Are Scots truly that Left Wing?

[ragged]

The SNP seems to have a very left-of-centre political agenda and set of policies. Separate from their aim of independence.

If every party campaigning in Scotland was equally pro-independence, would as many Scots still vote SNP because they still liked their left wing policies best?

I've sometimes wondered if SNP would plummet in popularity post independence, because maybe most Scots don't truly support their other priorities & policies (or do they?)

No, grimbletart, Nicola's party did not lose the indyref, because it wasn't a party-political issue. The Yes campaign lost. Nicola did not lead the Yes campaign.

I see. So, the Yes campaign, of which Nicola was a leading light and all-round rent-quote along with Salmond (who will lead the Westminster SNP continent and on his past statements thinks similarly to Nicola about voting to keep the Tories out) did not lose because the SNP was not a part of the Yes campaign. Riiiiight! The loss of the referendum was nothing to do with her. Got it.

Carol, you are talking nonsense. Scotland pays into the Westminster coffers.

OllyB, yes all those goals are great, but not sure how the SNP would achieve them by simply blocking or disrupting things they don't want, which is most likely to be all they will be able to do. There might be some small case by case victories if they are working alongside a minority labour government, but even then, labour aren't going to want to have to GI cap in hand to SNP all the time. It's going to be messy I think.

Of course the SNP were part of the Yes campaign. No one has argued otherwise. They weren't the whole thing though.

They weren't in it themselves. The actual Yes campaign was full of people from many different or even no political party.

It wasn't a party based vote.

The Yes campaign also had support from the Green Party and the SSP, as well as the SNP. Then there was Labour for Indy and many hundreds of other groups, "X small town/English/Asians/Women/Business/Veterans etc for Indy". And of course many people who didn't align with any of these groups but voted Yes. All of us were on the losing side, not just the SNP, and not just Nicola and Alex.

To call Nicola, specifically, a "loser" when her conference speech got her a standing ovation from 3000 attendees, she has the highest popularilty rating of any UK politician, and the party she leads is riding so incredibly high in the polls is frankly petty and mean-spirited.

Are you Creepy Jim?

I'm voting SNP because they are the party whose policies I agree with most and also due to their stance on independence. The GE will be interesting as our current MP strongly backed a No vote, but the breakdown after the referendum showed our area to have a clear majority of Yes voters.

The SNP need a sister party in the rest of the uk, to give everyone a left leaning changing party to vote for x

ROFL @ "Are you creepy Jim."

The SNP are the only reason there was an independence vote. They promised it in the manifesto, and David Cameron agreed it due to respect for the democratic process.
The SNP did lose the vote however because people like them spending money, but are terrified of them raising money.
Also interesting how no-one has mentioned the oil price issue which would have bankrupted an independent Scotland.

The oil price issue is utterly irrelevant; had we voted Yes we wouldn't be independent yet, and that whole fiasco has shown the difficulty of economic projections; no-one expected what has happened.

However, the indyref was last year. The decision has been made and there's no point rehashing it. The SNP are looking forwards to the GE in May, so am I.

I'll be voting SNP because their policies are inclusive and seem designed to protect more vulnerable people in our society. There's a sense of never looking down on others unless it's to give them a hand up. They are popular for a reason and, instead of drawing battle lines at the border, it might be worth looking at why that is. [weesaltirewaving]

I'd say that most of the new members of the snp (now 3/4) are more left wing.

There are plenty in the old guard who aren't though, especially in rural and affluent areas.

There was a purposeful shift within the snp a few years ago by smart people who realised that if they were ever going to make any real headway into Scottish politics they'd have to move left and attack labour in their ex industrial heartlands (where they'd been taking voters for granted for decades). It has certainly worked and whatever the final seat count in May 'Scottish' labour needs a serious re shake if it isn't destined to become like the Scottish Tories.

I am scottish, but I've lived in scotland and England, and have friends in both. DH and I are both higher rate taxpayers and will be voting SNP. Friends with similar income in England are voting Tory. I'm not voting SNP for independence (although I was, and always will be, a Yes voter) - I'm voting for them because I believe they are the party that will make society fairer and better for everyone.

Nicola Sturgeon is really impressive. I think I will vote SNP.

It'll be great to see Alex back in Westminster!

Scotswha. Stocking up on popcorn!

I'm quite interested in the fact that at the referendum the 3 main parties were all about 'love bombing' Scotland, better together and please don't leave us. Now that we're facing a GE the political discussion is all about how terrifying it would be to have a large contingent of Westminster SNP MPs.

We're either better together or we're not. You can't say stay with us but only if your democratically elected MPs aren't SNP.

I agree that the West Lothian question is a thorny issue but we were quite happy to take our toys and play elsewhere and they didn't want that.

One of the reasonsSMP do so well is that the three other parties are disastrous. The 'red Tories' really let themselves down during the Indy ref.

I'm by nature a Lib Dem but I've been so disappointed by them in the last few years. I heard Willie Rennie speak at a Indy ref hustings and he was sooo disappointing- very patronising and lost his temper with the audience.

creepy jim with a pa smiley, personal attacks with a smile? Sums up SNP followers for me.

I totally agree with everything milady said upthread btw. I'm small c conservative and will use my vote tactically for the first time.

Come oh Bee! Nothing like a bit of stereotyping.

No one on the Labour/Conservative/Liberal Democrats side has ever made a personal attack?

True, I generalised, sorry.
But it was the first on this thread, I'd like just one political thread without it.

I apologise that my "Creepy Jim" comment annoyed you, Behooven, it was not my intention. But just as that annoyed you, so too do the endless personal comments about individual politicians annoy me. This GE has absolutely nothing to do with Nicola Sturgeon, she's not even a candidate, why mention her at all, let alone claim she's a "bad loser"? Because she's not sitting sobbing in a dark cupboard? Because the Yes side lost, so we should all stfu? (I do realise that you didn't make the comment)

I think we are agreeing with each other. It all gets too personal and takes over the discussion, (shiny Dave, creepy Jim, nerd Miliband, smug Alex, jimmy Crankie Nicola), they all get it.
I'm not sticking up for Clegg cos he deserves it

Can we conclude from this thread that some Scots are left-wing and some aren't? I hope the OP got her answer!

Just to remind some of you that since Scotland is part of the UK and Scottish tax-payers pay into UK coffers, they ARE entitled to spend some of that money on services in Scotland. And the Barnett formula WAS agreed at WM - it wasn't some idea cooked up by Nicola and Alex on a rainy day. And WM did agree to devolve some powers to Scotland - and Wales and NI. Some of you seem terribly politically naïve

Hoping BIG TIME that most of the 59 seats will be taken up by SNP in the GE. Huge, huge support everywhere you go for SNP. Lots of people feel let down after all these vague promises days before the Referendum last year.

So, I'll be voting SNP without a shadow of a doubt. Pushing the Tories out is the safest thing for Scotland. I was nodding at everything Sturgeon was saying yesterday at the conference. She speaks a ridiculous amount of sense.

"Nicola is one of us, people are saying"

Yes, this is echoed in all of her speeches. She makes them personal, and people can relate to this. She is really in touch with the working class, unlike people like EM or DC. They are completely out of touch with reality.