People tend not to get excited by elections where the result is widely predicted. The current consensus that the next vote for the Scottish parliament will result in another convincing SNP victory is a case in point.The comparison with recent visits to the ballot box doesn’t help either. First, we had the SNP minority government of 2007-11, then the 2011 SNP landslide, … [Read more...] about Five more years: dull it won’t be
election polling
Scotland shakes up the Brexit cards
As the EU referendum campaign gathers momentum, polls show the UK almost evenly divided on the merits of staying in and pulling out.In Scotland, however, the Remain option is clearly in the lead at this stage. This asks some intriguing questions about what will happen after June 23 as the Scottish and European issues have become so deeply entwined. Almost all the possible … [Read more...] about Scotland shakes up the Brexit cards
Holyrood 2016: clearing the campaign fog
The campaign for the Scottish Parliament election of 2016 has lacked the energy and enthusiasm of #indyref1 or the general election of 2015. The winner has been known from the start - and long before. Most commentators have focussed on who comes second and becomes the official opposition in Holyrood. But we're also told that Scottish politics and, indeed, the nation as a whole … [Read more...] about Holyrood 2016: clearing the campaign fog
Next SG: revolutionary but hardly radical
If the opinion polls are to believed, on May 6 Nicola Sturgeon will be re-elected as First Minister and the most powerful politician in Scotland since … well you choose the appropriate historical figure – Tom Johnston or Henry Dundas?She will have a commanding majority in the Scottish Parliament, lead a party renowned for its internal discipline and have a range of powers … [Read more...] about Next SG: revolutionary but hardly radical
Reasons to be cheerful – or ca’ canny
Could this be the Scottish Conservatives’ moment? They have certainly been on a long journey from irrelevance to optimism.In particular, one question has overshadowed and constrained the party’s thinking: what is the appropriate Conservative response to the Scottish Parliament? The Scottish Conservatives arrived at a definitive answer only in 2014. Having been … [Read more...] about Reasons to be cheerful – or ca’ canny