Voting

[Stapes]

1 hour ago, iainmac1 said:

I'm actually feeling a bit diassapointed tonight. The majority was very likely beforehand. I'd say no chance now.

 

Looking like 64, so stung by the Greens putting up a constituency candidate in Edinburgh. She took 4,000 votes and the SNP lost by 1,000. Although I haven't seen that regional list yet.

[Scunnered]

2 minutes ago, ErsatzThistle said:

Labour's Lewis MacDonald allegedly interfering with the counting of votes up in the North East and a recount had to be had.

It was actually his sister who was interfering.  The council had appointed her as a counter which isn't allowed.

[Parklife]

3 minutes ago, Return of Yermaw said:

I voted SNP constituency and Green on the list. A Green/SNP coalition was my preference and looks like that will come out. Hopefully if the case, and the coalition runs well, this will boost the Green vote overall. Hope one day to give both votes to the Greens (as long as they still support independence/referendum in their manifesto). But their policies on transport, housing and council tax are more in line with my views than the SNP policies on such issues.......

I don't want a coalition, would rather a minority government with an informal agreement with the Greens. Agree with the rest. 

 

1 minute ago, ErsatzThistle said:

Labour's Lewis MacDonald allegedly interfering with the counting of votes up in the North East and a recount had to be had.

That's some spin you're putting on that. One of his relatives was involved in the count, there's been no allegations that anyone has interfered with the counting. 

[Auld_Reekie]

Looks like Im getting pretty much what I wanted so Im very happy. SNP minority, Green boost, and Labour sent home to think again. Pretty disappointed to continue to see SNP folk show outright hostility to the Greens instead of a little introspection. In at least 2 or 3 seats, they'd do well to note that the behaviour of individuals in the partner were actually turning voters away, rather than it being anything to do with the Greens. There's already a sense of entitlement and moralising about some in the SNP that reeks of Labour's last years in power. 

SNP clearly going to have to up their game but Im glad they are taking a bit of a hit now rather than 2021 - by that time, any SNP complacency would impact a potential #indyref2 and I hope this will serve as a timely reminder that there are fine lines at play.

Biggest surprise of night is extent of Labour collapse and Tory gains. Im not overly concerned by this outbreak of Unionist tactical voting - that cannot and will not be sustained indefinitely and it will take more than Ruth Davidson on a buffalo to keep it tight.

Big pluses for me: Ross Greer and Andy Wightman, pro-Yes majority, SNP brought to heel ever so slightly, minority government. Hope to see Greens push SNP on Land Reform and local taxation, and the SNP use another party as a platform for more radical policy in other areas.

[neilly71]

Aberdeen, you give me the shivers. Ffs.

[EddardStark]

The next Holyrood term will be interesting. Increased devolved powers and greater accountability for tax and spending.

Edited May 6, 2016 by EddardStark

[Pool Q]

It is less bad for Labour than some predicted, but it is still bad. Even based on a low point of 2012 under Milliband they haven't made any real progress in England, and this at a time in the parliamentary cycle when they should be able to benefit from protest votes against a government implementing substantial cuts, as well as being opposed by a Tory party that is split at the top and focussed very much on the EU referendum. Scotland appears lost to them, and a biased msm isn't going to get any less hostile. Corbyn remains popular within the Labour Party, but not with most of the electorate. Hopefully Labour win in London, and Corbyn will now get (and deserves) a bit more time, but realistically the only thing that will prevent the Tories winning the next GE is their tearing themselves apart between now and then over Europe.

Edited May 6, 2016 by Pool Q

[Rossy]

2 minutes ago, EddardStark said:

The next Holyrood term will be interesting. Increased devolved powers and greater accountability for tax and spending.

Yeap, but still not full control of all financial levers....something which will have a direct impact on the tax and spending capabilities of the Scottish government.

I'm sure the media will point that out though.

[Scunnered]

2 minutes ago, Auld_Reekie said:

Biggest surprise of night is extent of Labour collapse and Tory gains. Im not overly concerned by this outbreak of Unionist tactical voting - that cannot and will not be sustained indefinitely and it will take more than Ruth Davidson on a buffalo to keep it tight.

The constant questioning of second referendum plans put the fear into the hardcore Unionist vote.  It has suddenly become acceptable to vote Conservative in Scotland again and Labour holds more of the blame for that than the SNP or even the Conservatives themselves.

 

5 minutes ago, Auld_Reekie said:

Big pluses for me: Ross Greer and Andy Wightman, pro-Yes majority, SNP brought to heel ever so slightly, minority government. Hope to see Greens push SNP on Land Reform and local taxation, and the SNP use another party as a platform for more radical policy in other areas.

Biggest plus for me may surprise you   Jeane Freeman being elected to the SNP.  I have a lot of time for her and she told me that she will not be held as easily to party whip as her colleagues...  And I believe her.  I actually have high hopes that she will stick the nut on Swinney during the course of this parliament.

[Dillinger]

49 minutes ago, Scunnered said:

I'd like to think at some point in the next 5 years, those celebrating Labours demise will regret it a little due to a small c Conservative government, and a Conservative oposition...  But I doubt it :lol:.  I reckon this is the state of politics in Scotland for the forseeable, either until independence is won, or the next referendum is lost and people realise the need to re strategise. 

It's nobody's fault but their own that they were a pack of c.unts during the referendum. It'll be a long while til anyone trusts them again and rightly so. 

I said at the time they should have given their politicians a free vote on the referendum. By taking a position and getting in bed with the Tories they lost a huge part of their support. 

[Auld_Reekie]

It's brutal for Labour - how do they even make themselves heard now. Davidson and Tories are darlings of media and will - with some justification - be seen as last line of defence of Union. The actual number of seats is probably irrelevant - coming a distant third is a psychological and practical disaster for them. While they publically all back Dugdale, I wouldnt be surprised if they start considering more nuclear options in a week or two. 

[Auld_Reekie]

4 minutes ago, Scunnered said:

Biggest plus for me may surprise you   Jeane Freeman being elected to the SNP.  I have a lot of time for her and she told me that she will not be held as easily to party whip as her colleagues...  And I believe her.  I actually have high hopes that she will stick the nut on Swinney during the course of this parliament.

Haha. Big fan of Jeane as well - great to see her be elected. IMO, after GE2015 the SNP group at Holyrood looked poor in comparison so it's good to see the likes of Freeman come into Holyrood. Group probably still poorer but talent pool definitely in need of a shake up which is why Im happy to see likes of Wightman enter chamber even if he's not SNP.

[Scunnered]

1 minute ago, Dillinger said:

It's nobody's fault but their own that they were a pack of c.unts during the referendum. It'll be a long while til anyone trusts them again and rightly so. 

I said at the time they should have given their politicians a free vote on the referendum. By taking a position and getting in bed with the Tories they lost a huge part of their support. 

Yep, I wouldn't disagree with any of that.  All I'm saying is that an SNP government opposed by Conservatives is not something I would celebrate.

Picture the scene:

Swinney:  "We will freeze council tax, transfer more powers from local authorities and allow schools to opt out"

Ruth:  "Mrs. Presiding officer!  This is a government who will not go far enough"

*shudder*

[adamntg]

59 minutes ago, EddardStark said:

yes just spotted that. Not sure where I got the 0.6% from.

In which case I apologise for my tone.  Soz

[Toepoke]

21 minutes ago, Stapes said:

Looking like 64, so stung by the Greens putting up a constituency candidate in Edinburgh. She took 4,000 votes and the SNP lost by 1,000.

That's assuming the Greens took mostly SNP votes.

 

As mentioned by Scunnered I'm also delighted to see Jeane Freeman elected.  I think she'll be an excellent addition to the parliament...

 

[Ally Bongo]

58 minutes ago, Scunnered said:

I'd like to think at some point in the next 5 years, those celebrating Labours demise will regret it a little due to a small c Conservative government, and a Conservative oposition...  But I doubt it :lol:.  I reckon this is the state of politics in Scotland for the forseeable, either until independence is won, or the next referendum is lost and people realise the need to re strategise. 

New Labour are not small c Conservatives ?

 

FFS

[adamntg]

35 minutes ago, Parklife said:

It's a shame so many folk bought in to the "both votes SNP" pish. Just a few hundred more votes for the Greens in the Glasgow list vote and it'd have been 2 Greens and 1 Tory, rather than the other way around. 

As Paddy Harvie says - 110,000 SNP list votes down the toilet.

[adamntg]

3 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

That's assuming the Greens took mostly SNP votes.

 

That's a fair assumption, no?

[Scunnered]

4 minutes ago, Ally Bongo said:

New Labour are not small c Conservatives ?

 

FFS

No.  New Labour were Conservative.

[adamntg]

Quite assuming watching the Llanelli declaration on BBC2.  Returning Officer has to do it in Welsh and let's just say he isn't a native speaker....

[Auld_Reekie]

1 minute ago, adamntg said:

That's a fair assumption, no?

I wouldn't have said so, no, unless you have evidence to support it. Greens had every right to stand in constituency. If SNP wanted a free run at constituencies, they should have offered some kind of alliance. Instead, they wanted to roll the dice (and clearly expected every one else to bow before them).

[wembley67lisbon]

Aberdeen and Ayr. Two teams that will lie down to the Rangers this year. 

[antidote]

9 hours ago, Scunnered said:

You believe your children will also be Scottish Supremacists?... Talk about having high hopes for your children.

Not with sellouts like you around.

[Ally Bongo]

Green + SNP constituency vote = 61%, Lab + Lib + Con = 39%.

Green/SNP/RISE/Solidarity list vote = 51%, Lab/Lib/Con/UKIP = 49%

[Scunnered]

5 minutes ago, antidote said:

Not with sellouts like you around.

Ok doke.