THE local election in Glasgow will deliver a historic outcome, whoever the result favours.
In the unlikely event Labour clings to power, the party will have halted a trilogy of electoral wipe-outs in a city of mythical proportions in its own sense of self and given itself a platform critical for any future return as a genuine force in Scotland.
Should the SNP oust Labour, it will have taken the keys to a city that sees itself as the economic and cultural pulse of Scotland and all but completed its replacement of Labour in Scotland.
A successful Glasgow, it has been said, is a showcase for an independent Scotland.
Five years ago, on the back of the SNP’s Holyrood landslide, Labour was fighting a last stand in Glasgow.
That victory, an overall majority, was as surprising as it was emphatic and as much about the party’s resources and experience of street by street electoral combat as it was the SNP’s complacency and naivety.
The polarising effect of the independence referendum has, however, had a tangible impact on Labour’s ability to replicate that success.
The decimation of its MPs has taken with it paid-up campaigners, networks and resources and “sugar daddies” have been less forthcoming with assistance than in previous campaigns.
Meanwhile, the resurgent Tories, for whom the Union and its trappings are a much more comfortable fit, are gnawing its support. The left has almost totally converged with the independence movement. UK leader Jeremy Corbyn is not helping the cause.
The most telling indicator of the move away from Labour has been the city by-elections since the 2014 independence referendum – a platform where Labour has always performed strongly with targeted and focused campaigns – with six SNP wins on the bounce.
Not only has the SNP stolen Labour’s clothes but its election strategies with the resources behind it.
But perhaps the biggest dynamic at play is that of change. A decade in power for the SNP at Holyrood pales in comparison with 40 years at the City Chambers.
Local politics, the personalities, agendas have become stale, unfairly given the goings on at some other authorities, Glasgow still lingers under a perception that something does not smell quite right – as tedious a term as governance takes on all sorts of connotations in Glasgow.
The polls do not look good for Labour. It has ruled out a coalition with the Tories.
It is hard to see how it can otherwise cling to power.
The SNP, as either a minority or majority administration appears on the cusp of power. How then it relates to the governments of Edinburgh and London and whether it has the experience, vision and nous to run a city of 600,000, with enormous social challenges on a budget of £2billion looks likely to be the next chapter. for in the city’s political arena
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here