Scottish Labour's Reshuffle

I'll be honest, if I could have picked the Labour Shadow Cabinet I would have chosen something along the lines of what Iain Gray came up with yesterday. And just to be clear, I mean I would have picked this team with the SNP's interests at heart rather than Labour's.

There was certainly something panicked about the way the Iain Gray went about this surprise move.

Just yesterday Henry McLeish issued a thinly veiled attack on Gray in saying that Labour faced being in opposition "for a generation" and was "intellectually exhausted". The SNP simultaneously issued a press release focussing on Labour's "leadership vacuum" and how "whispering campaign against Iain Gray's beleagured leadership just got louder".

So if Gray wanted to play down the suggestion that there was a crisis of confidence at the heart of his leadership (and his team) then now would be precisely the wrong time to ring the changes. But rung them he has.

The impressive John Park has been moved to a behind-the-scenes position as Shadow Minister without Portfolio. This has to go down as a demotion given John was in the crucial Economy and Skills Shadow Minister position during a recession.

As a consequence of John Park being stripped of his brief, Andy Kerr incorporates Economy into his Finance brief. (Presumably 'Skills' are no longer important for Labour, even if the recession is still ongoing) Andy Kerr has generated a lot of noise and heat during his two years in this position but he can't reasonably be considered an effective performer. His response to John Swinney's draft budget was embarrassing when set against the reasonable responses of Derek Brownlee and Jeremy Purvis.

Jackie Baillie at Health won't result in Nicola Sturgeon losing any sleep. Similarly, Des McNulty coming in for the lamentable Rhona Brankin is the political equivalent of a no score draw.

And, saving the best for last, how is Richard Baker still in the Shadow Justice position? I mean really? What incredibly foolish loyalty from Iain Gray there. I am willing to kindly suggest that Richard is merely inexperienced and needs time before he should be given such an important, difficult position but I tell you what, that was the best £520 Richard has ever spent in his life.

The full team sheet proves that Labour is in desperate need of new talent. It is the same faces from the Lab/Lib administration with the many backbenchers who have not made it into Shadow Cabinet positions proving the lack of strength in depth Labour has. The party must put some fresh talent up in 2011 or Henry McLeish's prediction of being in opposition for a generation will surely prove accurate.

Even then, incredibly, some of the most capable in Labour's ranks have been excluded.

Where is Hugh Henry? The refreshingly dry MSP who is effective, genuine and, best of all, not afraid to say to "bullshit" to top civil servants.

Where is Ken MacIntosh? The perfectly reasonable and articulate East Renfrewshire MSP is denied a front-line role and given Ken has the fight of his life in his constituency in 2011, he could do with a raised profile.

And where is Wendy Alexander? The former leader of the Labour MSPs was described by Iain Gray today as "somebody who still has a big future in Scottish politics." and he is "certain she will come back to a front bench role." So why isn't Wendy in the new Shadow Cabinet?

Or Jack McConnell for that matter? With no Malawi job in the offing you would think an ex-First Minister could provide a better contribution to Scottish public life than taking up space on the backbenches.

It's bizarre. Utterly bizarre.

Iain Gray is already on the run just over a year into the job and I cannot see his reshuffle today stopping the rot. Indeed, as Malc points out, once London support is cut off from May 2010 Gray will have to seriously up his game and his profile.

I see little today to suggest that Labour's top team has it in them to take the SNP on over the next two years.