Marra will need to clearly spell out his vision to the people of Scotland - Barrie Cunning

Seeing friends old and new, it was good to chat to fellow members about what they think the future direction of the Scottish Labour party should be, what they think about Andy Burnham and the challenges that lie ahead are.

Responses were mixed, but the consensus of opinion is that the status quo can’t continue. The party’s approach has to be different in terms of how the party acts in opposition, and how it re-connects with not just the membership but also with the people of Scotland. The reality is that this isn’t my first time welcoming a new leader who now takes up the mantel of leading the Scottish Labour Party which was recently described as being the “toughest job in Scottish politics”.

A tough job for sure, a privilege to serve, absolutely. I first met Michael Marra at New York City Tartan Week in 2024. I could tell early on that this was someone who had a burning desire for change and an authenticity that is rare in today’s political climate.

With that in the back of my mind, I wanted to see what both candidates had to offer before I cast my vote. The questions that I always ask myself are: what is their vision, what is their sense of purpose, and what do they want to achieve besides wanting power. For me, Michael Marra stood out from the outset. He spoke about the Scottish Labour Party reconnecting with all parts of Scotland, reinvigorating and finding the party’s soul and moral purpose and doing things in a different way.

To me and I suspect to many other members this was music to my ears. No less than three days into the job it’s interesting to see numerous political pundits and commentators talk about the challenges that he and the party will face going forward. Sure, there are challenges and I’m confident he will be aware of them, but for me the party has to be relevant, it has to be strategic, and policy focused and ultimately think about what is in the best interests of the Scottish people.

Whist it is early days, the new leader and his team will need to craft an easy-to-understand narrative that introduces him to the Scottish electorate. Following that, the next focus will need to be to clearly spell out his vision to the people of Scotland. I think its’s fair to say that we have already had an insight into that given that the first thing he did when he became leader was to write to John Swinney and other party leaders to establish a child poverty commission with the aim of tackling child poverty in Scotland.

As the founder of Scotland 2050, what really appealed to me was the emphasis on the need for doing things differently or in other words cross party working. He has already demonstrated that he is prepared to do this. To me this is the sign of a good leader. It’s also in keeping with the spirit of Holyrood’s original aims to be a more consensus building parliament, working hand in hand to build a better Scotland for the people of Scotland.

Barrie Cunning is the Founder of Scotland 2050 and a former Labour candidate for Westminster