WHERE Scotland was once the fiefdom of the Labour Party and where it used to be said that if it put a donkey up as a candidate it would be elected overwhelmingly, now the party is clinging on by its fingertips in Holyrood, having slipped into third place behind the Tories.
Its solitary Westminster MP makes it look like the Scottish representation in Westminster could soon be an extinct species and, without Scotland in its grasp, the party has little hope of regaining power in Westminster.
The last two leaders of Scottish Labour in Holyrood have lacked a presence and cutting edge, without which no impression has been made on the Scottish electorate or in the Holyrood chamber.