you the backing to do so."

There is so much more to do but many in the Scottish Executive give the impression that they do not realise the scale of the challenge they face in attempting to modernise the nation and its institutions. The structure of the Scottish Labour party, the least modern and most conservative of institutions, is a matter for Dewar and Reid.

But what really matters is the country. In essence, our concern is for Scotland and its future in an increasingly competitive and uncertain world. When our parliament opened there was great excitement, but sadly the Executive has squandered much of that stock of public goodwill.

If that is to be reversed, leadership and direction are called for. Otherwise, those who feel let down – the wider public who want their parliament to work – are likely to be as unforgiving as the voters of Ayr.

March 19 th 2000

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