Edinburgh Council elections: Labour group can hardly attack its SNP coalition partners now – Steve Cardownie

And they’re off! The local election campaigns are fully underway with May 5 creeping ever closer and political parties (and independents) jockeying for position.
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The leader of the Labour group and deputy leader of Edinburgh Council, Cammy Day, took to the pages of this newspaper on Monday to alert readers that his party’s manifesto had been published.

Labour councillors have formed the junior partnership with the SNP as part of the coalition which has been running the city for the last five years. In return, they filled some key positions and had an influence on policy decisions but, now that the elections are looming, Councillor Day is aware that many Labour activists want the party to plough its own furrow and put distance between it and the SNP.

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It remains to be seen what form their campaign will take but, apart from writing that “Edinburgh is now the lowest funded city in Scotland and it’s time the SNP government recognised that”, his article was bereft of any criticism of local policy issues – and for a very good reason.

Under Cammy Day's leadership, the Labour group has pinned its colours to the SNP mastUnder Cammy Day's leadership, the Labour group has pinned its colours to the SNP mast
Under Cammy Day's leadership, the Labour group has pinned its colours to the SNP mast
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The Labour Group has been party to and a willing supporter of all the major initiatives rolled out over the last five years by the administration.

Even Cammy must have realised that to attack his SNP partners now would be an act of rank hypocrisy, given the history of the city coalition, and that the electorate might not take too kindly to such obvious spin.

No, like it or lump it, the Labour group pinned its colours to the SNP mast five years ago and must now face the consequences, good or bad!

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