Labour In Scotland: Now For Heavy Lifting

Jim Murphy has proved the decisive choice of Scottish Labour and politicians of all stripes have joined to wish this  likeable politician well. However for this new leader there will be no honeymoon. Labour’s situation in Scotland his dire and Jim has very little time to put it right if there is to be any likelihood of a Labour majority government in Westminster. Of the 59 Westminster seats in Scotland 41 are Labour and Ed Milliband cannot afford to lose any in May. Yet opinions polls indicate that Labour may lose up to 30. Having lost the referendum, the Scottish Nationalists  are well and truly on the rise and are a massive problem for Labour.

Labour in Scotland is down to 14,000 members. The Scot Nats have surged to 100,000. According to recent polls Labour is in the high twenties while the nationalists are in the low forties. There are only five months to go before the whole United kingdom votes. Jim Murphy has a mountain to climb, but his friends believe he can do it. None more fervently than Ed Milliband.