To vote with my head instead of my heart?

[ImNotDaveGorman]

I need advice from random people as I don’t like to talk politics in real life.

I’m in scotland and we have an election next month. The 2 main parties in my area are SNP and conservative. TBH I really dislike them both, but absolutely detest SNP. For reasons I’m not going to get in to I really don’t want scotland to be independent (also, that is not what I want this tread to be about!). I found it so difficult during the last referendum-people were horrific to each other and I want that vote to stand.

So, every time there has been an election I have voted for the party I do like, but every time the results come out the percentages are tiny for any party that is not SNP or conservative! So, basically, I feel like my vote is being wasted.

So....
YABU-vote with your heart for the party you want

YANBU-vote conservative, the lesser of 2 evils (in my eyes) and hopefully we won’t have to go through a second referendum

Again-this is not a thread to change my mind on my reasons for being against Scottish independence, so I won’t be having that argument.

@Blanca87

Greens? To be fair I don’t understand the Tory mindset of lesser of two evils? Cronyism, corruption and the Brexit shit show, I’m amazed anyone could bring themselves to vote for them.

If she doesn't want to vote for a pro-Indy party then that won't help.

I voted labour in my constituency area in Scotland at the last election. Conservative won the seat by 500 votes over snp. Labour pulled 5000 votes. Kinda knew it was pointless.

Me too OP. I'm Central Scotland. I'm voting Labour then Conservative for the list vote. I'm being guided by some website aligned to the Keep the SNP out, sort of thing.

I get why people say vote SNP then No in an Indyref but you and I know that your SNP vote this May will be held up as validation for the referendum.

Please God if we do get Indyref 2 they change things so a 2/3 majority is needed to change away from the status quo.

Too long we Scots haven't had our voices heard thanks to a Tory majority...the majority of Scotland voted to stay within the EU. Our voices weren't heard and now the Tories are making a mess of everything.
At least Sturgeon has made sensible decisions in the last year re. COVID while Boris Johnston just mumbles and bumbles his way through. Didn't vote Tory and didn't vote for Boris yet they're running the country. Don't see how they can be considered the lesser of 2 evils.

I'll be voting SNP so we have control over how our country is run.

Please
Don't vote Tory they are not the lesser of two evils they are evil vote for the greens the raving loonies or your neighbours cat but please don't vote Tory

I'm a Scot and my voice isn't being heard in Scotland. It's only just over ten years ago that we had a UK government headed by Scots - 2 prime ministers, 2 chancellors, so you cannot in all conscience say that Scotland never has a seat at the table. Sturgeon's decisions over covid have been very little different to anywhere else in the UK.

I think you have to vote tactically.

There are a lot of things I dislike about the Conservative party but I vote for them locally and nationally as I am a single parent and I can't afford for taxes to go up (I don't get any handouts and work very hard, I'm already stretched to the wire).

If I lived anywhere where it were between LD and Labour (I'm not in Scotland) I'd vote LD over Conservative for the same reason.

In this dilemma my view is that the vote has to be to get rid of the SNP. Independence needs to be off the table. A term of Toryism (if in theory they should win) cannot cause as much damage as independence (which lasts for term after term after term and could not be undone for generations... ).

I get the anything but Tory thing, but in my view this is far too serious an issue to consider voting anything but Tory, if voting Tory is the only realistic option to oust the SNP for a particular seat. In my view, not voting Tory in these circumstances would be self-indulgent in the extreme - putting your personal desire to be ideologically pure ahead of the greater need to stop independence - in particular given that the chances of the Tories actually getting power are ridiculously slim.

I'm in Scotland and would never in a million years vote tory. I would vote the party I wanted to, it could make all the difference.

I would never dream of voting Tory, but in your situation I would - independence is a big deal that will really affect you so I think you are right to vote tactically.

@LizzieMacQueen can you share the website?

@SliminyCricket agree a term of Tories or at least a much weakened SNP is way better than the long term consequences of independence. I'm gritting my teeth and doing whatever it takes and reluctantly voting Tory if that's what is required.

@ImNotDaveGorman I'm in a tactical voting area. Lots of us end up with MSP that wouldn't be our first choice but he keeps SNP out. To me, that's worth it as my preferred candidate would be a wasted vote here, and I still partly get what I want

I am facing the same dilemma. Don’t know what to do but I’m not voting SNP.

I always vote lesser of two evils.
Never have I felt represented and encouraged by a main political party.

@KeepSmiling89 I feel the same but in Scotland! My voice is not heard here. 🤷‍♀️

If you told me this time last year I was going to vote Tory, I'd have assumed either of us had lost our minds.

Be here we are, living in a country that can't help show contempt of women and children, passing the Hate Crime Bill, still allowing the Sandyford in Glasgow to experiment on children, despite Kiera Bell's case, silencing women and so on. Don't even get me started on allowing peadophiles like a Katie Dolatowski and others walk free then housing them with vulnerable women.

I used to vote Green as my list vote but fuck me they are just as bad, maybe worse.

At times I'm ashamed to be Scottish, but I see the work For Women Scotland and other brave women are doing and there is hope. But not while Nicola Sturgeon is in charge.

No matter how good the SNP candidate is, for me it's a vote for Nicola.

If they can't identify and protect half the population, they can't be trusted to run an independent country.

@Twiggywinkle13

Please, for the love of God, DO NOT vote for a party that vote to starve children. I don’t know in what dimension voting for the Tories is ever the lesser of two evils.

Exactly. At least the Scottish govt have a child poverty action plan in place

Hold your nose and vote Tory. You have to throw the kitchen sink at this if you genuinely want to stop independence.

The SNP have thrown women under the bus too, so I’d never vote for them.

The Scottish govt have plans in place for all sorts of stuff and are failing all over the shop. NS says to judge the SNP on education. We have, and judge them to have failed.

I could never vote Tory. Never.

Vote with your heart, you may find there are lots of other people in your situation thinking it could be a wasted vote but actually if you ALL vote how you truly feel, you may be surprised.

@pourqouimoi

I met plenty of people who were opposed to independence, or on the fence. But I didn't experience the atmosphere as antagonistic at all. Neither I nor most of the people I know who were pro independence have anything to do with the SNP.

Same. Most of pro indy folk I know are old labour

The SNP will view every vote for them as a pro Independence signal.
They’ve had 14 years to address issues such as child poverty.
Their domestic track record is poor and legislation such as the Hate Crime Bill is flawed, to say the least.
The SNP is not good enough to lead Scotland to successful Independence.
Vote tactically.

I'm intending to vote tactically to try to ensure the SNP don't get a majority as the GRA and HCB legislation is truly appalling.

One of your options then is to use your list vote for ALBA as they are keen to oppose GRA/HCA and ensure women's rights are protected.

@Meloncoco

Here it is - I'm not sure of it's origin.

http://www.vote21.scot/?fbclid=IwAR11hPc22S0mfCp0IeSNu984MB-tfNxEfdg5l95N6qcqcO3nRAGlDD_qn6Y

I genuinely can't understand how anyone can look at the tories and think "more please".

Independence from those fuckers can't come soon enough.

I hear you, @ImNotDaveGorman. In my area it's a straight contest between SNP and Labour.

I am not a Labour voter but will be voting tactically for them on the constituency paper. As for the regional list, I've yet to decide but it will be a pro-union party.