How pigs may fly...

I feel I can be a little bit harsh on Labour at times. I try to do it in jest but I do worry a slight malice has the potential of creeping in. So I thought I'd take some time to examine what it would take for me to put a cross against a Labour name at the next election. Heck, I'm from Glasgow originally so surely there's something in my genes that makes me want to tick against the red rose.

I have come up with the following:

• A leader to look up to. I do think Wendy has it in her to be a very attractive Scottish First Minister. Her not having to worry about charges from police or electoral commissions is welcome if, perhaps, not entirely fair. She is now free to build some confidence but crucially for me, Wendy has to come over as being a bit more natural. She seems to take on a 'persona' in interviews and in FMQs. Her dropping this seeming falseness would go a long way to getting my vote.
• Fresh blood in the cabinet. I am getting a bit tired of the same faces saying the same old things up in Scotland from Labour's viewpoint. They need to shake it up and I think they missed a trick given Margaret Curran's latest strop. Wendy could have showed her who was boss and given a younger, fresher MSP a chance to shine in the spotlight. I'm afraid I am no longer able to get excited about Hugh Henry, Jackie Bailie or Andy Kerr.
• Clarity on who they are fighting for. I do think the main advantage Labour has over the SNP is that Labour are seen as the genuine protectors of those most in need. I think the SNP are still finding their feet with regard to how to tackle drugs, poverty and housing issues whereas Labour as a whole have a lot of experience and ideas to draw on. If they were able to communicate their plans more coherently and find an appropriate level of cash allocation for helping out the lower stratas of Scotland, then I'd be impressed. Labour, arguably, want to give too much money to those in need and perhaps the SNP not enough.
• Optimism. People feed off of optimism and the good mood filters down into the general population. We can't deny the SNP pulled this off very well in the run up to and subsequent to the last election. I don't respond well to Labour's doom-and-gloom approach that they sometimes adopt so if they were able to reverse this, then that would help enormously.
• Some speculative policies. I know this is a failing on my part but I'm not going to pretend that the SNP didn't manage to attract me with some easy open goals. Cancelling student loans and getting rid of prescription charges to name but 2. It doesn't even matter that it was only out of two. Lofty aspirations and creative thinking count for a lot.

So, we'll see what Wendy and co have up their sleeves over the Spring and Summer. Given their winter of discontent is drawing to an end, one can only suspect that they will be turning up the heat on the SNP over the next few months. And who knows, the voters may return to them in their droves and draw me in with them...