Most Scots want SNP included in debate
The SNP have released new figures from a YouGov poll. Constituency voting intentions for the Scottish Parliament stand at CON 14%(-4), LAB 32%(-1), LDEM 13%(+1), SNP 35%(+3). Sadly regional voting intentions were not asked, so it can’t be translated into a projected Scottish Parliament result. (Neither are there Westminster voting intention figures, but I’ve no idea if they were asked or not – sometimes the SNP release their figures over a couple of days).
59% of respondents disagreed that the SNP should be excluded from the televised leadership debates, with 31% agreeing. It suggests the Scottish public would like the SNP included in any debate, but of course if there was a debate being broadcase only in Scotland there probably wouldn’t have been a problem in the first place – the reason there is one is because it to be broadcast across nations with different party systems. My expectation is that the issue will end up being decided in the courts of law, rather than the court of public opinion.
Anthony
“Sadly regional voting intentions were not asked, so it can’t be translated into a projected Scottish Parliament result.”
It’s worse than that for Westminster.
Even a regional vote showing “What party do you support” to as a surrogate to show “Which party will you vote for in your constituency” (for UKP) would be of little value since the now well established split voting for the SP encourages people to vote tactically by type of election as distinct for a least-worst candidate in the constituency.
This comes at a time when membership of, and respect for, political parties is declining by the day and when you consider that since the Reformation many Scots have had difficulty in fully comprehending the concept of deference, it seems likely this trend is set to continue.
For the SNP, although the poll shows an improved potential for garnering votes for the Westminster election from those who are not disinclined to vote for them as a matter of principle and who no longer dismiss the option as a FPTP “wasted vote,” it is no guide to the extent to which they are seen as irrelevant for the UKP.
In Scotland, someone who when asked “What party do you support” would have no hesitation in backing the Green Party, would not even have that option for the constituency vote and are unlikely to have the choice for Westminster. The obvious choice for a Scottis Green would be “AS for FM,” yet it is not without reason that many are unpersuaded that it is sensible to send an SNP representative to a parliment in which they only partly participate and the very existence of which they oppose, so for them the third option is the least worst of either the two governing parties candidates or betwen the constituency incumbent and nearest challenger, or a “Wasted vote” LibDem.
Edward
“Scots, whether rightly or wrongly, decide who to vote based on health and education as much as anyone else in the UK. ”
That’s unsubstantiated nonsense. If there was any truth in it twelve years ago it’s insignificant now.
If the BBC and the press can’t distinguish between England, E&W and UK and E&W+ Scotland I’d like them to stop reporting on England altogether.
Every week I read or hear reports on health education or crime in which it is impossible to tell whether they relate to England or to the UK and I cannot tell whether Scotland is the same, or better, or worse.
Next time you read a “national” newspaper see if you can tell whether reports on the NHS, education or crime tells you anything about Scotland or whether the report makes it clear that it doesn’t include Scotland.
That sort of sloppy journalism just builds support for the nationalists as it doesn’t match with people own experience pf eg the Scottish NHS.
Oldnat:
“It’s already fairly clear that many Scots will vote in 2010 on visceral dislike of the Tories.”
It is also clear that many expect the sun to rise in the East tomorrow.
We generally assume that a Conservative government and the state funeral will remind everyone of the last Conservative government, and be to the advantage of the SNP.
On the other hand, even on the worst expectations, they can’t possibly be as clueless as last time so that could help to rehabilitate them.
During the course of the next parliament (so far as building the Conservatives electoral support is concerned) the most ambitious achievable objective for the party in Scotland would be to detoxify the brand to the extent that the SNP could contemplate coalition with the Conservatives in 2011 or more likely 2015.
That’s challenging, but AG is capable of succeeding provided “events” in Westminster which are beyond her control do not make it impossible for her.
I’d sooner bet on independence by 2020 and maybe so would she, but then I have an even lower opinion of the Westminster party and system than you do.
Bill Patrick
“Alex Salmond is going to beat the London party leaders in any format or in no format. Brown, Cameron and Clegg are so out of his league in terms of political nous and debating ability that it’s laughable.”
He’s not even the best debater the SNP has.
I agree with you about John Major. When you consider the problems he faced he was more successfull then Thatcher or Blair. It’s only Tories who blame him for letting in the other lot that hate him.
Ken
I am not a member of the SNP and independence is not my first preference for constitutional reform, but there is one issue in which I have gread admiration for their record.
Over the last half century I can recall no policy of any party that has been more consistently stated in words that are beyond improvement either in their clarity or their absence of qualification and equivocation than has been the SNP’s rejection of hatred of the English.
The Irish experience is something that has informed their stance, and it is much to their credit that dozens of spokesmen over the years have been so completely consistent and forthright.
> Most of the discussion that would take place in such a debate would probably only be relevant in England because the majority of the issues likely to be discussed are devolved in all but England.
Hey, that’s a good point. maybe the BBC can include a banner showing ‘relevant to England only’ / ‘relevant to the UK’ / etc, depending on which item was being discussed?
It goes far beond politics. Yesterday, in the health centre, I picked up a magazine for diabetics. Diabetics I know here do not recognise the prescribing probems described in it and I can’t say I’m surprised that the magazine doesn’t say it relates to only the English NHS.
Anthony,
Has there been any other information released or is that all that the full poll covered.
Peter.
I’m not aware of any more Peter – the SNP press office normally send me press releases for any polling they release, and I haven’t seen anymore.