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Holyrood Elections


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It's undeniable that a large part of the Scottish electorate intend voting SNP at the forthcoming Holyrood election. That much seems clear enough. What is less clear is "why"? This election will be to decide which political party forms the next government of Scotland and controls legislation and policy for the next several years, so what is it about the SNP that persuades people this is the best party to run the country?

 

Clearly, the SNP should be the most easily assessed option, since it has already been in office for 13 consecutive years and remains the party of government. There should be no shortage of available criteria by which to judge and reach a voting decision. Which aspects of government achievement actually commends the SNP, under whose watch educational attainment has plummeted, healthcare targets are never met and the only new records have been in drug deaths. Law and order is in some disarray with ludicrous hate crime legislation and coddling of prisoners seems to be the only activity on the horizon. Transport policy appears not to exist. Waste and poor decision making is everywhere - ferries, Prestwick, BiFab. And on and on it goes.

 

So why are so many people persuaded to vote for a single-issue party of so very little achievement and such a consistently poor track record? What is the psychology behind so many people voting for a political party that they can see delivers almost nothing in their interests? As a nation, are we really so obsessed with grievance and victimhood that we are no longer capable of making rational decisions? 

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1 hour ago, Bill said:

It's undeniable that a large part of the Scottish electorate intend voting SNP at the forthcoming Holyrood election. That much seems clear enough. What is less clear is "why"? This election will be to decide which political party forms the next government of Scotland and controls legislation and policy for the next several years, so what is it about the SNP that persuades people this is the best party to run the country?

 

Clearly, the SNP should be the most easily assessed option, since it has already been in office for 13 consecutive years and remains the party of government. There should be no shortage of available criteria by which to judge and reach a voting decision. Which aspects of government achievement actually commends the SNP, under whose watch educational attainment has plummeted, healthcare targets are never met and the only new records have been in drug deaths. Law and order is in some disarray with ludicrous hate crime legislation and coddling of prisoners seems to be the only activity on the horizon. Transport policy appears not to exist. Waste and poor decision making is everywhere - ferries, Prestwick, BiFab. And on and on it goes.

 

So why are so many people persuaded to vote for a single-issue party of so very little achievement and such a consistently poor track record? What is the psychology behind so many people voting for a political party that they can see delivers almost nothing in their interests? As a nation, are we really so obsessed with grievance and victimhood that we are no longer capable of making rational decisions? 

Oh yes and in spades. Every time i'm back i noticed the difference (ok i haven't been back since the pandemic but i doubt things would have changed that much. 

 

I feel a lemming like quality in the atmosphere, despite all the failures in health, education, and the economy and worse, a kind of resignation from the UK parties and media to let them get on with it.  

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There are two answers.
 

One is patronage. Huge swathes of the population in health, education and local government earn their wage from the public purse. That used to be Labour’s fief.
 

The second is FREEDUMM based on a story in a film and dislike of the English as that nation are represented by Jimmy Hill and folk that speak posh.

 

There’s no argument to counter the second. Reason can’t prevail over non-reason. Instead there should be huge emphasis on the cash poured into Scotland to fund furlough over and above the Barnett formula money. Nats always say that Scotland can pay its way comfortably without UK money. Never seen proof. Unionists say Scotland would be in unaffordable deficit without UK money. Never seen proof of that either.

 

If I were an English Conservative why would I not want to expel Scotland from the Union, apart from sentiment? Secure deepwater anchorages and an airfield probably. Anything else?

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I wish just once the SNP would come out and say exactly what it is they want that cannot be achieved as part of the Union but will be achieved by virtue of independence. 

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30 minutes ago, Scott7 said:

There are two answers.
 

One is patronage. Huge swathes of the population in health, education and local government earn their wage from the public purse. That used to be Labour’s fief.
 

The second is FREEDUMM based on a story in a film and dislike of the English as that nation are represented by Jimmy Hill and folk that speak posh.

 

There’s no argument to counter the second. Reason can’t prevail over non-reason. Instead there should be huge emphasis on the cash poured into Scotland to fund furlough over and above the Barnett formula money. Nats always say that Scotland can pay its way comfortably without UK money. Never seen proof. Unionists say Scotland would be in unaffordable deficit without UK money. Never seen proof of that either.

 

If I were an English Conservative why would I not want to expel Scotland from the Union, apart from sentiment? Secure deepwater anchorages and an airfield probably. Anything else?

The crash of 2008 provided the Better Together campaign with the financial ammunition, especially the treasury rescue of BoS and RBS that really hit home what would have happened without this. So yes in theory i'm sure they would have the stats to use furlough, barnett, the extra monies pumped in to social services etc. 

 

That is a huge part of it, not wanting to be the PM or party in history that presided over the break up of the Union. 

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3 minutes ago, Bill said:

I wish just once the SNP would come out and say exactly what it is they want that cannot be achieved as part of the Union but will be achieved by virtue of independence. 

Being told what to do by the EU instead of Westminster maybe? 

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Just now, ChelseaBoy said:

The crash of 2008 provided the Better Together campaign with the financial ammunition, especially the treasury rescue of BoS and RBS that really hit home what would have happened without this. So yes in theory i'm sure they would have the stats to use furlough, barnett, the extra monies pumped in to social services etc. 

 

That is a huge part of it, not wanting to be the PM or party in history that presided over the break up of the Union. 

So many lies, half truths and fantasies have come out of the SNP for so long that many people are too confused and misled to know what to believe. I'm sure this is quite deliberate and renders the truth and factual evidence effectively worthless, of no more value than whatever fiction the SNP dreams up from moment to moment. There's no doubt the SNP has also exploited an element of Scottish society that's always been steeped in self-pity and resentment - y'know, the people we've all met who find it impossible to discuss Scotland without mentioning England, it's such a defining characteristic.

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10 minutes ago, ChelseaBoy said:

Being told what to do by the EU instead of Westminster maybe? 

Being a member of the EU isn't being independent. It's actually volunteering to be less independent. Which perfectly sums up the entire SNP fantasy.

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2 hours ago, Bill said:

Being a member of the EU isn't being independent. It's actually volunteering to be less independent. Which perfectly sums up the entire SNP fantasy.

Yes, it has been said time and time again, but people just don't get it.

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