Sir,
Two letters today which seem to be hoping to persuade me to vote for the Labour Party again on Thursday. The first was entitled ‘Labour promises to build brighter future’ which led me to wonder, is this the brighter future they promised in September 2014 yet voted against in Westminster?
The second letter was ‘Time for a change.’ The voters of Scotland decided in 2009 that it was time for a change! So many voted for that change that despite Labour's convoluted voting system a majority government was returned to Holyrood. I believe that the SNP have shown that they are governing for the people of Scotland, and not what suits the party hierarchy in London.
Letter: "Toxic" Labour
3 May 2016
I have been able to vote for over fifty years now. By upbringing I was a natural Labour voter, and for twenty years they got my vote. Then came the Thatcher years and the imposition of the Poll Tax and it wasn’t Labour who led the revolt against it.
Eventually Labour was voted into Westminster, led by a Tory wearing a red rosette leading the country into an illegal war, ably assisted by a chancellor who robbed the people of their pension fund and instrumental in starting the descent into austerity policies. And they want me to ‘come back to Labour’?
Not all who vote SNP agree with all their policies, but I think we would find that they do all want a government for Scotland, answerable to the people of Scotland, and who the people of Scotland can vote out at the next election. Right now we don’t have that ability for we have a Tory government with just one MP telling us what we can and cannot do.
I do not look on the SNP as a party, because it is home to those who would like it to be more to the left of centre. There are also those who would rather be a little more to the right. So the SNP seems to be more of a movement, and until Labour understands that and starts working for their voters they can only continue to carp from the sidelines.
I believe that the Labour brand is now so toxic that it will eventually go the way of the old Liberal party and a new party will arise with the original Labour ideals. I would like to think that I will be around to vote for that party, but until then? My votes on Thursday will both be for the SNP.
WA Johnston
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