Brexit: The final countdown

Over the last few weeks, Northern Ireland has been the central focus in the Brexit negotiations. The complexities surrounding the Northern Ireland question, has resulted in a split in the Conservative Party, which has been further highlighted by rumours of resignation by both key Conservative remainers and Brexiteers.

Ruth Davidson, Leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, and David Mundell MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, has suggested that if there is a renewed barrier between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, they would tender their resignations as a result.

This message is clearly not intended for the mainstream electorate, but rather to the party faithful, which amounts to being told to get on board or be responsible for the destruction of the Conservative Party in Scotland.

Ruth Davidson is a perceptive politician and knows only too well, the implications of a renewed Border between Northern Ireland and the mainland UK and what that means for Scotland. Clearly, this is a stark warning to those who are playing high stakes political poker with the future of the UK.

Similarly, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has said that if Northern Ireland is treated differently to the mainland UK, they would withdraw their support for the government, which would weaken Theresa May’s majority and almost certainly result in a vote of no confidence. The DUP have been consistent in their views and is unlikely to move from this position, although its rumoured that the DUP is preparing for a no Brexit deal.

To many, the prospect of a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would undermine the Good Friday Agreement, and it’s worth noting that in the divorce agreement reached between the EU and the UK Britain promised that “no new regulatory barriers” would emerge between the mainland and Northern Ireland.”

There is no denying that Theresa May is between a rock and a hard place, some may even go as far as to say dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t, but if a constitutional change was easy, it would have happened long before now.

There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Theresa May as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party, with numerous media reports suggesting that forty-four Conservative Party MP’s have submitted letters of no confidence to the 1922 Committee, with four more needed, to enable a leadership challenge.

Whilst it is fair to say that Ms May is in a vulnerable position, she still holds the political ace card and as prime minister could at any minute call a general election, and this is a real possibility.

Not only would this suppress the prospect of any leadership challenge, but it would be a game changer that could see Ms May incorporate a renewed deal on the European Union as a key manifesto pledge, perhaps a favoured customs union, which could be enough to swing a sizeable section of the electorate that believes this would be the best Brexit deal for Britain, and in turn increase her majority.

Scottish Labour Party announces new Shadow Cabinet

The Scottish Labour Party has announced its new shadow cabinet following the party’s recent reshuffle and the current line-up is:

·         Richard Leonard, Leader, also leading on the economy brief 

·         Lesley Laird, Deputy Leader and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland

·         Claire Baker, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs

·         Claudia Beamish, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform

·         Neil Findlay, Business Manager, Party Liaison, Constitutional Relations

·         Rhoda Grant, Shadow Cabinet secretary for Rural Economy

·         Iain Gray, Shadow Cabinet secretary for Education and Skills

·         Daniel Johnson, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice

·         James Kelly, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance

·         Monica Lennon, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport

·         Pauline McNeil, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Equalities, Housing and Social Security

·         Elaine Smith, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Eradication of Poverty and Inequality

·         Colin Smyth, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Connectivity and Transport

·         Alex Rowley, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government

The longest week for the Labour Party

Today the results for Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) will be announced and tomorrow the committee will meet to discuss whether the Labour party should adopt the definition on Anti- Semitism in its entirety, as provided by the International Holocaust remembrance Alliance (IHRA) or not but what does this mean for the future of the Labour Party?

The issue over anti-Semitism has escalated over the last few weeks with one prominent Labour MP accusing Jeremy Corbyn of being an anti-Semite and a racist and another prominent Labour MP resigning the whip over the handling of the issue. Historically the Labour Party has often referred to its self as a broad-church, a collective term used to describe the many opposing views and divisions within the Labour Party.

However, the continuation of this current debate is fuelling those divisions which is going to the core of the Labour Party membership, but the real test for Tuesday’s meeting will be between Jeremey Corbyn and Momentum founder and leader Jon Lansman.

Jeremy Corbyn and his critics of the IHRA definition believe that by adopting the full definition will restrict an individual’s ability to criticise the Israeli government and in turn be deemed an anti- Semite, which is at odds with Momentum Founder Jon Lansman, who believes that the Labour Party should adopt the IHRA definition in full.

The row over anti-Semitism was further heightened when NEC member Peter Willsman made remarks that were deemed as being anti-Semitic. This resulted in Momentum removing support for his candidacy to be re-elected to the NEC and caused division within Momentum with some accusing Jon Lansman of “losing his bottle” in the face of hostile media attention.

Given that Momentum played a key part in electing Jeremy Corbyn as party leader in 2015, and subsequently during the 2016 leadership contest, this will be the first time that the Labour leader will be at odds with an organisation that has been a strong advocate of his leadership since day one.

So, what does this mean for the future of the Labour Party? In short there are only two possible outcomes, either the party adopts the anti-Semitism definition in full or it doesn’t.

Either outcome will have serious repercussions for the party but it’s likely to come down to loyalty to either Jon Lansman or Jeremy Corbyn. If the NEC adopts the definition on anti-Semitism in full this will be a major blow for Jeremy Corbyn with some questioning his leadership, but if the NEC refuses to accept the definition, then its likely that some Labour MP’s will resign the whip in response to the direction in which the Labour Party is going.

They say a week is a long time in politics, perhaps this will be Labour’s longest week to date.

Surviving party conference

Top tips for surviving party conference

Its getting close to that time of year again when politicos will descend from across the country to attend their respective political parties annual conference. For many, it’s an opportunity to catch up with friends, network and make new connections, but there is no denying that party conference can feel like the equivalent of an SAS selection test where endurance and stamina are key to surviving it.

Pentland shares some of its top tips for surviving party conference.

Sleep – The night before leaving for conference make sure you get an adequate amount of sleep, ideally eight hours.

First night – Ask any veteran conference attendee and they will tell you not to over do it on the first night, pace yourself, you have days left, and most likely will have an end of conference knees up to attend.

Business cards – It sounds obvious, but how many times have people not taken enough business cards and missed an opportunity to swap details with someone. To a potential client it looks sloppy and unprofessional, make sure you have enough business cards for the entire conference period.

Mobile phone chargers- Technology is amazing but only if it works, make sure you take both a phone charger and a portable charger to ensure you are contactable by phone during conference and not miss any import emails or calls.

Eat- Make sure you take time out to eat something of substance that will keep you going. Days at conference can feel long and never ending, and just like a car its important to refuel to keep yourself going.

Remain hydrated – Remaining hydrated is key to staying alert and making sure you are on top of your A game.

Networking – Conference is a hub of busy activity and a great opportunity to network both formally and informally. Ask any seasoned conference goer and they will tell you that the best place to network is at the conference bar, usually late into the evening, but bear in mind that conference is a hot bed of eager journalists looking for their next story.

Be flexible – Rarely does anything go to plan at conference, events over run, meetings get cancelled or rescheduled

Be professional – Reputation is everything. Whilst conference is a great opportunity to socialise and network with people, it’s best to remain professional always. At the end of the day you represent your company, and your behaviour will define the perception people will have of your company.

Jeremy Corbyn in Glasgow

Ahead of Jeremy Corbyn’s visit to Glasgow tomorrow, Pentland looks at the Labour Party and what we can expect from Jeremy visit to Glasgow.

Three years ago, Jeremy Corbyn spoke with an air of authenticity that resonated well with a large section of the Labour Party membership, that resulted in him winning the Labour Party leadership contest with an overwhelming majority. Too many, Jeremy spoke a language of socialism akin to previous generations, in which he promised a new kind of politics, with greater party member participation, underpinned by the promise of straight talking honest politics.

During his time as leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy has overcome a botched attempt to force him to resign as leader, accusations that he was a communist spy and won a second mandate as leader of the Labour Party after defeating Owen Smith in 2016. To the surprise of many and perhaps even Jeremy himself, the 2017 general election returned five additional Scottish Labour MP’s.

So, what next for Jeremy? Tomorrow Jeremy will be in Glasgow addressing a delegation of Corbyn admirers, Corbyn sceptics and those who just don’t know but want to hear what he has to say. Given the 2017 election result its likely that Jeremy will talk about the failures of the Scottish government, the increase in Scotland’s inequality and Labours plans to tackle it by increasing tax on high earners as announced by Richard Leonard, Scottish Labour Leader. Given Jeremys reluctance to talk about Brexit, it will be interesting to see If he addresses the elephant in the room, which for many people will be the deciding issue on who they vote for in the next general election. Brexit for many people makes a reference to the biggest political topic of our time.

Talking to the converted is an easy gig, but the real challenge for Jeremy will be extending that message to those that are Corbyn curious and getting them on board. In the last four years, Scotland has had two general elections, two referendums and a local council election, to say that people are suffering from voter fatigue is an understatement, but people are also fed up with political soundbites and weak words.

A poll by YouGov last month predicts that Westminster voting intentions in Scotland would see a resurgence for the SNP and Scottish Labour losing the six additional seats that they won in 2017, resulting in the party having one Westminster MP.

If the polls are to be believed, then the Labour Party in Scotland has its work cut out to convince the electorate it can deliver a radical alternative to the SNP.