Anyone else unsure who to vote for?

[swiggless]

Used to be a Labour supporter but they don't stand in my constituency (or when they do, they come 5th or 6th). It's between SNP, Lib Dem and Tories (in that order) here. I physically can't vote for the latter two, however I'm not enthusiastic to vote SNP, despite voting for them previously. Greens aren't standing either. I hate the idea of spoiling my ballot but I genuinely don't know what to do. Anyone else in the same situation (not necessarily stuck between the same parties)?

Some SNP supporters. And some Labour supporters. And some Green supporters. And some Conservative supporters.

Fixed it for you @MissBarbary

I have stumbled upon some strange and chilling narratives about Scottishness and who counts as a “real” Scot and I have been really uncomfortable with the shutting the border during the pandemic and the anti English sentiment that has accompanied it. I voted for independence and don’t really have any direct English connections myself, but nonetheless this has all seemed pretty chilling to me and I very much want it to stop now.

I struggle to believe people who say 'I'm left leaning but I will be voting Tory..."

I simply can't believe that.

You either aren't left leaning or you don't really understand what left leaning is.

I'd rather shit in my hands and clap than vote Tory.

This is a party responsible for 150k + deaths and the sleaze and incompetence is unmatched. They lie to everyone. Not to mention the Scottish arm... Douglas Ross as a personality is just...awful.

So I tried to understand the List vote before voting and I've just had the D'Hondt method of calculating the List vote share 'explained' on the BBC. I find it utterly impenetrable! I was never any good at maths at school. I think I got my head round the general priniciple but the calculation?! Surely to God the system means that some people just vote the same party twice? It's not as easy as thinking of a '2nd' choice is it? If you want the SNP in and you don't understand the intricacies of what the List vote means, you'd probably just vote SNP again wouldn't you. But I don't think that helps the SNP does it? Or doesn't it?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing the outcome. Apparently Clydebank is due to declare soon...

Seems from early tweets that turnout is high - no matter which way it falls, I love to see more people taking part in democracy.

Although the US political landscape is trashed now, I've always envied them their political engagement culture - although I did have a US colleague who lived here during the 2014 referendum who was amazed that we all discussed our views so openly. She said you couldn't do that where she lived because views are so polarised and, well, people carry guns...

@WhiskyIrnBru

I struggle to believe people who say 'I'm left leaning but I will be voting Tory..."

I simply can't believe that.

You either aren't left leaning or you don't really understand what left leaning is.

I'd rather shit in my hands and clap than vote Tory.

This is a party responsible for 150k + deaths and the sleaze and incompetence is unmatched. They lie to everyone. Not to mention the Scottish arm... Douglas Ross as a personality is just...awful.

That's your view, millions of people believe that sturgeon is a sleazy liar who murdered many due to the care homes and the drugs deaths. And that's before we get into gross incompetence, shit policies etc

To me it says more about the SNP that left leaning people would rather vote for the tories than them.

@WhiskyIrnBru I’ve explained that above. Forced into it to try to moderate the attempts of the SNP to erase women and destroy freedom of speech, as well as the dreadful education gap, poverty, drugs deaths, council tax freeze, corruption, interference in the legal system, etc etc.

@WhiskyIrnBru

I struggle to believe people who say 'I'm left leaning but I will be voting Tory..."

I simply can't believe that.

You either aren't left leaning or you don't really understand what left leaning is.

I'd rather shit in my hands and clap than vote Tory.

This is a party responsible for 150k + deaths and the sleaze and incompetence is unmatched. They lie to everyone. Not to mention the Scottish arm... Douglas Ross as a personality is just...awful.

What's so hard to believe? The Conservatives have run their campaign with the message "if you don't want another independence referendum, vote for us". If, for you, the most important issue is not having another independence referendum, then you put aside your other thoughts about a party or put a cross in their box.

Also, because you know that abstaining or spoiling your ballot or whatever is a waste - you won't be counted "against" the SNP, you won't be counted at all.

I find it more odd to be a dyed in the wool voter for one particular party and never to deviate from that whatever the leader is like, or the economy is like, or the current issues which bother you.

@user1487194234

Personally I would find it very difficult to vote Tory,and most working class people who grew up in the west of Scotland in the 80s probably feel the same But i totally agree that everyone should vote as they wish

The north of England was absolutely battered by the tory government during the 80s. Why do so many think Scotland think was the only one so hard done by back then? Hartlepool turning tory- by a long way- is absolutely gobsmaking in that context. Going against their principles to vote? Or electorate feeling that Labour was too busy bashing Boris’s wallpaper choice to pay them any attention? Sound familiar re SNP in Scotland? Why do so many in Scotland hang on to principles from their childhood- the world has changed- ironically, the Scotland you remember from childhood will be battered by the division of another referendum, which will be forced through by SNP-if they’ve returned a majority- who folk have refused to vote tactically against, because ‘the 80s’. 🤷‍♀️ It will be too late in 5 years to have changed your mind. The (further) damage of nearly 20 years SNP rule will have been done.

@SoMuchForSummerLove

Some SNP supporters. And some Labour supporters. And some Green supporters. And some Conservative supporters.

Fixed it for you @MissBarbary

I'm not sure what you have "fixed". I've not personally experienced aggression and vitriol about my anti- separatist veiws from any one other than separatists- i.e SNP supporters.

[quote WouldBeGood]@WhiskyIrnBru I’ve explained that above. Forced into it to try to moderate the attempts of the SNP to erase women and destroy freedom of speech, as well as the dreadful education gap, poverty, drugs deaths, council tax freeze, corruption, interference in the legal system, etc etc.[/quote]
So voting Tory is going to show the SNP what...?

Because the conservatives have a great track record on women...I mean the PM is an excellent role model.

I could agree with you if the Tories were outranking the SNP in terms of all the criticisms you've mentioned. But they are not.

I'd argue there is more corruption and interference with the Tory party in power. They just don't have as much of a chance in Scotland. So what you want is the Tories to have full control corruption up here?

Slightly absurd thinking.

@annabelindajane I have family all over the UK including some who fly from Scotland to Dublin on a regular basis. And Dublin to London ( both for work then back home to their family).

Have women been erased in Ireland @wouldbegood? I haven't heard anything like that from family there.

@Bytheloch nobody said that Scotland is uniquely hard done by. Maybe we hang onto grudges longer, or maybe we don't like giving people who fuck us over more chances than they deserve. Or maybe the current Tory government have shown their true colours once again, reinforcing all the stereotypes we hold about them.

I don't see it as a bad thing that we remember who the Tories were in the 80s and continue to see who they are now.

No. The Tories won’t win in Scotland. But they are the closest party to the SNP in my area and I’d like a better mix of MSPs to put restraints on things like the HCB and the GRA.

I wouldn’t vote Tory in England or here if they’d win. It’s to try to put some brakes on the creation of the woke kingdom of Scotland.

You want a restraint on a HCB. Yeah - voting Tory is your natural choice.

@WouldBeGood we're fucked if a decent portion of the population have had the same thought of you, basically that voting Tory is a safe sort of protest vote. I'm sure it is at your local level but apply that nationally...

And it's not like we can even just fuck off to another country easily these days thanks Brexit Trapped on this wee island with Boris Johnson leading the way for how many more years?

Ooh I'm feeling the election stress now

With results starting to come in, 100+ spoiled ballots in Aberdeen Donside, is that a lot?

[quote SoMuchForSummerLove]@WouldBeGood we're fucked if a decent portion of the population have had the same thought of you, basically that voting Tory is a safe sort of protest vote. I'm sure it is at your local level but apply that nationally...

And it's not like we can even just fuck off to another country easily these days thanks Brexit Trapped on this wee island with Boris Johnson leading the way for how many more years?

Ooh I'm feeling the election stress now [/quote]
I know, I can't apply to teaching jobs in Europe thanks to the fecking Tories.

The HCB is law. It's parliamentary history. It was approved and voted for by every single MSP besides the 31 Tories. What outcome this election has is immaterial to the HCB since the Tories are only ones with any interest in repealing it and they haven't a hope in hell of unseating the SNP.

This narrative that the Tories 'care about women's rights' is beyond parody. No party has done more damage to the fabric of Scots society than the Tories. It's invariably women disproportionately affected by poverty, discrimination, lack of opportunity, and lack of equality, all things the Tories specialise in driving with their ideologies that create disparity in the first place, then vilify and persecute those who end up with the thin end of the wedge.

It's telling that this narrative is always espoused by very firmly middle-class professional women. It's utterly tone-deaf, naive, and screams of privilege.

So far two results in and no great surprise on either, wonder how the rest of the day will unfold.

[quote SoMuchForSummerLove]@WouldBeGood we're fucked if a decent portion of the population have had the same thought of you, basically that voting Tory is a safe sort of protest vote. I'm sure it is at your local level but apply that nationally...

And it's not like we can even just fuck off to another country easily these days thanks Brexit Trapped on this wee island with Boris Johnson leading the way for how many more years?

Ooh I'm feeling the election stress now [/quote]
I'm sure by Sunday there will be plenty of gloating SNP supporters on here.
Not even the Tory party think they will suddenly switch from SNP to a Conservative Scottish government.

I do hope that the SNP pay attention to the other half rather than just saying look we have a remit for independence referendum.

Many many people want recovery from a frankly shite 14 months. Not money spent on dividing people.

@XDownwiththissortofthingX

The HCB is law. It's parliamentary history. It was approved and voted for by every single MSP besides the 31 Tories. What outcome this election has is immaterial to the HCB since the Tories are only ones with any interest in repealing it and they haven't a hope in hell of unseating the SNP.

This narrative that the Tories 'care about women's rights' is beyond parody. No party has done more damage to the fabric of Scots society than the Tories. It's invariably women disproportionately affected by poverty, discrimination, lack of opportunity, and lack of equality, all things the Tories specialise in driving with their ideologies that create disparity in the first place, then vilify and persecute those who end up with the thin end of the wedge.

It's telling that this narrative is always espoused by very firmly middle-class professional women. It's utterly tone-deaf, naive, and screams of privilege.

👏👏👏

Yes, I'd like them to get the message that they don't have full support for some of their less palatable ideas re women. On the other hand, I think fuck Westminster and want an outcome that supports that sentiment.

I feel utterly divided.

From Lewis Goodall on Twitter:

SNP sources saying they’re on the one hand pleaded with boosted turnout which they think is in their favour but saying they think there’s been significant unionist tactical voting. Let’s see.

So they should understand what's behind the tactical vote then, surely?