THE latest Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times indicates that “Scottish” Labour could win more seats than the SNP in a UK General Election.
Whether or not this is an accurate reflection of election intentions today, it should ring massive alarm bells within the independence movement. Not only would it produce a Unionist majority of MPs, it would also mean the popular vote for independence-supporting parties falling well below 50%.
READ MORE: New poll shows Scottish independence support at 44 per cent
It is likely that Labour’s resurgence in popularity is due almost entirely to public disapproval of the behaviour exhibited by senior figures associated with the current governments in both Holyrood and Westminster. There is no doubt that many of those defecting from the SNP to Labour are doing so not because they no longer support the objective of independence, but because they are unhappy with the SNP as a party. Nevertheless, Unionist cheerleaders will see it as a gift from heaven in their fight to undermine Scotland’s right to self-determination.
It could set independence back a decade or more.
No amount of pooling resources amongst independence-supporting parties will have the necessary impact to overcome this, even in the unlikely event that they could all be persuaded to run under a common banner. The combined impact of a few percentage points of Alba, Green and SSP votes will not turn the result, and if they all insist on having their own candidates it can only reduce the number of pro-independence MPs.
READ MORE: Minister for Independence insists he has not advocated for devo-max
I have written on this issue before, but it has taken on a new urgency. The only way to return a positive result for independence is to form new parties that pledge to support the Unionist whips in Westminster on all other matters but independence, in effect a Labour Voters for Independence Party and potentially a similar entity for independence-supporting LibDem and even Conservative voters.
There are many people out there, now probably more than ever, who support self-determination but for their own reasons cannot bring themselves to place their cross in a box labelled with any of the current independence parties.
The time has gone for opposing the policies of the Unionist parties on principle. We all know, or should know, that supporters of these parties will be represented in the parliament of an independent Scotland. We should be encouraging them to realise there will be a place for them in our country instead of treating them as enemies of the future state.
It could take a bit of thought to come up with party names acceptable to the Electoral Commission, but it is not impossible.
Cameron Crawford
Rothesay
ANAS Sarwar on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg – no interruptions, no hard questions just an acceptance of everything he is saying. That is not an interview.
No questions about teachers’ strikes in England, no questions about shortages of labour, no questions about the EU, no questions about picket lines, no questions about doctors’ strikes, no questions about mortgage rates and inflation.
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar answers Alan Cumming's 'Labour are Conservative-lite’ line
Just the usual Labour: we will steal more of the resources of Scotland (renewables) to help put in place our plans for the UK (ie England), we will not grant new licenses for oil fields but hope the Tories will before we are elected and we will not stop them.
And do not forget that under the internal market legislation if Labour does not ban tuition fees in England we could well see them reintroduced in Scotland as well as taking away free prescriptions, new welfare laws and extra child allowances.
So be careful what you vote for.
Winifred McCartney
Paisley
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