bookmark_borderAbsolut flertal til SNP

Der var valg til Det skotske Parlament i går, og det blev vundet overbevisende af Det skotske Nationalparti (SNP), der fik 69 ud af 129 mandater. (SNP betegner sig selv som et socialdemokratisk parti, der arbejder for et uafhængigt Skotland.)

Labour fik næsten lige så mange stemmer som sidste gang, men fordi Liberaldemokraternes vælgere en masse skiftede til SNP, mistede de syv mandater og fik kun 37.

Skotland bruger det tyske valgsystem, hvor hver vælger har to stemmer, og Labour mistede en meget stor del af deres enkeltmandskredse, hvilket igen betyder, at de har mistet mange af deres mest erfarne politikere.

Liberaldemokraterne (der vel nærmest svarer til Det radikale Venstre) mistede alle deres enkeltmandskredsmandater, bortset fra Hjaltland og Orknøerne, og fik kun fem mandater.

Så hvad sker der nu? Det må forventes, at der kommer en folkeafstemning om skotsk uafhængighed inden for de næste fem år. Om uafhængighedspartierne (SNP og De Grønne) kan vinde den, er uvist – nejsiden står stærkt i meningsmålingerne – men fem år er lang tid i politik, og jeg vil gøre, hvad jeg kan.

bookmark_borderArrogant Labour: What they need to do now



Labour Out??
Originally uploaded by Donald Macleod

Labour made at least three stupid, arrogant errors in this election:

  1. They populated the regional lists with nobodies. If they had put the constituency candidates on it (like the other parties did), they could have kept more of their best people. For instance, in Glasgow Charlie Gordon, Pauline McNeill and Frank McAveety lost their seats (amongst others); however, Labour got three list seats to compensate, but they go to Hanzala Malik, Drew Smith and Anne McTaggart. They need to start putting real politicians on the list.
  2. There is no such thing as Scottish Labour, and their campaigns are ultimately run by London. This was probably why they started out by attacking the Tories, when it was clear to everybody up here that the SNP were the main opponent. They need to make the leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament the real leader of Scottish Labour.
  3. Why are so many of Scottish Labour’s best politicians in Westminster? Given that the SNP are keeping their best people up here, it makes it very hard for Labour to compete. They need to send some of the heavyweights back to Scotland if they want to be allowed to run this country again.

Anyway, I’m quite happy that Labour lost so many MSPs, and hopefully Scotland will now be independent in five years’ time!