As usual in the echo chamber that passes for political discussion in Britain, comparatively insignificant events can assume a disproportionate presence. Take the recent Hamilton by-election, for example.
The result (Scottish Labour won, in case you weren’t paying attention) was treated as thunder clap from the political gods. The anointed one, Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar, is now to be installed in his rightful place in the forthcoming 2026 Scottish elections as Prince of Neoliberalism (First Minister) displacing the pretender that is John Swinney, who is just not managing capitalism well enough — if you are to believe Labour pundits.

Keep Left, Red Paper on Scotland 2025, Westminster Launch
Wednesday 9th July 6.30- 8.30
Houses of Parliament, Westminster Committee Room 8 (entry through Cromwell Green)

In the introduction to the 1975 Red paper on Scotland Gordon Brown made a powerful case, that unless there was a challenge to the dominance of global market forces Scotland’s economy would be akin to that of a colony – high levels of external control, absentee decision makers and subsidiary technology. Who knew that as UK Chancellor Brown would hasten that problem across the whole UK.

Speakers:
Chair: Lynn Henderson Chief of Staff (operational) at PCS, Chair of the Electoral Reform Society and the Jimmy Reid Foundation
Costas Lapavitsas Professor of Economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, served as a member of the Greek Parliament.
John McDonnell MP for Hayes and Harlington, Shadow Chancellor 2015 2020
Pauline Bryan Scottish Labour Peer, Convener of the Red Paper Collective. Campaigns for the abolition of the House of Lords and for a Senate of the Nations and Regions.
You can register here: 
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/resist-capitalism-internationally-in-the-uk-and-in-its-nations-and-regions-tickets-1412540178699 

Once you have registered we will be in touch. 

It was a win that was literally against the odds: Labour’s Davy Russell snatching victory from the jaws of universal pundit condescension. The result shows an impressive organisational strength on the part of Scottish Labour, it also illustrates a serious political weakness; and while it was certainly a defeat for the SNP, with Reform getting over a quarter of the vote – the real losers might be all of us.
​

The Scottish Parliament which came being in 1999, however much it may have been portrayed as an expression of national self-determination was in fact an effort to manage the fracturing of Britain that increasing de-industrialisation and neo-liberalism had brought about.