Shall we have a Scotsnet general election thread?

[JennyLake]

This WILL be interesting. Even if it doesn’t rid us of the SNP from Holyrood, it will provide a good barometer of public opinion on the recent exploits of the SNP.

Farewell Blackman and Black!

Neither behaviour is better or worse than the other but for me it's two very different kinds.

The betting thing is using their own resource to gain financially for themselves by cheating. The other is habitually using public resources as if they were your own for direct or indirect personal gain/gain for your cause.

I just find it interesting (and appalling).

The Tories election fraud is so small fry compared to what we're used to with them, it hardly even registers.

John Swinney at the question time last night was interesting. The audience think he is a good bloke with good ideas, and yet they don’t live here and see the manifeston of their government - heaps of money being ploughed in to truly dire public services.

I'd agree with that - during the pandemic I heard repeatedly from relatives living in England how much they admired Sturgeon and how strong and competent a leader she was.

They were of course comparing with Boris, and there is no doubt that Sturgeon is a more effective communicator. But they were only seeing a couple of minutes of her banging on about keeping us all safe, and not living 24/7 with the consequences of her policies.

It's easy to stand up and say what people want to hear, not so easy to have ideas on how to deliver and solutions to actually deliver it without there being pain and consequences elsewhere. It also takes competence which is sadly lacking.

SNP have consistency sold the image of a magic money tree where everyone gets everything for free and good old mammy or daddy in Scotgov will look after you for free from cradle to grave. Unfortunately there are still people that think this is true and have no idea where the money comes from.

It's all about making choices and delivering hard messages to achieve things that might make things better for most, but at what cost and are people prepared to pay that? I genuinely don't mind higher taxes if I saw an actual benefit to society that gave people fishing rods instead of fish. Instead it seems to be about control and reducing choice framed under social responsibility which is definitely not helpful in the long run.

Yes absolutely this. I told a friend in England about the Police not allowing people to sit on benches and she was horrified.

That's the least of police Scotland's misdemeanors.

Postal vote done for Labour

First time in years I have genuine hope that the SNP will lose in our seat.

When did you get your postal vote? We go on holiday tomorrow and haven't received ours yet so looks like we won't be voting at all

@dementedpixie ours arrived yesterday, hopefully yours will arrive in time.

@dementedpixie

Ours came in the post today

Well looks like there will be no votes from our house then as they never arrived today!

@dementedpixie did you get the previous (utterly pointless) letter a week or so ago? The one that said we'll send your postal vote in a few days?

Our postal votes haven't arrived either. I feel so strongly about this election I'd rather miss my holiday than not vote.

@Disc0mbobulated Yes the 3 of us got the letter. Said we should have got the postal votes by yesterday

From my time as a poll clerk many moons ago, there is a process whereby you can nominate a proxy, if you feel very strongly about voting @dementedpixie it might be worth phoning the election office at the council, or dropping them an email.

Good point

Deadline for proxy votes is 26 June

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/ways-vote/apply-vote-proxy

Article in the Times today about Nicola Sturgeon out campaigning and while it mentions operation Branchform as a reason for her resignation there is no mention of any trans/gender issues in the entire article:

https://www.thetimes.com/article/e07abca2-33c4-49f0-ac48-fe3d97482f06?shareToken=c3958e48db0cddf9eee73c9cc5197827

We are the same, applied ages ago for a postal vote and nothing has came through yet, holiday is today, so 3 lost votes from our house.

my mum said she received a letter to say postal vote was on its way and then received postal vote a few days later but we have had nothing.

Got our postal vote Thursday. Central Scotland

I applied for a postal vote ages ago but haven’t heard anything. No letter and no postal vote. Though I have got a voting card through for our local polling station. Worried I’ll miss out. Our seat is very close - famously 2 votes in it a few elections ago! And with the boundary changes it’ll be very close this time too. Don’t want to not vote. I may arrange a proxy if I don’t get postal vote on Mon/tues.

Remember you don't need a polling card to vote in person. It does make things easier for the polling staff but it's not a requirement.

Postal vote posted.

Latest polling from Electoral Calculus predicting: https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/area_scot.html

Conservative 1 seat (was 6)
Labour 29 seats (was 1)
Lib Dem 5 seats (was 2)
Reform 0
Green 0
SNP 22 seats (was 48)

This will be a great result if it comes to pass. Wonder what the one safest Tory seat in Scotland is? Probs the Borders.

Does anyone else have a different attitude to the Scottish conservatives from the UK conservatives? Douglas Ross has a bit of a sneery manner but I think they and their party are generally law abiding citizens who want the best for people and the country.

The UK conservatives are vile, corrupt chancers.

I mean I’m not voting for them as it is Labour most likely to get the SNP out where I am so I have to vote for them, but I don’t find them offensive.