There is no ‘significant’ opposition. scottish Labour leader just stood down, Lib Dem’s are as they always are, Scottish Tories will attract the hard unionist votes but are hamstrung by Westminster Tory unpopularity in Scotland. SNP will win the may election with a landslide and then it will kick off.Is there any significant opposition or has Scotland become a one party state.
London Labour party is meddling in Scottish labour because they don't like the lefty thinking. Tories are poisonous. Greens/Lib Dems.
Anyone?
No opposition at all really,Though the SNP don’t have a majority at the moment due to the voting system they rely on the Green for power. However think it’s likely the SNP will ‘break’ the system again in May and win an overall majority with ove 50% of the vote possible.Is there any significant opposition or has Scotland become a one party state.
London Labour party is meddling in Scottish labour because they don't like the lefty thinking. Tories are poisonous. Greens/Lib Dems.
Anyone?
I voted for her as what I thought was the best vote to keep the Union together and us in the EU. How deluded was I ? Having done well at that election.( I think she got enough seats to keep the Tories in (ha, the irony) She then decided to make some fundamental life choices and have a break from politics. She has been very lack lustre since her return I have to say.That is because her breath of fresh air was a combination of an oveblown flash in a pan public appearance, and the stars absolutely aligning for her, at that point.
Where she deserves absolute credit is for being clever enough to realize that.
She didn't use her influence or attempt at becoming a big hitter, because she knew it wasnt real. And would have come crashing down like a house of cards built on what some desperatelybwanted to hear at that time (myself and seemingly you included).
She didn't lose interest and stepp down, she saw the state of things and removed herself for a time when she can build on the image she can for now leave untarnished.
As i say, full credit for the cleverness and awareness of that.
She is in it for the long game.
If the game isn't a bogie by that point.
Is there any significant opposition or has Scotland become a one party state.
London Labour party is meddling in Scottish labour because they don't like the lefty thinking. Tories are poisonous. Greens/Lib Dems.
Anyone?
Thank you for the perspective.In short, no.
Greens are hardly 'opposition'. They are a more cuddly and eco friendly snp, but further left. It is PR in scotland, so they will hoover up the second votes i magine.
Last election, they picked up a fair few and even first choice votes from snp voters that felt snp were in a string enough position that they could afford a vote share, on the back of their 2015 g.e results and confidence. I wouldn't think that may be the case now, but they are still a small but important player if it hets marginal.
I keep wishing every bloody election that lib-dems would cut the crap and put a decent candidate forward, and be a bit more convincing. Because, they have some really good policies. But their inability to do so, and their daft entrenched stance (which many senior figures actually disagree with) of following the party line and defining theselves as a party for the union, is what will stop them getting the middle ground votes. Labour and in particular the Torries will discredit them as a 'non-credible' party of the union, each claiming that is them, and will fight them on that over policy, where lib-dems would win hands down. And likewise the snp will do the same, bit from the other side of the independence line. Really, if they cut the cord with head office, which is fucking uselsess down south anyway, and took a more neutral stance on independence, they'd have a decent chance at getting meaningful numbers.
Labour are fucked. I don't see a way for them. Their votes are divided up between the torries and the snp (or greens, butbsee above), mostly based on a stance on independence, but not exclusively. there are margins of greys there.
Torries really have nothing to offer, other than they are not the snp, and they can claim to be the strongest of the unionist parties, so a vote for them is Not a vite for the snp, if independence is not what you want. They don't even pretwnd to offer up anything else. Put up with crap unpopular policies by the party line that even They don't agree with, but for less chancenof another referendum.
The snp, hardly needs commentry, kinda all been said before.
Does that help?
(in some ways this is where Ban-jani is right, in part, with his 'divide and conquer comment')
No different to the Brexit one then.I would doubt that.
If you've read the first couple of pages, you've read them all.
I think that’s a bit unfair mate. We have far less Scottish bingo on here than we used to for a start. I also think it will develop over the next few months in the run up to the Scottish election.I would doubt that.
If you've read the first couple of pages, you've read them all.
Not necessarily. I don’t think the SNP will dominate post independence politics in Scotland. They would need to reinvent themselves and rebrand. They are a slightly left of centre political party if you strip independence out. That plays ok with where Scottish folk like to put their votes but I would expect Labour, Tory and whoever else also to reinvent themselves. Then each election will be contested on the strength of policies like it should be.Thank you for the perspective.
My concern is that should the union go both England and Scotland will become one party political states which is shit for everyone.
They will doubtless face that problem that all campaign / single issue partys face once they actually get what they were after. To some extent they will need to reinvent themselves I think. The fact that Scotland is pretty much a one party state is due to the sad state the two main Westminster partys have got themselves into over the last 10 years. To be fair to the SNP their offering has been the same for decades, the fuckwits down here have just managed to make it seem the most appealing option.Not necessarily. I don’t think the SNP will dominate post independence politics in Scotland. They would need to reinvent themselves and rebrand. They are a slightly left of centre political party if you strip independence out. That plays ok with where Scottish folk like to put their votes but I would expect Labour, Tory and whoever else also to reinvent themselves. Then each election will be contested on the strength of policies like it should be.
Thank you for the perspective.
My concern is that should the union go both England and Scotland will become one party political states which is shit for everyone.
Not necessarily. I don’t think the SNP will dominate post independence politics in Scotland. They would need to reinvent themselves and rebrand. They are a slightly left of centre political party if you strip independence out. That plays ok with where Scottish folk like to put their votes but I would expect Labour, Tory and whoever else also to reinvent themselves. Then each election will be contested on the strength of policies like it should be.
They will doubtless face that problem that all campaign / single issue partys face once they actually get what they were after. To some extent they will need to reinvent themselves I think. The fact that Scotland is pretty much a one party state is due to the sad state the two main Westminster partys have got themselves into over the last 10 years. To be fair to the SNP their offering has been the same for decades, the fuckwits down here have just managed to make it seem the most appealing option.
No opposition at all really,Though the SNP don’t have a majority at the moment due to the voting system they rely on the Green for power. However think it’s likely the SNP will ‘break’ the system again in May and win an overall majority with ove 50% of the vote possible.
Ironically the Scottish system was designed to prevent overall majorities because of a fear of perpetual Labour Scottish governments at the time. Indeed the first elections we had Labour /Liberal power sharing.
Not really even without independence their domestic policies are in line with most Scottish voters so they will still be the party the others have to realign to challenge. As others say though the other parties would have to choice but to realign themselves so coalitions as now would be more likely. SNP domestic positioning on domestic policies will stay more or less the same.They will doubtless face that problem that all campaign / single issue partys face once they actually get what they were after. To some extent they will need to reinvent themselves I think. The fact that Scotland is pretty much a one party state is due to the sad state the two main Westminster partys have got themselves into over the last 10 years. To be fair to the SNP their offering has been the same for decades, the fuckwits down here have just managed to make it seem the most appealing option.
If Scotland achieves independence I suspect that SNP support will fall away because its raison d'etre will have gone and its key policies that supported the bid for independence will no longer be relevant. You could well end up with someone like Gordon Brown as PM which wouldn't be a bad thing.They would, if they indeed were a singlee issue party. Which they are not, however big that and central to their existance that issue is. It is such a big issue that they probably will (need to reinvent themselves) anyway, to keep with other parties doing the same.
They do have a decade in power behind them to build on, where they have consistently and increasingly been the most popular party every single election, 7 or 8 in a row now, which inadsume is what they will point to.
Fyi, I say the above neither in 'defense' nor 'awe' of them, just pointing out some facts and offering thenrest as my opinion.
No I think they will carry on. Once you have been in power for a decade or so, you don5 just throw that away. They are a semi competent political party without independence.If Scotland achieves independence I suspect that SNP support will fall away because its raison d'etre will have gone and its key policies that supported the bid for independence will no longer be relevant. You could well end up with someone like Gordon Brown as PM which wouldn't be a bad thing.
If Scotland achieves independence I suspect that SNP support will fall away because its raison d'etre will have gone and its key policies that supported the bid for independence will no longer be relevant. You could well end up with someone like Gordon Brown as PM which wouldn't be a bad thing.