"Hi! I'm Jim Murphy and I will be leading Scottish Labour into oblivion at the General Election!"
Egg- citing times ahead for a hard boiled New Labourite. Shouldn't be long till your out your shell, poaching SNP policies, but in the end like Lamont you'll crack under the pressure and scramble back to Westminster, brains fried. I'll give you six to a dozen months at most, befor you get toad in the hole fae Miliband's large size 12s. It's all destined to be one big yolk, leaving you with egg on your face.:cool:
He won't even be able to take part in any Holyrood debates until 2016 at the earliest - and that's assuming he wins a seat! Hilarious if he stood and lost. The rules are that he has to be an MP/MSP to lead the party so will have to stand for Westminster next year too then either stand down after a year or do both (and pocket two salaries - going by past form I bet he does this!)
Time for the Greens and Socialists to join under the RIC banner and court the dismayed anti-Murphy unions for support and to present themselves as the only true leftist voice in Scottish politics.
Not that I would vote for them but anything to hurt Labour and it would be a bit of a laugh.
Jim Murphy Scottish branch leader & the not entirely competent Kezia Dugdale as sidekick! Dastardly & Muttley as some are calling them, a very poor combination & a sure sign Labour aren't serious about wanting to be more popular in Scotland
A new poll post Smith commission see's support for independence rise to 52%, staying in the union is at 48%, support for SNP is 47%, Labour 27% that would see Labour lose 34 of their 41 seats in Scotland.
What to do?
Send in Blairite right winger Jim Murphy, the most patronising speakers in the Labour party. Amazing how Labour are willing to bend over backwards for the English electorate but just refuse to listen to Scotland.
Ah well, bring it.
You really do have a massive chip against the English don't you? I'm not a great fan of Murphy but I do think Dugdale will do OK in the scottish Parliament. I watched her do very well time after time against Sturgeon in various independence debates and Holyrood will be more interesting for a wee while.
There's not really much difference between SNP and Labour and who knows, they might even be in a sort of coalition after the GE?
I shall continue in my single-handed pursuit of not attacking the man to attack his policies, i know its very unlike how DS works, where calling someone in the public eye a complete d*ck seems to count as a valid way of 'debating' or disagreeing with their words.
Jim Murphy seems quite straightforward and decent politician and would be a good appointment for the Conservative Head of Scotland, what with him being current Vice-President of the (public school filled) right wing Henry Jackson Society. On the basis Scotland is more old 'proper' Labour than Blairs Thatcherite "New" Labour then what are Labour doing appointing at best a New Labour man or at worst a Tory boy in disguise?
He won't even be able to take part in any Holyrood debates until 2016 at the earliest - and that's assuming he wins a seat! Hilarious if he stood and lost. The rules are that he has to be an MP/MSP to lead the party so will have to stand for Westminster next year too then either stand down after a year or do both (and pocket two salaries - going by past form I bet he does this!)
Because of the proportional representation system he'll get a seat by being on the top up list even if his constituency reject him. Happened many times with Nicola Sturgeon.
You really do have a massive chip against the English don't you? I'm not a great fan of Murphy but I do think Dugdale will do OK in the scottish Parliament. I watched her do very well time after time against Sturgeon in various independence debates and Holyrood will be more interesting for a wee while.
There's not really much difference between SNP and Labour and who knows, they might even be in a sort of coalition after the GE?
I've no chip regarding English voters thank you. Labours lurch to the right was not done for the benefit of Scots. Now we've cleared that up, lets have examples of Sturgeon v Dugdale debates that you've seen time and time again.
No different to what Alex Salmond was doing for several years, then...
You really do show yourself up fairly regularly.
Salmond always donated one of his salaries (during his dual role) to charity. If he's elected to Westminster next year, he'll also donate his FM pension.
Why don't you stick to matters south of the Rio Tweed?
It's a great decision for Westminster Labour as it keeps those pesky Scots in control with a well behaved right winger who will support the leadership even if it',s detrimental to Scotland.
It's a good decision for Nicola Sturgean and the SNP as it will ensure the electorate thinks there is no change from the Blair days.
It's a sad decision for Scottish Labour and the MPs standing next year as they are likely to lose their jobs.
The SLP have thrown away a chance to move forward and regain support in Scotland. Instead of appointing a fresh voice and ideas they have opted for Murphy, the arch Blairyte who will do exactly what he is told by Head Office. The Scottish branch office of the Labour party had itself a dummy as leader. They should have paid more heed to Johan Lamont.
I do wonder if Scottish Labour are trying to implode?
They see that 45% of the country wanted to break away from the UK. Yes, 55% voted to stay, but to ignore 45% of the electorate seems a tad mis guided. Instead of electing some new blood who can perhaps strike a middle ground and challenge the SNP, they go for someone who is a die hard unionist, thus totally turning their back on any Labour supporters (I'm sure some still exist) who wanted independence. Their vote now goes to the SNP.
I really though SL would use this chance to kind of form a new party, or at least attempt a bit more autonomy, it really would be in their best interest. Even the Tories call themselves the Conservative and Unionist party, a tag line they don't use down South. The Greens, after all, survive just fine with no ties to London whatsoever.
They should really have listened to Lamont. The most sense she ever spoke was when she came out and criticised the Branch office that is the Scottish Labour Party. It just makes no sense that they would now elect someone with even closer ties to the London head office and not only that but the Blair years too!
A whole new party with no ties to London would have made much more sense. Then again, why did Lamont not try and do that when she had the chance? She, just like all the other SL leaders did exactly as she was told and then at the very end threw in the towel and, again like her predecessors, vanished into the shadows.
I can't wait to see the wholly negative election Campaign that he will no doubt run in both 2015 and again in 2016. It is all Labour seem to do.
Can you tell me what the last Labour government ever did for England cos I still haven't a clue. They gave Scotland devolution, not England, remember?
Its not about what they've done its about what they've become. Its about lurching as far right as its needs to get into power. Its about a Labour leader who idolizes Margaret Thatcher, a Labour leader who wants to be more Thatcher like than the Tory leader. It's about a Labour committed to the same austerity programme as the Tories. Its about a Labour that represents the Establishment not the people, and certainly not Scotland.
Scotland has fell for the vote SNP or Lib Dem and get a Tory government far to long now. That old Labour lie. Scotland doesn't return Labour to power England does. The Labour MPs we send to Westminster don't represent us they represent Labour.
Labour could have fought for Devo Max for Scotland during the deliberations of the Smith commission, Home Rule would have helped protect Scotland from Tory policies within the union. They instead sought to make sure Westminster Rule was maintained, as ever looking out for Labour. Time to stop voting Labour in vain hope of blocking Tories, SNP are the only party representing Scotland, we need to send strong SNP representation to Westminster.
I've no chip regarding English voters thank you. Labours lurch to the right was not done for the benefit of Scots. Now we've cleared that up, lets have examples of Sturgeon v Dugdale debates that you've seen time and time again.
Oh, it's obvious that you have a wee chip regarding english voters.
In numerous debates I watched Dugdale easily hold her own with Sturgeon, one that springs to mind was an all female debate where I thought she was particularly good.
Labour aren't any more to the right than the SNP which is another myth you portray all the time. I'd like to see examples of any new policies by the SNP that are more left wing than labour.
Personally I don't see that much difference between them, in fact there could be a labour SNP coalition and I'm not sure anyone would notice.
Its not about what they've done its about what they've become. Its about lurching as far right as its needs to get into power. Its about a Labour leader who idolizes Margaret Thatcher, a Labour leader who wants to be more Thatcher like than the Tory leader. It's about a Labour committed to the same austerity programme as the Tories. Its about a Labour that represents the Establishment not the people, and certainly not Scotland.
Scotland has fell for the vote SNP or Lib Dem and get a Tory government far to long now. That old Labour lie. Scotland doesn't return Labour to power England does. The Labour MPs we send to Westminster don't represent us they represent Labour.
Labour could have fought for Devo Max for Scotland during the deliberations of the Smith commission, Home Rule would have helped protect Scotland from Tory policies within the union. They instead sought to make sure Westminster Rule was maintained, as ever looking out for Labour. Time to stop voting Labour in vain hope of blocking Tories, SNP are the only party representing Scotland, we need to send strong SNP representation to Westminster.
Except by your definition the SNP will have no effect at Westminster.
I think New Labour emerged because Labour had become unelectable and their policies had become stale and too left wing for most of the population. I think the situation you describe are the parties following the electorate rather than leading them. Heck even the SNP are right wing compared to labour of the 70s and 80s.
It would be an interesting exercise to compare the way all of the parties have slowly moved to the middle ground. For example, didn't the rise of SNP come at the expense of Tory votes, especially in the NE.?
Except by your definition the SNP will have no effect at Westminster.
I think New Labour emerged because Labour had become unelectable and their policies had become stale and too left wing for most of the population. I think the situation you describe are the parties following the electorate rather than leading them. Heck even the SNP are right wing compared to labour of the 70s and 80s.
It would be an interesting exercise to compare the way all of the parties have slowly moved to the middle ground. For example, didn't the rise of SNP come at the expense of Tory votes, especially in the NE.?
Not in Scotland they hadn't, Labour were anti nuclear in the 80s fully backed by Scotland, that stance didn't cut it in England so Labour changed to pro nuclear to win votes in England. That's been the pattern ever since Scotland being taken for granted.
Oh, it's obvious that you have a wee chip regarding english voters.
In numerous debates I watched Dugdale easily hold her own with Sturgeon, one that springs to mind was an all female debate where I thought she was particularly good.
Labour aren't any more to the right than the SNP which is another myth you portray all the time. I'd like to see examples of any new policies by the SNP that are more left wing than labour.
Personally I don't see that much difference between them, in fact there could be a labour SNP coalition and I'm not sure anyone would notice.
No chip, England is entitled to vote how it chooses I wouldn't expect anything else, that's the reason I support independence.
Surgeon and Dugdale haven't had numerous debates. The all female debate had Dugdale getting caught out lying about the Edinburgh Agreement, rather silly as Sturgeon signed it. More Brigadoon stories from you?
Elaine C Smith, actresses and comedienne held her own with Dugdale on a TV debate.
Funny how much you detest the SNP and spent over a year displaying your hatred of Salmond, yet you don't think they're much different from Labour.
"No disrespect to Neil Findlay and Sarah Boyack, but personality and charisma are important in politics and the former Labour defence secretary has heaps of both, plus experience of Cabinet politics in Westminster.
We've always said that Labour sends its best people to Westminster. Well for once, one of them has come back, and that is surely positive. There, I've said it: Jim Murphy is a good thing for Scottish politics.
He has a dark side too, of course. He supported Trident, Iraq, tuition fees, Blairite reforms to public services in Westminster, etc etc. But Murphy is, above all, a gifted opportunist. He has adapted his political principles to the task of leading Labour in a country where the political culture is overwhelmingly social democratic. (Whisper it, but Alex Salmond did the same with the SNP).
Listen to the victory speech New Jim made yesterday. He hammered on and on about two things: patriotism and social justice. He condemned the fact that poorer people live nine years less than those living in better-off constituencies. "Our driving purpose is to end that inequality once and for all," he said, channelling Wendy Alexander circa 2000.
Then he appealed to Yes voters to recognise that they have "more values in common with Labour than with the political leaders of the No campaign". Well, precisely. Perhaps this was a veiled criticism of Alistair Darling and Better Together for getting just a little too close together with the Conservatives.
Cue nationalist jeers that all this is rich coming from a former Blairite who was just as keen on standing shoulder to shoulder with the class enemy. And who opposed - initially at any rate - more powers for Holyrood. Murphy's support for the Smith reforms was certainly belated, but he now sounds like an enthusiast for fiscal autonomy. Though how he expects the devolution of some income tax powers to spark an economic boom in Scotland when the economy is shrinking is a mystery.
In fact, it is now very difficult to know Murphy's position on just about any issue you care to name because he has apparently abandoned nearly everything he used to stand for. He has dropped his support for university tuition fees - at least in Scotland He wants high taxes on the wealthy and more resources for elderly social care. He doesn't appear to want to dump the "something for nothing" measures like prescription charges and concessionary bus fares, or if he does I've missed it.
Is there anything on the left agenda Murphy doesn't now accept? Well, nuclear weapons obviously, since he still supports renewal of Trident. But otherwise, he speaks just like a Scottish social democrat.
When Murphy first put his hat in the ring for leader, I said he would have to undergo an ideological brain transplant to lead the Scottish Labour Party. Well, the operation appears to have been a success. For now, at least, we are looking at New Jim - Man Of The People and True Scot.
Problems may arise for New Jim in Westminster, however - assuming he remains an MP. If Murphy continues to follow the Labour whip he may have to vote on immigration controls, benefit caps and on austerity measures that may belie his leftism in Scotland. But there isn't much going through Parliament right now anyway and after the General Election in May is another country.
In the unlikely event that he returns after the General Election you could see Alex Salmond and Murphy in the same coalition. If the SNP hold the balance of power they have sworn to back a Labour government at least on confidence and supply. Alex and Jim joining hands in fraternal solidarity with Ed Miliband - that really would be a sight to see.
But the New Jim poses an immediate problem for the SNP and the Nationalist left in Scotland. They can't go on merely reciting his voting record in Westminster when he was part of Blair's government; people change - the voters accept that. And they have short memories. Murphy cannot just be routinely dismissed as Red Tory Scum unless or until he starts to behave like Red Tory Scum, and I don't think we will see that for a while. He is too quick on his feet.
Even before he became leader Murphy was making the political weather on the left. For example, he arguably forced Nicola Sturgeon to agree to restore the 50p rate of tax whether or not it is restored in England, which could be a real fiscal headache for her finance minister in future. Murphy's adoption of higher taxes on the rich may have been opportunistic - it certainly wasn't how he regarded taxation when he was a Blairite. But in a sense it doesn't matter: he took the initiative.
We are now in the odd position of having two rival parties who sound as if they are fighting on almost exactly the same political territory. Murphy and Sturgeon are liable to find themselves giving almost identical speeches at conference time - though of course the SNP leader has the difficult job of actually living up to her social democratic principles in office.
Murphy has made clear he will condemn failures in social care being caused by "SNP cuts" and challenge the Scottish Government over an education system that is failing working-class young people - working-class representation in higher education is as bad as it was a century ago.
Mind you, doing anything about working-class under-achievement is another question. But in crude political terms there is a strong agenda of social inequity now for Murphy to use against the Scottish Government. This is what an opposition is for.
Though, significantly, in his BBC Scotland hustings debate last month, Murphy refused to say that he would definitely lift the council tax freeze, unlike his rivals who said the cap was regressive and distorting. Murphy is, above all, a politician, and he realises that tax rises - on any but the rich - are still toxic in Scotland, despite the much-vaunted social democratic political culture.
Murphy will have a honeymoon period and the only way is up for Labour under his leadership, if only because it is almost impossible to see Labour going any further down. The latest opinion polls are appalling for Labour, showing the SNP on course for more than 40 and possibly even 50 seats at the General Election.
However, no-one really believes that is possible. And if Murphy only claws back 10 points or so in the polls, then he saves a lot of seats. Remember, the SNP only won six MPs in the 2010 General Election against Labour's 41 in Scotland. There are no Labour seats in Scotland where the SNP is less than 10 points behind.
The expectations on the SNP are simply too great to be delivered, and that is likely to be New Jim's lucky break. It's always best to buy at the bottom of the market."
Labour aren't any more to the right than the SNP which is another myth you portray all the time. I'd like to see examples of any new policies by the SNP that are more left wing than labour.
The SNP were traditionally to the right of Labour. In fact, they were known for some time as the Tartan Tories, and it's no coincidence that a lot of their support is from areas that used to vote Tory.
The SNP rebranded themselves as being to the left of Labour for the referendum, knowing that off the back of a recession and with a Tory government, those were the people most open to wanting a big change. It's one of the reasons that a lot of areas that have vote SNP in elections, voted No in the referendum.
With the SNP gaining a lot of membership from "lefty" voters, it will be interesting to see if they continue with that direction, and whether or not their traditional support will go with them. They might be OK in the short term if it gets independence, but if that doesn't happen soon, there will be a lot of infighting, and probably a resurgence of the Tories.
Comments
Egg- citing times ahead for a hard boiled New Labourite. Shouldn't be long till your out your shell, poaching SNP policies, but in the end like Lamont you'll crack under the pressure and scramble back to Westminster, brains fried. I'll give you six to a dozen months at most, befor you get toad in the hole fae Miliband's large size 12s. It's all destined to be one big yolk, leaving you with egg on your face.:cool:
That worked so well the first time.
Not that I would vote for them but anything to hurt Labour and it would be a bit of a laugh.
Not if this report is anything to go by:
http://order-order.com/2014/02/26/jim-murphy-to-pete-wishart-fk-off-fk-off-fk-off/
What a charmer!
You really do have a massive chip against the English don't you? I'm not a great fan of Murphy but I do think Dugdale will do OK in the scottish Parliament. I watched her do very well time after time against Sturgeon in various independence debates and Holyrood will be more interesting for a wee while.
There's not really much difference between SNP and Labour and who knows, they might even be in a sort of coalition after the GE?
Jim Murphy seems quite straightforward and decent politician and would be a good appointment for the Conservative Head of Scotland, what with him being current Vice-President of the (public school filled) right wing Henry Jackson Society. On the basis Scotland is more old 'proper' Labour than Blairs Thatcherite "New" Labour then what are Labour doing appointing at best a New Labour man or at worst a Tory boy in disguise?
No different to what Alex Salmond was doing for several years, then...
Because of the proportional representation system he'll get a seat by being on the top up list even if his constituency reject him. Happened many times with Nicola Sturgeon.
I've no chip regarding English voters thank you. Labours lurch to the right was not done for the benefit of Scots. Now we've cleared that up, lets have examples of Sturgeon v Dugdale debates that you've seen time and time again.
I've always wondered why there is no trace of a South African accent since he spent most of his teen years there.
You really do show yourself up fairly regularly.
Salmond always donated one of his salaries (during his dual role) to charity. If he's elected to Westminster next year, he'll also donate his FM pension.
Why don't you stick to matters south of the Rio Tweed?
It's a good decision for Nicola Sturgean and the SNP as it will ensure the electorate thinks there is no change from the Blair days.
It's a sad decision for Scottish Labour and the MPs standing next year as they are likely to lose their jobs.
They see that 45% of the country wanted to break away from the UK. Yes, 55% voted to stay, but to ignore 45% of the electorate seems a tad mis guided. Instead of electing some new blood who can perhaps strike a middle ground and challenge the SNP, they go for someone who is a die hard unionist, thus totally turning their back on any Labour supporters (I'm sure some still exist) who wanted independence. Their vote now goes to the SNP.
I really though SL would use this chance to kind of form a new party, or at least attempt a bit more autonomy, it really would be in their best interest. Even the Tories call themselves the Conservative and Unionist party, a tag line they don't use down South. The Greens, after all, survive just fine with no ties to London whatsoever.
They should really have listened to Lamont. The most sense she ever spoke was when she came out and criticised the Branch office that is the Scottish Labour Party. It just makes no sense that they would now elect someone with even closer ties to the London head office and not only that but the Blair years too!
A whole new party with no ties to London would have made much more sense. Then again, why did Lamont not try and do that when she had the chance? She, just like all the other SL leaders did exactly as she was told and then at the very end threw in the towel and, again like her predecessors, vanished into the shadows.
I can't wait to see the wholly negative election Campaign that he will no doubt run in both 2015 and again in 2016. It is all Labour seem to do.
Its not about what they've done its about what they've become. Its about lurching as far right as its needs to get into power. Its about a Labour leader who idolizes Margaret Thatcher, a Labour leader who wants to be more Thatcher like than the Tory leader. It's about a Labour committed to the same austerity programme as the Tories. Its about a Labour that represents the Establishment not the people, and certainly not Scotland.
Scotland has fell for the vote SNP or Lib Dem and get a Tory government far to long now. That old Labour lie. Scotland doesn't return Labour to power England does. The Labour MPs we send to Westminster don't represent us they represent Labour.
Labour could have fought for Devo Max for Scotland during the deliberations of the Smith commission, Home Rule would have helped protect Scotland from Tory policies within the union. They instead sought to make sure Westminster Rule was maintained, as ever looking out for Labour. Time to stop voting Labour in vain hope of blocking Tories, SNP are the only party representing Scotland, we need to send strong SNP representation to Westminster.
Oh, it's obvious that you have a wee chip regarding english voters.
In numerous debates I watched Dugdale easily hold her own with Sturgeon, one that springs to mind was an all female debate where I thought she was particularly good.
Labour aren't any more to the right than the SNP which is another myth you portray all the time. I'd like to see examples of any new policies by the SNP that are more left wing than labour.
Personally I don't see that much difference between them, in fact there could be a labour SNP coalition and I'm not sure anyone would notice.
Except by your definition the SNP will have no effect at Westminster.
I think New Labour emerged because Labour had become unelectable and their policies had become stale and too left wing for most of the population. I think the situation you describe are the parties following the electorate rather than leading them. Heck even the SNP are right wing compared to labour of the 70s and 80s.
It would be an interesting exercise to compare the way all of the parties have slowly moved to the middle ground. For example, didn't the rise of SNP come at the expense of Tory votes, especially in the NE.?
Not in Scotland they hadn't, Labour were anti nuclear in the 80s fully backed by Scotland, that stance didn't cut it in England so Labour changed to pro nuclear to win votes in England. That's been the pattern ever since Scotland being taken for granted.
No chip, England is entitled to vote how it chooses I wouldn't expect anything else, that's the reason I support independence.
Surgeon and Dugdale haven't had numerous debates. The all female debate had Dugdale getting caught out lying about the Edinburgh Agreement, rather silly as Sturgeon signed it. More Brigadoon stories from you?
Elaine C Smith, actresses and comedienne held her own with Dugdale on a TV debate.
Funny how much you detest the SNP and spent over a year displaying your hatred of Salmond, yet you don't think they're much different from Labour.
Say Hello to New Jim … he stands for everything that he once opposed.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/columnists/say-hello-to-new-jim-he-stands-for-everything-that-he-once-opposed.26098531
"No disrespect to Neil Findlay and Sarah Boyack, but personality and charisma are important in politics and the former Labour defence secretary has heaps of both, plus experience of Cabinet politics in Westminster.
We've always said that Labour sends its best people to Westminster. Well for once, one of them has come back, and that is surely positive. There, I've said it: Jim Murphy is a good thing for Scottish politics.
He has a dark side too, of course. He supported Trident, Iraq, tuition fees, Blairite reforms to public services in Westminster, etc etc. But Murphy is, above all, a gifted opportunist. He has adapted his political principles to the task of leading Labour in a country where the political culture is overwhelmingly social democratic. (Whisper it, but Alex Salmond did the same with the SNP).
Listen to the victory speech New Jim made yesterday. He hammered on and on about two things: patriotism and social justice. He condemned the fact that poorer people live nine years less than those living in better-off constituencies. "Our driving purpose is to end that inequality once and for all," he said, channelling Wendy Alexander circa 2000.
Then he appealed to Yes voters to recognise that they have "more values in common with Labour than with the political leaders of the No campaign". Well, precisely. Perhaps this was a veiled criticism of Alistair Darling and Better Together for getting just a little too close together with the Conservatives.
Cue nationalist jeers that all this is rich coming from a former Blairite who was just as keen on standing shoulder to shoulder with the class enemy. And who opposed - initially at any rate - more powers for Holyrood. Murphy's support for the Smith reforms was certainly belated, but he now sounds like an enthusiast for fiscal autonomy. Though how he expects the devolution of some income tax powers to spark an economic boom in Scotland when the economy is shrinking is a mystery.
In fact, it is now very difficult to know Murphy's position on just about any issue you care to name because he has apparently abandoned nearly everything he used to stand for. He has dropped his support for university tuition fees - at least in Scotland He wants high taxes on the wealthy and more resources for elderly social care. He doesn't appear to want to dump the "something for nothing" measures like prescription charges and concessionary bus fares, or if he does I've missed it.
Is there anything on the left agenda Murphy doesn't now accept? Well, nuclear weapons obviously, since he still supports renewal of Trident. But otherwise, he speaks just like a Scottish social democrat.
When Murphy first put his hat in the ring for leader, I said he would have to undergo an ideological brain transplant to lead the Scottish Labour Party. Well, the operation appears to have been a success. For now, at least, we are looking at New Jim - Man Of The People and True Scot.
Problems may arise for New Jim in Westminster, however - assuming he remains an MP. If Murphy continues to follow the Labour whip he may have to vote on immigration controls, benefit caps and on austerity measures that may belie his leftism in Scotland. But there isn't much going through Parliament right now anyway and after the General Election in May is another country.
In the unlikely event that he returns after the General Election you could see Alex Salmond and Murphy in the same coalition. If the SNP hold the balance of power they have sworn to back a Labour government at least on confidence and supply. Alex and Jim joining hands in fraternal solidarity with Ed Miliband - that really would be a sight to see.
But the New Jim poses an immediate problem for the SNP and the Nationalist left in Scotland. They can't go on merely reciting his voting record in Westminster when he was part of Blair's government; people change - the voters accept that. And they have short memories. Murphy cannot just be routinely dismissed as Red Tory Scum unless or until he starts to behave like Red Tory Scum, and I don't think we will see that for a while. He is too quick on his feet.
Even before he became leader Murphy was making the political weather on the left. For example, he arguably forced Nicola Sturgeon to agree to restore the 50p rate of tax whether or not it is restored in England, which could be a real fiscal headache for her finance minister in future. Murphy's adoption of higher taxes on the rich may have been opportunistic - it certainly wasn't how he regarded taxation when he was a Blairite. But in a sense it doesn't matter: he took the initiative.
We are now in the odd position of having two rival parties who sound as if they are fighting on almost exactly the same political territory. Murphy and Sturgeon are liable to find themselves giving almost identical speeches at conference time - though of course the SNP leader has the difficult job of actually living up to her social democratic principles in office.
Murphy has made clear he will condemn failures in social care being caused by "SNP cuts" and challenge the Scottish Government over an education system that is failing working-class young people - working-class representation in higher education is as bad as it was a century ago.
Mind you, doing anything about working-class under-achievement is another question. But in crude political terms there is a strong agenda of social inequity now for Murphy to use against the Scottish Government. This is what an opposition is for.
Though, significantly, in his BBC Scotland hustings debate last month, Murphy refused to say that he would definitely lift the council tax freeze, unlike his rivals who said the cap was regressive and distorting. Murphy is, above all, a politician, and he realises that tax rises - on any but the rich - are still toxic in Scotland, despite the much-vaunted social democratic political culture.
Murphy will have a honeymoon period and the only way is up for Labour under his leadership, if only because it is almost impossible to see Labour going any further down. The latest opinion polls are appalling for Labour, showing the SNP on course for more than 40 and possibly even 50 seats at the General Election.
However, no-one really believes that is possible. And if Murphy only claws back 10 points or so in the polls, then he saves a lot of seats. Remember, the SNP only won six MPs in the 2010 General Election against Labour's 41 in Scotland. There are no Labour seats in Scotland where the SNP is less than 10 points behind.
The expectations on the SNP are simply too great to be delivered, and that is likely to be New Jim's lucky break. It's always best to buy at the bottom of the market."
The SNP were traditionally to the right of Labour. In fact, they were known for some time as the Tartan Tories, and it's no coincidence that a lot of their support is from areas that used to vote Tory.
The SNP rebranded themselves as being to the left of Labour for the referendum, knowing that off the back of a recession and with a Tory government, those were the people most open to wanting a big change. It's one of the reasons that a lot of areas that have vote SNP in elections, voted No in the referendum.
With the SNP gaining a lot of membership from "lefty" voters, it will be interesting to see if they continue with that direction, and whether or not their traditional support will go with them. They might be OK in the short term if it gets independence, but if that doesn't happen soon, there will be a lot of infighting, and probably a resurgence of the Tories.