TWO years is not a long time in political leadership, but for Kezia Dugdale it was enough. Her resignation as Scottish Labour leader – a day after her 36th birthday – took many by surprise, hinting perhaps at a restlessness that went beyond politics. The death from motor neurone disease of her friend Gordon Aikman, a former Labour aide and charity campaigner, clearly made her re-evaluate her life, as she herself said.
She must also have wondered if she was personally cut out for political leadership. That it isn’t for everyone goes without saying. It is for hardly anyone, particularly today when it has never been more adversarial and abrasive.
Ms Dugdale’s ascension to party leadership was heralded in places as part of a welcome new feminisation of politics. With Theresa May in power in London, Angela Merkel in Berlin, and Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh, this phenomenon was meant to make the whole business less aggressive. Perhaps it has, but flak still flies and bile still boils.
On hearing of Ms Dugdale’s resignation, Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson climbed down off her tank to tweet: “Leadership can be tough.” Less bullishly, but still with some steel, the first minister tweeted her admiration for Ms Dugdale’s “guts and determination”.
That Ms Dugdale genuinely admired Ms Sturgeon was well known – not least to her own party, which might have wished her more ruthless. The implication is that anyone lacking a hard heart does not have what it takes. Even if arguably a brutal truth, that approach drives many talented people away from power, including perhaps Ms Dugdale. Ms Sturgeon – who also got on well with Ms Dugdale personally – may be steely but does not come across as hard-hearted. Hence much of her appeal.
Ironically, the more wounding conflicts in Ms Dugdale’s brief leadership career came from within her own party, for which she professes a genuine and undying love. In truth, her position became untenable after she criticised UK leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose hand was strengthened after the party’s surprisingly decent performance in June’s General Election.
For Mr Corbyn and the party south of the Border, the stars are aligning with Ms Dugdale’s resignation. Given the right candidate, they could be better placed to present a united left-wing opposition to the SNP in Scotland, though whether that means the end of the seemingly inevitable cross-border spats that play into the hands of the nationalists remains to be seen.
Hitherto, the high turnover of captains has hinted at an unhappy ship. For the moment, Ms Dugdale retires to the backbenches, but still has her life before her. Her undoubted ability came to the fore during a parliamentary debate in which she spoke passionately against the so-called “rape clause” for benefits payments. She began by saying: “Politics is a life we choose because we think we can do some good.” We hope she will still be able to do good in the many years ahead of her.
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