Tagged with SNP

Some by-elections really do change politics

SNP, Sinn Fein, Respect and question markIt is not every day that Westminster witnesses a sensational by-election victory, driven by an unshakeably anti-imperialist appeal to a minority religious community, but combined with an unfashionably leftwing socialist subtext.  No wonder most of the pundits were nonplussed.

But when Fermanagh and South Tyrone chose Irish Republican Army hunger striker Bobby Sands as its MP back in 1981, and after then his tragic death returned another IRA-backed candidate, Irish politics began to change. Continue reading →

Sign of Labour recovery in Scotland

A poll for yesterday’s Scottish Times shows encouraging signs of a Labour recovery in Scotland. Although the Times (and other Scottish news media) lead on the poll’s findings in respect of independence and devolution (anti-independence, pro-devo-max which was also the most popular in a 3-way choice), the poll’s findings on Westminster voting intentions are rather more spectacular. They indicate that Labour’s support is back up to the level it received in the 2010 General election which was itself (unlike in England) a slight improvement in votes if not seats on 2005. Continue reading →

Time to bury New Labour in Scotland

The results in Scotland are a disaster for Labour, but they are a disaster made in Scotland. According to poll results, in a Westminster election, Labour’s support in Scotland would be slightly up on last year’s General election, which was itself, at 42%, a good result for Labour, up 2.5% on 2005. Not that this should give us in the rest of Britain any comfort — screwing up at Holyrood today is sowing the seeds for screwing up at Westminster next time round. However, it is in Scottish politics, first and foremost, that Scottish Labour has got to learn to succeed. Continue reading →

The Tories: fear them, hate them by all means, but be in awe of their genius

For many Labour supporters who woke up this morning, this is what ‘schadenfreude’ was introduced into the lexicon for. The smell of toast Lib Dem wafted through their windows up and down the country. In the year since Britain fell back under Tory domination, the most passionate vitriol has been reserved for the Lib Dems: it’s the sense many had that, after all, you expect to be screwed by the Tories, but the Lib Dems should really know better. Continue reading →