IAIN Gray MSP acknowledges that the Glasgow East by-election was "terrible" for Scottish Labour and they must build "fresh trust" ('We must rediscover the shared values that make us Labour', Insight, July 27).
Maybe he should reflect that some of the voters in Glasgow East, despite his articulated vision, feel that they, not Labour, had it "terrible", that their "trust" had been betrayed by unnecessary wars, pounds for peerages, failure to meet child pover
ty targets, doubling tax for the lowest paid, continuing to increase the gap between rich and poor, the poorest pensions in western Europe, renewing Trident and the building of aircraft carriers at massive cost – it is questionable whether the Ministry of Defence can afford the aircraft for the carriers and where they will find an extra 3,000 sailors to man the ships.
An aspiration to live a decent and comfortable life may explain why people in Glasgow East deserted Labour and why the above foolishness is engendering an increasing support for independence.
Mr Gray expresses a concern about the wording of an independence referendum – contrast this with his lack of concern about the manifesto promise by Labour at Westminster for a referendum on the European treaty – which the people were denied.
Mr Gray, as a finance spokesman, must also know that only the vindictive behaviour by the Labour Treasury at Westminster has kept the SNP Government back and that the SNP has delivered on more than a hundred of its promises unlike Labour at Westminster and the Labour/Liberal Democrat Executive which were removed from Holyrood.
Bill McLean, DunfermlineThe full article contains 272 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
