THE Aberdeen City Council by-election result is quite eye-catching and the Labour Party in Scotland will make great hay of the gains they’ve made at the expense of the SNP. However, I think the most intriguing take-away from this result is that the Alba Party have finished above the Greens.

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The Scottish Government have had a series of policy failures in recent months, all of which can be attributed at least in some small part to the Greens’ involvement in government. Whether that be the problems with the deposit return scheme, the delayed targets for A9 and A96 completion, all of the problems around the GRR Bill and self-ID, as well as their desire to abandon the oil and gas industry.

That final point, in particular, may have been a strong contributing factor in the Greens’ poor showing in this by-election but I also wonder whether the gains the Alba Party have made this time around in becoming the second pro-independence party are a sign of things to come.

James Philips
Aberdeen