relegated to the sidelines - or worse - a cupboard

A reader asked if it was true that Ewan enquired as to whether the Lord Provost had ever met Moses - most definitely not. Isn't it weird how urban myths take hold?

Today, I am to be photographed with both Malcolm and Mark. Another leaflet to be printed and delivered: I can feel my enthusiasm ...not. Yet it must be done. We have been relegated to the sidelines and Labour is in the fight of its life. News that the SNP control more than half of Scotland's local authorities shows how far we have declined in the popular consciousness and the scale of the mountain to be climbed. It is clear we must do more as a Party to reach back to the communities from whence we sprang - and though opposition allows for easy populism, it means we are always in the position of waiting for another's mistake. I do not share the common view that the SNP bubble will, as it has done so frequently in the past, burst quickly. That underestimates the sense of betrayal among so many of our previous supporters. We are in for the long haul. And the systems, in both the Scottish parliament and local government, are now stacked against us. It may be a very , very long time before Labour ever again commands majorities in either. Ironically, today I received Gordon Brown's leadership letter. Our immediate future lies on his shoulders: he is an extraordinary, able, clever man but he is only one. We need more and it is difficult to see where they will come from. Jack McConnell's future as leader is in doubt. So it should be. Yet where is the alternative? None inspire yet we live in a time where the personality and brio of the leader matter. Cast your eye down the list of hopefuls and you will scratch your head for an answer. That is Labour's dilemma. The very necessary whip system means we have become so accustomed to hiding behind the collective (too often abused by leaders to put compliant numpties into positions to buy support) we have forgotten how to be individuals.

Word is the new Administration intends to claim our rooms: it has caused panic among some Labour members. Such is the real stuff of politics. Territory is all...the size of the room the first potent symbol of power. I expect I'll be relegated to a cupboard...ah well...c'est la vie.