Honourable Intentions and Shoogly Pegs

Well, it seems I couldn’t resist putting some more thoughts up about Wendy’s dilemma: To resign for the sake of the Scottish Labour party or to stay on for the sake of the UK Labour party? Even Hamlet didn't have it this difficult...

Given Wendy has received seemingly unanimous support from her Scottish MSPs, her original decision to stay on has been somewhat vindicated. Make no mistake, Wendy was (and is to some extent) teetering on the edge and a more ambitious (or more back-stabbing) Andy Kerr or Cathy Jamieson may well have chosen a less loyal approach and tipped her over the edge.

As to my own thoughts on whether Wendy should stay or go, well, I thought the fairest, non-partisan way to decide this was to imagine the same situation had occurred to Alex Salmond which, let’s be honest, it could quite easily have. Given this mental gymnastics of the imagination in putting Alex in the frame, I can only conclude that Wendy is entitled to stay on.

Although there does seem to be something particularly smelly at the centre of Labour funding policy, to suggest Wendy Alexander is up to her neck in illegality would be way wide of the mark. This is at worst a little bit of greed by someone in Alexander's team and at best a silly oversight. Either of which is coupled with some bungled explanations but neither should really cause the average voter too much concern. Surely the standard of the Scottish opposition is worth more than a dodgy £950 that was never needed in the first place given it was raised for a coronation rather than an election.

So I do genuinely hope Wendy stays on over the next few weeks. I doubt she will as (1) the media loves to cling onto a story until they get their man/woman and (2) recent history tells us that the slightest hint of controversy tends to end in resignation, even when the supposed “culprit” hasn’t done too much wrong. I'm all for holding our politicians to a higher degree of scrutiny but I'm not in favour of chopping people down just because it's good fun.

Just ask Henry McLeish, David Blunkett, Patrick Mercer or Peter Mandelson what Wendy's chances are. I can't remember being particularly outraged by any of their actions though in the end they had to go. Perhaps my morals and principles are not as high as they should be but politicians in general do seem to let the media rule certain decisions regardless of what they believe deep down is the right or wrong course of action.

Wendy seems to be clinging to the line of not "intentionally misleading" anybody. And well she may as it certainly cuts the mustard for me.

Wishing someone to resign over such a technicality would tend to be a partisan approach rather than genuine outrage and I for one would be perfectly comfortable to see Wendy continue as Labour leader for the long term future.

Sad to say, I'll be surprised if she's still there come Christmas.