Monday 24 March 2008

You shouldn't laugh

Wendy Alexander has always been touted by Labour as a great thinker. I've always believed that the evidence for her genius just didn't stack up. Seems I'm right.

The Scotsman's coverage of the 73rd relaunch of her leadership makes it clear that she spent more than six months writing her vision of the future which doesn't have any vision in it.

Six months to write around 9,000 words riddled with errors and inconsistencies, lacking any thought, vision or new policy, but 12 mentions of Donald Dewar and several pages of wobbly history. If this empty shell took her six months and she's the best Labour's got it's not much of a wonder that Scotland never advanced while Labour ruled the roost.

SNP researchers who worked in opposition before May 2007 have been looking at the paper in wonder and awe. Each of them has been asking how anyone could get away with work so shoddy - the consensus is that any SNP researcher trying to get away with writing a policy position paper devoid of any policy or position would not long be in the job.

Even more bizarre is publishing a document this poor a week before your conference. Surely there is a danger of being Fishered and then ritually skewered by members in the bar? Wendy's "new directions" paper may not be the longest suicide note in history at only 28 pages, and not the most eloquent by a long way, but it is going to be effective.

She's not the brightest fairy light on the Christmas tree.

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