Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Watch: Jim Murphy's concession speech was a triumph of humility

Video: A disastrous night for Scottish Labour was softened somewhat by their leader's stirring speech

Kiran Moodley
Friday 08 May 2015 10:45 EDT
Comments
Jim Murphy said his party had “lacked a clear message” in its battle against the SNP, had not been “radical enough” and had failed to reflect Scotland’s new found mood of “confidence and optimism”. (Jeff J Mitch
Jim Murphy said his party had “lacked a clear message” in its battle against the SNP, had not been “radical enough” and had failed to reflect Scotland’s new found mood of “confidence and optimism”. (Jeff J Mitch (Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Everyone knew the Scottish National Party would make significant gains in Scotland, yet the seismic shift from Scottish Labour to Nicola Sturgeon's party was the staggering story of the night.

Scotland, so long a stronghold for Labour, completely changed its political colour as places like Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, Gordon Brown's former constituency, switched from red to SNP yellow. Even Jim Murphy, the Labour leader in Scotland, could not stop the SNP onslaught, losing the Renfrewshire East he had held since 2005.

Yet despite the Labour party now only holding one seat in Scotland, Murphy managed to give a concession speech not dripping in malice or contempt but a triumph of humility.

"There’ll be more to say about this and what it means for Scotland in the days to come but for me personally and for the Scottish Labour party the fight goes on and the cause continues."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in