Anas Sarwar's political identity is all over the place. He’s a Brownite. He’s soft left. He’s centre left. He’s a moderniser. Does he know who he is? Because we don't, says columnist Andrew Tickell

THERE’S a knack to coming up with a good, sticking nickname. Particularly if it is one designed to humiliate, belittle or otherwise poke fun at the soft political underbelly of an opponent. Make them flinch and you know you’ve landed on a good one.

In this area of political communication at least, Donald Trump has demonstrated a conspicuous flair. One hallmark of narcissistic behaviour is the exploitation of vulnerabilities in others. There was Little Marco. Sleepy Joe. Lyin’ Ted. Low-energy Jeb. The technical name is, apparently,“pejorative anthroponyms”.

Nicknames don’t always have to be critical. Margaret Thatcher clearly loved her Iron Lady tag. The bad penny that is Peter Mandelson relishes the implied menace of being dubbed the Prince of Darkness. Rishi Sunak must have been happy that somebody thought he was “Dishy”, though you suspect Tony Blair was less keen on being called Bambi.

You imagine Starmer flinches every time anyone accidentally calls him “Keith,” just as the phrase “Rachel from Accounts” has provoked defensive reactions from 11 Downing Street, suggesting the soubriquet was saturated snobbery, misogyny and disrespect for the qualifications of the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer. Such nicknames expertly capture widespread perceptions of the charmlessness and unpopularity of the Labour Government’s leading figures.

Read more

For mischievous political nicknames to hit home, they need to home in on a real vulnerability of their target. They need to be psychologically astute. And often as not, trying and failing to make a joke is much worse than not trying at all.

In February last year Anas Sarwar attempted to introduce Scottish politics’s latest stinging nickname – “analogue John.” Addressing the troops at Labour conference, Sarwar pledged to be “a digital-first first minister – no more analogue John.” For reasons unknown, the party was........

© Herald Scotland