The Long Shadow of Labour's Decline in Scotland Michael Marra's election as leader of the Scottish Labour party has brought a sense of continuity to a party struggling to regain its footing.
However, beneath this surface level stability lie daunting challenges that no leadership contest can fully prepare him for.
The erosion of traditional working class support and an inability to articulate a compelling vision for the future have contributed significantly to the decline of centre left politics in Western democracies.