WITH THE NEWS that Labour plan to be as ‘economically radical’ as Margaret Thatcher, thoughts turn to an election count of April 1992 when we’d hoped for SNP victory and progress for Scotland; Alloa Town Hall, dejected young Nats in trouble objecting loudly to the victor’s speech. A Labour MP, now Lord, who never lived or worked in the area he ‘represented.’ He sold out to Trident; those who sought to remind him of his betrayal were threatened with arrest as results throughout the UK confirmed Labour lost again; Scotland doomed to another 5 years of Tory devastation, a reward for supporting London Labour. A lesson learned then which needs relearned today lest there be any genuine question of Scotland voting or favouring a coalition with Labour.

The Major government elected in 1992 in essence extended the savagery of Thatcher, becoming so jaded that they ushered in the Blair/Brown years of illegal warmongering and devastating fiscal consequences. Thatcher of course claimed with pride and justification that her greatest legacy was Tony Blair. His feeble 50 Scottish loyalists had no option but to assist the introduction of devolution when Scotland was let down once again by those who returned to Westminster funds they’d no imagination to spend, despite lengthening dole queues, a bank crash and hungry, homeless adults and bairns.