Brian Monteith

ONLY REFORM CAN STOP LABOUR’S LEFTWARD STAMPEDE

"The voters of Makerfield now have a choice. Send a message to Labour that Starmer must go by voting Reform – and only Reform – because no other party will come close to beating Burnham. Or vote for Burnham and give Labour fresh hope they can stay in power for a generation by moving even further left.

"Either way the country will need an early general election – because after a Reform victory Starmer’s reign will no longer be tenable and he will be replaced by Streeting or another candidate yet to emerge. Or because electing Burnham will result in him replacing Starmer but he will still need a mandate to pursue policies never put before voters in Labour’s manifesto."

My latest column in https://thereformer.scot

https://bit.ly/4dqqBSY

Only Reform can stop Labour’s leftward stampede | The Reformer Scotland ALL EYES HAVE SHIFTED from the recent elections to the latest battle in Labour’s long-running war for the heart and soul of the party. Very quickly it has become a race to see who can take the party farthest to the left. It is truly bizarre to observe prospective Labour leaders making themselves l...

This week's article for The Scotsman 👇

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲
By 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝

💬“While he presents himself as the First Minister “for all of Scotland”, he belittles as valueless the 385,000 voters supporting Reform”

How John Swinney has revealed his deep contempt for democracy If John Swinney is First Minister for all Scotland, he should be willing to deal with Reform Scotland leader Malcolm Offord

WHY REFORM UK'S MALCOLM OFFORD IS THE LEADER THAT SCOTLAND DESPERATELY NEEDS

"Offord has said repeatedly that what drives him is his aim to make Scotland the most successful and prosperous part of the United Kingdom. He has appealed to supporters of all parties and none to put aside any notions of constitutional change and instead build a better Scotland by unleashing our inherent talent, creativity and tenacity. From the relatively short time we have had the chance to know him, we can see he is someone who gets things done.

"If there’s one thing Holyrood does not need, it is more of the same failures. We have heard it all before. The offers of an energy company to control prices that never happened. The pledge of ‘free’ iPads for all schoolchildren that five years later remains unfulfilled. Now the offer is a free school bag!

"We cannot go on rewarding those that are failing Scotland. To deliver change we must break with old habits and do things differently. Malcolm Offord is an achiever, a Scot who has shown he makes a significant difference. Supporting him on Thursday is our best hope of delivering change."

My latest The Scotsman column on the Holyrood election.

Why Reform UK's Malcolm Offord is the leader that Scotland desperately needs Malcolm Offord’s candour about his wealth is seen as a political gaffe by some, but Brian Monteith finds it refreshing and inspiring

HOW MANY OF THE SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVES' NOISIER 'BEASTS' ARE FACING ELECTION DEFEAT?

“What if the pollsters’ surveys and Ballot Box Scotland’s calculations are on the money? What if only seven Tories are elected? Well with eight regions, it would mean one would have no Conservatives, most likely Glasgow. Farewell then, Annie Wells and Sandesh Gulhane.

“It would also likely mean only one representative in the remaining seven regions, so those candidates ranked second, third or below would not go to Holyrood.

“That includes “sitting MSPs” Craig Hoy, Finlay Carson, Sharon Dowey and Brian Whittle in the South of Scotland; Sue Webber in Edinburgh and Lothians East; Jackson Carlaw and Pam Gosal in West of Scotland; Douglas Lumsden and Alexander Burnett in the North East; Stephen Kerr, Roz McCall and Alexander Stewart in Mid Scotland and Fife; and Jamie Halcrow Johnson in Highlands & Islands.

“That’s quite a clear out, with some of the party’s noisier beasts falling prey to the electorate’s cull.”

My latest column for The Scotsman

How many of the Scottish Conservatives' noisier 'beasts' are facing election defeat Brian Monteith ponders just how bad the Scottish election next month will be for the Scottish Conservatives

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO CUT THE COST OF LIVING, SCRAP THESE TAXES

"Despite repeated pledges, Labour’s policies since coming to power have made the cost of living crisis worse. Now, the war in Iran is going to make it even more acute.

“To save us all a great deal of pain, rather than funding subsidies and bailouts through higher taxes and borrowing, Labour should start to live within its means and scrap these taxes.

“Removing [such] taxes would reduce the cost of living and invigorate economic growth. Sadly, it is far more likely that thresholds will be frozen or even lowered and higher tax rates introduced. For the sake of our broken economy, a general election cannot come soon enough.”

My latest column

Scrap these taxes if you really want to solve the cost of living crisis Britain’s growing burden of ‘hidden’ levies is beginning to backfire