Scottish politics thread

he actual research shows the unionist parties talk about the SNP and independence far more than the SNP do

What research?

Previous electioncamaign.  The unionist parties talked sbout independence more than theSNP.  Someone looked at all the speeches and interviews and counted the mentions

^ That was the ferret website wasn’t it?

Ferret website? who knows?  Usually anyone quoting research gives a link.

Maybe the SNP were not big on talking about indy during an election campaign because it is a net vote loser?

What research?

Pretty much ever single bit of correspondence from my Tory MP, every Tweet of his and every photo op.

Example:

https://x.com/John2Win/status/1803718834664202658

Everyday I get a Lamont leaflet, possibly had three from snp. Not a thing from anyone else.

Starting to see a lot of ostentatious Lamont boards, reenforcing the perception of who the Tories are for.  What you have to strain to see is what party it represents.

Coward.

Meanwhile over the Lammermuirs, I have just received a couple from Douglas Alexander, now recycled (like him).

Ferret website? who knows?  Usually anyone quoting research gives a link.

Maybe the SNP were not big on talking about indy during an election campaign because it is a net vote loser?

TBF I wonder if the Scottish Tories will be putting Brexit as line 1 of their campaign material…

I think we are in for a few interesting years in Scottish politics with the next holyrood election only a year or so away.  I think its a given the SNP will lose seats in the westminster election – and a good few.  But Holyrood is more interesting.  SNP lose more than a few seats there and they will be unable to even run a minority government and even Green help will probably not be enough.  Its highly unlikely labour will get anywhere near a majority either and with the lib dems diminished  I see a labour / Liberal administration unlikely to get close to a majority.  So what happens then?  I can see a labour / tory administration happening – maybe disguised as a minority government ( like Edinburgh council) but with labour relying on tory support to get stuff thru

SNP need a spell out of power to regroup

 I think we are in for a few interesting years in Scottish politics

SNP need a spell out of power

I think we can all agree with TJ on that!

I’m making no predictions for 2026 yet, assuming we have to wait that long

A leaflet from the SNP has joined the leaflet I got a few days ago from Labour. I’m in Joanna Cherry’s constituency so presumably she has a bit of name recognition that might aid her.

In addition to the obvious parties (SNP, Labour, Conservatives, LibDems, Greens, Reform) Edinburgh South West also has a candidate from the EDINBURGH PEOPLE party, and a candidate from the Scottish Family Party.

EDINBURGH PEOPLE mainly oppose national political parties I think, but also have a scattering of policies. Googling their candidate’s name suggests that he has set up the party, was the man behind the SNAPfax discount pack thing back in the ’90s, owns a pizza takeaway and is a “loon” with a side order of conspiracy theories.

IIRC the Scottish Family Party are one of those parties that have a very specific and uncompromising view of what a family should be.

a candidate from the Scottish Family Party.

We have one of those too.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn33mxe98p4o.amp

IIRC the Scottish Family Party are one of those parties that have a very specific and uncompromising view of what a family should be.

They obviously haven’t read the Zeitgeist

“IIRC the Scottish Family Party are one of those parties that have a very specific and uncompromising view of what a family should be.”

Oh yes, we got one of those too. They are not at all liberal are they? No abortion, no transgenders, no killing yourself, no sex education, no ban on ‘hate’ speech etc. And thats without any mention of religion. I can see them getting less than 50 votes in D&G.

You forgot no dancing on a sunday

“You forgot no dancing on a sunday “

We were out with a guy from Barra on Tuesday, in the 80’s he lived on another Island, could have been Uist, anyway, at that time, the pubs werent allowed to open on a Sunday. The local Police came over on the boat patrolling (very little crime there), and they would always be gone once the last boat went, so on a Sunday, once the Police were on the boat away, the pub opened and no one ever reported them.
Just a microcosm of rule from central government doesnt work when they start impeding on peoples lives.

In the 70s there were no pubs in the north of Lewis. There were bothans.

No dancing? You couldn’t hang out washing or go to the peat stack and bring some fuel in on the sabbath.

My work colleague is from North Lewis – they weren’t even allowed to switch on the telly on a Sunday whilst the Free Church was preaching hellfire and damnation!

A friend of mine was one of the few Catholics on Lewis.  He used to be the only kid playing in the playparks on Sunday.

Or at least he was until someone complained and the council started chaining them up on Saturday night and only unchaining them on Monday morning (the playparks, not the Catholics).

It’s not exactly politics, and I am agnostic/atheist but I reckon gaelic psalm singing is really beautiful, and it comes from those people who happen to be sabbatarians

You can read more about it here https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/27/vertical-connection-to-god-the-euphoria-of-gaelic-psalm-singing

You couldn’t hang out washing or go to the peat stack and bring some fuel in on the sabbath.

no need for the past tense – we stayed in a holiday cottage fairly recently and it came with a brief note explaining/asking not to hang washing out on a Sunday.

im torn – I had the religious element of it – but the idea that virtually everyone stops working, including in the home is quite nice.  We laugh and scoff but if it was a Muslim, Jewish or other faith that dominated a region and the culture was grounded in that faith we would all criticise people who don’t respect that.

if you sole reason for doing it is to worship a god, then I think you are only one step removed from flat earth / covid vaccine / 5G conspiracy people… but culturally the Hebrides feels very different from the rest of the country and mostly I think that is healthy.

So it looks like a well deserved result for the SNP with them losing ~80% of their MPs, more of a humping than the Tories got. It’s great to see the electorate rejecting chaotic, entitled, simple minded nationalists on two fronts in this election. What a great day!

Be interesting to see just how many voters were disenfranchised because of the election timing and the postal votes mess. It’ll be particularly interesting to see if there was a particular set of demographics who were disproportionally affected.

I still have no idea if I voted or not. Is there any way to check?

Sorry Bruce, I may be missing something. Did you send a postal vote but your sceptical it’s been counted?

Be interesting to see just how many voters were disenfranchised because of the election timing and the postal votes mess

Turnout down 8.5%, so not too far out of line with the rest of the UK (7.6%)?

Meh, said it last month, this election isn’t the important one for the SNP, it’s almost a benefit to allow them to get a handle for the scottish election in a couple of years, Swinney was a bit weird pointing at this one as being a barometer for another referendum.

Hopefully they just move on quietly on this one, again, not even sure what the SNP MPs do in the bigger picture, they seem to be a separate entity to the MSPs, it’s more about getting speeches in than doing any governing, so still not sure it causes any real problems for the SNP just now.

Sent my postal vote but no idea if it arrived in time.

From what I understand there were a lot of people who are still waiting for their postal ballots. And plenty more who were already away on holiday by the time they arrived.

“From what I understand there were a lot of people who are still waiting for their postal ballots” Possibly true, but not remotely an explanation for the SNP’s poor showing in this election.

“So it looks like a well deserved result for the SNP with them losing ~80% of their MPs,”

Live by FPtP, die by FPtP. Labour’s turn to be obscenely overrepresented

There’s certainly some problems with the ballot my constituency now wont be decided until tomorrow because of discrepancies at the count.
The recount will not as I understand it make a difference to the result but must happen anyway.
Perhaps it’s just a part of the general shit show in the administration of the election.
Mean time I hope the SNP begin a period of reflection and rebuilding.
The matter of independence hasnt gone away support remains roughly 50 /50. It can’t really be satisfactory that there’s no democratic route to independence which does not involve asking the UK government for permission

I’m no great fan of the SNP but I do find myself in complete agreement with what they’ve been saying about how Westminster needs to listen to what the Scottish people are saying. And last night the Scottish people made their feelings quite clear.

“still not sure it causes any real problems for the SNP just now.”

Apart from losing a lot of experience and a stack of Short Money which is not good for a party so hard up it’s MPs had to crowdfund for the election and had an £800k loss in 2022.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/alynsmithsnp

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-66605391

Do they not still owe alleged embezzler Peter Murrel £60k as well?

A quick looks suggests the SNP will lose over £800k Short Money.

Short Money

Then looking further ahead if Operation Branchform results in an extended criminal trial = more bad vibes and bad publicity.

Aww ****…….galloway to stay conservative.

Why?….just why?

Dunno but my sister is scunnered because she had to deal with Mr Jack in her day job and wanted him gone altogether

A west coast friend of mine always used to make a joke about being caught having sex standing up on a Sunday..  He reckoned the sex wasn’t a problem, it was the risk of being mistaken for dancing that was the problem

Aww ****…….galloway to stay conservative.

Why?….just why?

Labour / SNP split was always going to enable this.  I certainly would have preferred the Tories out, however, I dont see it as a bad thing as SNP not getting the seat adds to the overall disaster for them which will accelerate the reforms they need to make in policy and party governance. Also Labour achieved a better than expected result so hopefully that will encourage them to up their game as well.

Seems Douglas Ross got what he deserved for stabbing another Tory in the back.

“A former Conservative MP who has been replaced as a general election candidate by the party’s Scottish leader has dismissed suggestions that he is too unwell to stand.

David Duguid, who is in hospital after becoming ill in April, wrote in a social media post that reports he is unable to stand due to his health are “simply incorrect”.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ggj3ql5r4o

I suspect many Tory voters will have gone elsewhere because of that.

We laugh and scoff but if it was a Muslim, Jewish or other faith that dominated a region and the culture was grounded in that faith we would all criticise people who don’t respect that.

If Muslims or Jews in this country were going around harassing people for drinking beer or operating a light bulb on a Friday evening they’d get told to do one. They don’t and everything goes fine. Fundamentalists in Scotland are no different. They’re entitled to make their own choices but not impose them on others, and no-one from this country should feel apologetic or embarrassed about doing things that are perfectly legal and normal.

not even sure what the SNP MPs do in the bigger picture

Wow, it’s Schrodinger’s reserved matters: on one hand, the fact that Scotland doesn’t have them and isn’t independent is a huge impediment to its progress for reasons. On the other hand, the fact that the SNP is going to be even less engaged on them means nothing.

Meanwhile, more prominence for Anas Sarwar…is not a good thing for Labour. Hopefully he will realise that the Labour Party under Starmer is going to be more demanding when it comes to transparency and anti-sleaze, and that his family machine politics are an anachronism. But I doubt it.