New tricks

In today's Guardian Polly Toynbee has written yet another article telling us that voting Labour is the only way to beat the Tories, regardless of whether you support Labour's policies or not.  She seems to think that, even in Scotland, there is no alternative to voting Labour, whatever they may have done in the referendum.  In saying this she is typical of the metropolitan elite, who have no conception of what politics is like post-referendum in Scotland.


Would she be shocked by the fact that Labour are teaming up with the Tories and Libdems in order to try and prevent SNP winning any seats at all costs?  They are doing this to the point where they are encouraging their supporters to vote Tory if that candidate has the best chance of keeping the SNP out.  Would that be too much of a stench for her to ignore?  Would she be shocked that Tory activists are joining the Labour party to help with Jim Murphy's campaign?  Still OK with the stench?  That's one mighty strong nosepeg there Polly.

Of course there is the fact that the way Scotland votes has rarely made a difference to the government we get, as was comprehensively proved during the referendum.   We voted Labour in the last election and still got Tories.  If Labour get in this time around, it'll be because England voted for them.  The Scottish votes would make very little difference.

Ms Toynbee's article goes on sounding the same old dog whistle - vote Labour to beat the Tories.  Never mind policies that they believe in, that they are making out of conviction, just vote for Labour it'll be fine.  Well, the dogs have got wise to the dog whistle.  They are no longer responding with Pavlovian obedience but are finding things out, thinking about things and making their own decisions.  Unlike Labour, it would appear, you can teach the old dogs of the Scottish electorate new tricks.