The Tories introduced the 50% strike ballot threshold to make industrial action harder. MATT WRACK argues that a Labour government has no justification for leaving it on the statute book
SCOTLAND is at a crossroads. Four years after the SNP all but wiped out its opposition in Scotland’s constituencies in the Commons, and two years after Labour began its electoral recovery north of the border, we are back on the campaign trail.
Not that we ever left it: Scottish Labour swiftly moved to reselect candidates following the last general election — rightly so, as many of Labour's most viable gains are in Scotland.
Our community organisers have been holding “listening” events to ensure we win back the trust of former Labour voters and gain the support of young people energised by the mass movements — such as the inspiring climate strikes and tenants’ unions — defining our age.
Burnham’s Makerfield triumph offers the party the opportunity to reconnect with working people, but only if it rejects business as usual, says CAROL MOCHAN MSP
The new Scottish Parliament looks set to continue a cycle of managerial tinkering while public services face the axe, writes STEPHEN LOW
Years of underfunding are eroding Scotland’s local services and deepening inequality in communities, says VINCE MILLS


