Feumar daoine a thàladh air ais gu poileataigs

Dè seorsa slighe a bhios mu choinneimh chan urrainn a bhith cinnteach bhon gach taobh a thionnadas e bidh e air a chuingleachadh le dìth ionmhais, co-dhiù gun tig piseach air an eaconamaigh, gur bith cuine a bhios sin. Sin as coireach anns an iomairt a bha seo, nas motha na gin eile, bha dòchas air a mhùchadh.

Le làn dùil gun robh na Làbaraich dol a bhuannachadh, cha bhith an glaoraich as a dhèidh cho mor ‘s a bhios mar is trice. Cuideachd, tha an obair a tha mun coinneimh gus an dùthaich a cur air stèidh chinntiche a-rithist ro mhòr son cus gairdeachais a dhèanamh.

Bha e ceart dha Starmer a chùlaibh a chur ri feallsanachd Corbyn; bha an dùthaich gu lèir a’ cur feum air sin. Ach, thàinig easbhaidh na chois: tha barrachd dhaoine a-nis ag ràdh nach eil iad a’ bleidrigeadh le poileataigs bhon g’eil iad gu lèir ro choltach ri chèile

‘S e beachd leisg, suarach a tha sin anns nach eil mòran brìgh ma bheir thu sùil cheart. Ach tha e cunnartach, bhon tha e ciallachadh gun gluais barrachd dhaoine air falbh agus nach till. Bidh e inntinneach fhaicinn cò mheud a bhòt anns an taghadh seo.

Chaidh daoine a shàrachadh le na pàrtaidhean gun chiall a bha ann an Sràid Drowning aig àm Covid agus na cumhnantan mu thimcheall PPE agus ‘s beag an t-iongnadh.

Ach, gur bith dè na laigsidhean a th’aig Starmer, chan urrainn dhut a ràdh gur e an seòrsa duine a th’ann a bhiodh deònach leigeil dha an leitheid sin air adhart agus an sluagh a’ fulang mar a bha.

Tha dùbhlain mu choinneimh Starmer agus an Riaghaltas a-thaobh an eaconamaigh agus cùisean a riaghladh ann an dòigh rianail is glic.

Ach, tha dùbhlain mòr eile man coinneimh cuideachd, a tha a cheart cho cudromach: dearbhadh dha daoine gum faod earbsa a bhith aca ann am poileataigs aon uair eile. Chan eil fhios nach bidh sin nas duilghe buileach.

Cha leig thu a leas ach sùil a thoirt air an Fhraing airson faicinn an cunnart a dh’fhaodas a thighinn leis an fhir laimh deise nuair a tha daoine air an sàrachadh le poileataigs àbhaisteach. Bha e inntinneach cho mòr ‘s a thàinig Nigel Farage am bàrr anns an taghadh seo agus bithear an dòchas nach eil sin na chomharra air dè eile a tha tighinn. .

Rud a bha gu sònraichte follaiseach anns an taghadh seo ‘s e cho sgith ‘s a tha daoine air fàs dha poileataigs san fharsaingeachd. Agus dhuinne ann an Alba, tha fada barrachd dheth ri thighinn. Ann am beagan is bliadhna eile faodaidh dùil gun tòisich an iomairt son taghadh Parlamaid na h-Alba ann an 2026.

Co-dhiù leis an fhear sin, cha bhith e idir cho furasta dèanamh a-mach cò a tha dol a bhuannachadh… aig an ìre seo.

English-language version:

By the time you read this, a new political dawn will have emerged and unless some sort of seismic shift has taken place in the minds of voters over the last 24 hours, Keir Starmer will be making his way to 10 Downing Street to begin the latest chapter in the history of UK politics.

Just what sort of narrative will unfold remains to be seen as the legislative journey ahead will be fraught with challenges, likely to be continually frustrated at every turn by the roadblock of financial black holes, at least for the first while, until the Nirvana of economic recovery eventually arrives. It’s why at this election, unlike others, it’s very much been a case of tempering expectations.

Given the widespread predictions of a Labour landslide, and the general backdrop, there is unlikely to be the usual fanfare of celebrations that follows electoral victory. The task ahead is too formidable; the work to reverse systematic decline too daunting for all but the briefest moment of salutation, before getting down to the nitty gritty.

Starmer’s well-chronicled shift away from the doomed dogma of the Corbyn era, to a more pragmatic approach closer to the centre, has been necessary for the sake of the future of the country, but it has also had an unintended consequence: it has fuelled the growing sense that “they’re all the same, so why bother voting”.

It is, of course, a lazy caricature which any reasonable analysis beyond just the mere superficial will confirm, but it’s a dangerous narrative, fuelling even more cynicism and voter apathy. The turnout for this election may prove to be one of the more instructive elements to emerge.

The Downing Street Covid booze-ups and the ripping off of the NHS by millionaire pals of the Tory party for PPE contracts was, for many, the turning point away from the Tories, and maybe even politics itself. But whatever the faults of Starmer, it’s hard to imagine that he will ever preside over an inner sanctum that enjoys karaokes and fine wine as the country struggles through an unprecedented health crisis, one which saw countless losing family members and loved ones. So, a new government not only faces a challenge on the economic and stewardship front, it will also need to go some way to restore faith in politics, which may even prove a far bigger challenge.

We need only cast our eye across the English Channel to see the dangerous pitfalls of a disenfranchised populace, one that is vulnerable to the simplistic and insidious message of the far-right and the inherent dangers within. Nigel Farage’s prominence in this campaign was a worrying signal and the hope is that it was simply a reflection of the utter disdain in which the Tory party is held, and the lack of anywhere else for its traditionalists to go, rather than pointing to a more worrying trend in UK politics.

A dominating factor in this election, more than any other, has been the lack of engagement among a weary public and that needs to change for the sake of democracy itself. And for Scotland, there is no respite. In a little over 12 months, the campaign for Holyrood will start in earnest. Now that looks set to be a lot harder to call.