Scottish General Election

[Differentforgirls]

Who are Scottish people voting for next month?

The Labour & Tory Westminster governments have been far worse.

From illegal wars to not caring about thousands of us dying from Covid.

In Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement signed by the UK & Ireland defines "once in a generation" as being every seven years.

Seven years. Not fifty. Not one hundred. Seven.

No it doesn’t. It doesn’t define or use the word generation at all.

The electorate has changed beyond recognition since 2014.
There are currently 630,000 Scots who did not get to vote in 2014 who are now eligible. By 2030 it will be over 1 million.

Denying a democratic vote and trying to pretend it is superseded by a treaty from 1707 is ridiculous, the whole notion that the UK government should be in charge of this decision is anti-democratic.

We are talking about Scotland on this thread

This is not true

The GFA suggests that at least seven years must pass between referendums, most likely to prevent the possibility of "neverendums". But they've not had even one in over 25 years, and I doubt they will unless it's looking like a good majority of people would vote for reunification.

In Scotland, the polls haven't significantly shifted since 2014, so I'd say what's the point right now?

I would also say that any future referendums that do happen in the UK need a higher cut off. 50%+1 is a terrible idea. Look at Brexit for the kind of shit show that results in. My preference would be for 60/40 to enact change, and I think Nicola Sturgeon herself at one point said she didn't feel another referendum should be requested until polls changed significantly towards that.

I've just had a look at 2026 polling and, whilst YES is ahead in some, it still looks like overall the potential vote is split about half and half. I think polls need to shift consistently to YES being at 55%+ for at least 12 months before a referendum is even considered.

Maybe Swinney is banking on a refusal and the polls shifting more by 2031 when they could show that consistent support.

It’s depressing tbh because the main three “unionist” parties make that their identity. I have friends and family who vote Labour, but would still vote yes. I used to until JS died and we got TB.

For all the “unionist” voters on here. If you’re voting tactically to get somebody out rather than in, think how your votes could matter to the party you actually want to win.

Can't remember if it was this thread or the other one about these elections, but I suggested that a party who took a neutral stance would probably do better. Obviously not the Conservative and Unionist Party!

But I think if Labour unhooked themselves from this pretty binary issue, and said they accepted some of their voters were for and some against (because there's a not insubstantial percentage of YES voters already voting for them that they could increase), they might do better.

I don't think they did themselves any favours by being seen on the same platform as the Tories back in 2014 tbh.

There's a big neutral space waiting to be filled imo. Until someone moves into it, not much will change because there are too many pro-Union parties for any one of them to succeed.

It seems daft that a decade after the landscape changed completely parties keep doing the same thing to try and win back power. Time to change tack.

“Better Together”, was the worst thing all three unionist parties did imo, because all three had people who wanted Indy and still do. So, agree with you but we’re no better.

This alliance thing. “Independence, nothing less”. WTF? I’m voting for my Government for the next five years.

I don’t want independence so would never vote SNP

I don’t want independence and I want a good government for the next five years so I can’t vote SNP

So who will you vote for?

As above. Who will you vote for?

Anyone would be better!

Aren’t you going to vote?

I always vote, women died for my right to vote so I will always turn up at the polling station no matter how disappointed I am by the choices on offer.

But people are decrying Holyrood vs Westminster.

Have you factored in Defence?

Only England wants nukes.

Quote "Under the 1998 act, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can decide to hold a border poll at any time, provided that there has not been another border poll in the last seven years. The act also imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to hold a border poll if it appears likely that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unification". Unquote.

Back to Scotland.

If Farage (doubtful looking now) became UK PM, 58% of Scots would want independence. So a majority is likely. And it has been more than 7 years.

What unionists want is no change until they're dead & gone. Be that 20 or 50 years away. That is undemocratic & arrogant.

And that is absolutely fair enough.

Are they ?
I am not
I am simply saying that in my opinion the SNP have been shocking over the past parliament
And I fear for my DCs future if we get independence

@Motheranddaughter I would agree.

Devolution has been damaged by a failure to get on with the day job. And independence - like Brexit - is a leap of faith.

But. Where has being in the union got us?

Poverty?
Improper political representation? (Something the 13 Colonies had something to say about)
Two dodgy wars?
Isolated from Europe?

I fear for my family's future.

And I fear for my DCs future if we get independence

But apparently no such concerns with being hitched to a neighbour that is showing every sign of heading for Fascism, has mismanaged the UK's resources and economy for decades, took away your DC's freedom of movement and right to work within the EU, has dragged the UK into illegal wars on the flimsiest of pretences etc etc

Of course, there are no successful self-governing nations anywhere on the planet... Oh wait, it's the norm practically everywhere else, including in all the nations who have opted for Independence from the UK, not one of which has ever come crawling back crying about having made a mistake.

Honestly. We're the only place on the planet where so many are convinced they would be incapable of doing something that is perfectly mundane.