IT was very laid back in the Grangemouth Sports Complex as the boxes started to arrive from polling stations. This was the second time that Falkirk council’s counters have been called upon to count this year. The third time in two years, and fourth time in three years. Like most other local authorities in Scotland, the counters here are pretty skilled at counting.
But there’s a theory that we wouldn’t be facing the possibility of Brexit at all if it hadn’t been for Falkirk and counting. Falkirk was the constituency of Eric Joyce, the former Labour MP who liked a drink and a fight.
After a fracas with a Tory MP in the Strangers Bar of the House of Commons, he was suspended and eventually booted out of Labour.
That led to a selection battle for this constituency. Which in turn led to one of the ugliest internal struggles in Labour’s history. Police Scotland were involved, Tom Watson had to resign as the party’s election supremo, there were allegations and counter allegations of corruption and gerrymandering. In the end, Labour changed their membership rules, and their rules on how party members could vote, which in turn led to the incredible selection process that saw Jeremy Corbyn unexpectedly become leader last year.
Though his party insist they have been active on the ground, Corbyn has been a little quiet, and it looks like the Labour vote haven’t turned out for Remain in Labour’s heartlands. Britain is leaving the EU, because a Tory MP spilt Eric Joyce’s pint. It’s just a theory.
But if you ask Labour they say the failure here is that SNP vote hasn’t turned out. There was no SNP Get Out To Vote operation.
This is why political parties canvas. They knock on every door on the street trying to find people in those houses willing to say they’ll back them. Then on election day they go back to those people and try to keep them to their promise. The Get Out To Vote. But there wasn’t the canvassing data this time.
Instead party members stood outside polling stations, there to try and persuade last minute waverers. One SNP MP said he spent seven hours at a polling station and only two people who turned up to vote were undecided. Everyone else knew exactly where their cross was going.
Labour sources accused the First Minister of being mealy mouthed, of attacking the Remain campaign instead enthusing voters, resulting in a lower turnout and a lower remain vote.
The SNP were scathing about this Labour attack. “What the hell was Nicola supposed to do?” one SNP source asked. It was the Labour heartlands that Corbyn’s leadership was supposed to have connected with that have gone to Remain, they said. Was Sturgeon supposed to be in the north of England doing Jeremy Corbyn’s job for him?
At 2.25am the First Minister herself tweeted: “Labour has lost it. Scotland voting strongly Remain, Labour areas in Eng/Wales going Leave – but still all SNP fault”
A Labour source said he thought the SNP had done this on purpose. Get a Remain vote, but not enough to keep the rest of the UK in the EU.
Falkirk was the Regional Count Hub for Scotland, one of the 12 regional hubs in the UK. All 32 counts in the country would come here, be tallied up and sent on to the overall count in Manchester.
Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. But turnout was 67.2 per cent. Earlier the country’s returning officer Mary Pitcaithly, had told the BBC she expected turnout to be between 70 and 80 per cent. Everyone it seemed was out on their estimations. UK wide the Leave voters had been under-estimated. In Scotland the voters who care enough to come out were over-estimated.
Nobody seems willing to estimate what might happen next.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here