Identity, constitutional and ‘bread-and-butter’ issues all matter

—In May, I was one of three Labour members of the Scottish parliament returned from a local constituency, in an election where we fell to third place. I am frequently asked how I won, and what we can learn about winning again in Scotland, and across Britain.

The answer is not straightforward. In May, we tried to leave the arguments of the 2014 referendum behind us and focus on the future. We promised to use Scotland’s new tax-raising powers to end austerity. We attempted to shift the debate on to how the powers of the parliament could actually be used to create a fairer Scotland. The manifesto that Kezia Dugdale put forward was positive and progressive. It was true to Labour’s values and set out how we would put them into action. It was the right course to pursue.

What we did not recognise was the extent to which the constitutional question still dominated. For the first weeks of the campaign, we kept the Scottish National party’s record in government in focus, but in the closing weeks (when the majority of people started listening), the debate turned to the constitution.

Scotland is now divided down the middle on constitutional terms. And Scottish Labour needs to begin by addressing this fundamental question. Kezia has already made a start by addressing the fact that Brexit means Scotland’s constitutional settlement – and the powers of the Scottish parliament – being put back on the table. We should seize this as an opportunity and not a threat for our party.

It also needs to be an opportunity to define what our brand of Scottishness means, and how that sits alongside our membership of the United Kingdom. The SNP should not own what it means to be Scottish. In neither Scotland, nor England, should Labour cede the debate to nationalist forces. We need to define what progressive patriotism looks like in Scotland, and across Britain.

Some would dismiss this as abandoning the politics of class. But we need to start where the people are. And the truth is this: across the UK, people are proud of their identities. In a post-industrial world they are sometimes the only thread that unites us gives a sense of belonging. We must not simply dismiss this as nationalism, otherwise we will not have permission to be heard.

This has to be matched by absolute clarity when it comes to our position on the union. The message from the streets in Scotland was that people did not know where we stood on our membership of the UK and they were simply not prepared to listen to us on anything else. It is therefore essential that we are clear from the start. We said in our manifesto that we will oppose a second independence referendum and we will keep that promise. And, when asked, the overwhelming majority do not want a second referendum any time soon. In 2014, the SNP said the referendum would settle the issue for ‘a generation’. They should keep their word.

While our route back to power has to come with clarity on the constitution, that is not enough. The Labour party I joined many years ago has changed. We were rooted in our communities; we were the backbone of the tenants’ and residents’ associations, we ran the mother and toddler groups and our roots in civic Scotland ran deep. Today, people see our politicians as caring more about the Westminster or Holyrood bubble than we do about them. That might be perception rather than reality, but it must change. It is telling that I get more members out to volunteer at a local foodbank than I do at a party meeting.

You cannot represent people if you do not know what they care about. But, equally, you cannot just be a social movement or a protest group. That means having policies that appeal to the majority of the population, not just a few special interest groups. That means understanding the concerns of the worker, the homeowner and the business starting up in your area. That means understanding the aspirations of most of the people I know – a decent job so you can support your family; a roof over your head; and for your children to be given every opportunity.

We must be the party of aspiration and ambition, proud of our people and our country. Labour, at its best when it is at its boldest, must step up to provide the answers. No one else will.

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Jackie Baillie is member of the Scottish parliament for Dumbarton

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