Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election is a chance to reject empty populist politics – Scotsman comment

Both the SNP and Conservatives need to focus their efforts on providing good government, not stirring up identity-based culture wars

Next Thursday’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election will be closely watched for clues about the general election expected next year. Nationalist supporters may not decide to punish the SNP for their former MP Margaret Ferrier’s Covid law breaches, given the passage of time, but the party’s current troubles – bungled policies, internal splits and an ongoing police investigation into its finances – may loom larger in their minds.

The Conservatives, gathering for their Manchester conference, will be relaxed about defeat in a seat they would not expect to take, but a win for Labour could help provide Keir Starmer with that intangible sense of momentum which can sometimes mean much in the battle for the public’s favour.

It might also contribute to a long-overdue sense that voters are weary of populist politics. Nationalistic Tories and Scottish nationalists have both found lessons to be learned in the successful Brexit campaign and, amid all the flag-waving, serious issues – like the state of the NHS, public buildings made with crumbling concrete, and the country’s economic fortunes – have been pushed down the agenda.

Labour has had its populist moments – Jeremy Corbyn’s spell as leader chief among them – but its current pitch is based around modernising the economy as the world moves towards net zero. There are important arguments to be had about how this is done and shifting the debate onto this ground may help save the UK from more of the empty identity politics that led to Brexit.

Of course, things could go the other way, as Rishi Sunak’s recent disappointing attempts to stoke a culture war over net zero demonstrate. And Humza Yousaf’s outrageous plan to demand independence if the party wins the most seats in Scotland but not the majority of votes could almost have been ghost-written by Boris Johnson.

On Thursday and in two October by-elections in England, voters will pass judgment. Rebuffs for the Conservatives and SNP could prompt wiser heads in each party to rethink their approaches. And with both in need of refocusing their efforts on good government, that would be no bad thing.