Scottish GC voters

[GoodyWoolf]

I was thinking about writing to Nicola Sturgeon to express how I feel about recent events with the SNP and it occurred to me to say that I will vote for whichever party in my constituency has the best chance of keeping out the SNP, not because I agree with that party but because it will have the best chance of forcing the SNP to compromise.
Is this a good idea or am I being too simplistic? If enough of us did that could it have an impact?

Is this a good idea or am I being too simplistic? If enough of us did that could it have an impact?

I think it could now have an impact, simply because there IS now a direct competitor to the SNP directly targetting the GC vote as well as the independence vote.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4153294-New-pro-women-pro-independence-Scottish-political-party

Like the Conservatives with UKIP, they're now liable to lose a chunk of their core vote (those who feel the SNP aren't being serious enough about independence), and a load of voters fed up with Woke/authoritarian/anti-women stuff, or general party corruption.

If the ISP wasn't there, or if it was an anti-Woke anti-independence party, I suspect they'd be a bit more blasé.

If you are pro-Independence take a look at the ISP - their intention is to contest list seats only, not FPTP Holyrood ones.

The prospect of another pro-Independence party taking votes from them may focus SNP minds.

Sorry, x-posted there.

Great thank you both! Can we all write to them and tell them that this is what we will do - it seemed to make a difference when the TRAs made their intentions clear. If we all do it en masse before the election hopefully they will listen.

I was thinking of doing the same thing OP, but wasn't sure what approach would have the most impact.

I am becoming frantic with everything that's going on within the SNP.

My new (female!) SNP MSP is not GC. I attended the (virtual) hustings for my constituency a few months ago and they were all asked their views on this. I found her response the most blasé and, frankly, ignorant to GC women's concerns.

Needless to say, I didn't vote for her. I voted for a man who at least admitted he didn't know enough about the subject (quelle surprise) but he was willing to listen our concerns. He seemed genuine. The others were all firmly on the TWAW side.

I no longer know where to turn. I can't talk to anyone apart from my husband. Most of my immediate family are lifelong SNP supporters/members. But they are "SNP at all costs". As was I until the scales started to fall. They will not hear anything said against them even when they it's blatant hypocrisy.

I have been an independence supporter for years but feel myself questioning myself with the SNP at the helm.

I'm still a paying member. I want to see how this whole shitshow pans out esp with the Salmond enquiry. And it's also a bit of "keep your friends close...".

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I feel like a fish out of water.

I'm up for this.

I will vote Tory if it gets the SNP out. I can't get past how they've betrayed women, I find it actually sickening.

Sounds like there are a few of us at least. Perhaps if we all write to NS and encourage any other GC people we know to do the same we can start to make a dent??

Also up for this. Although I would never have voted SNP anyway because I don't support Scottish independence.

I will await her unscripted video on twitter pleading with women not to leave the party and to "come home"....

Would it be worth getting in touch with SNP Women's Pledge to see if they can help with the letter writing campaign? Are they still going? I haven't seen anything from them for a while.

www.snpwomenspledge.com/

I guess Nicola Sturgeon might pay attention to a coordinated campaign where lots of women and men who are SNP members or voters let her know that they will vote for someone else.

I'm not a SNP member but happy to write something as well and pass on the info to others.

shorelinemaker you might be able to find like-minded SNP members via the women's pledge group I mentioned? Might make you feel less alone. And there's always here to rant about it all.

Maybe we can have two templates people could use - one for SNP members and one for those who aren't but who usually vote for them anyway?

Nicola Sturgeon might pay attention to a coordinated campaign where lots of women and men who are SNP members or voters let her know that they will vote for someone else

The thing is that women/transpeople/anyone are just not what Sturgeon is focussed on. This is all internal gesturing, power play and power struggles. I expect right now Sturgeon and her husband Mundell are mostly focussed on the court cases that could see them both out of a job, by the sounds of it.

I am also extremely worried about the journalist threatened with 2 years contempt of court for reporting on the Salmond enquiry. The civil service being completely brazenly partisan instead of completely neutral, as it should be, and the mad mechanisms being used to manipulate, obfuscate and batter the political system into a shape that suits certain parties.

The scotgov stinks; I am actually almost hoping for a Westminster intervention. I wonder if that is possible.

So, actually I don't think pleas from voters, MPs or anyone is going to make much of a dent. This is politicians fighting for their professional lives, it's messy, complicated and really nothing to do with the electorate anymore.

Our govt is unstable and the whole situation is pretty disheartening.

I'm not Scottish, but I've been a long-time Craig Murray fan - he's one of the few non-GC folk I crowdfund - and I've recently started following Wings of Scotland, so I know a moderate bit about the SNP/ScotGov shenanigans.

But I only found out yesterday that this Murrell character neck-deep in the intrigue was Sturgeon's husband.

It's like I missed a crucial plot detail on page 24 of the novel. I guess all Scottish people just know that, so it's not mentioned much...

I find myself unable to tear myself away because every day there's some new jaw-dropping revelation. (A bit like following the whole GC battle).

Didn't manage to get into Game of Thrones. Seemed like it might have been a bit like this, but more dragony.

I guess all Scottish people just know that, so it's not mentioned much...

I don't think I was aware of this fact until a couple of months ago. Murrell isn't exactly weel kent.

I've been involved in Scottish grass roots politics for years and also didn't realise this until last year when the Salmond stuff was in the news. I'm pro UK so didn't pay much attention to the SNP non MSP/MP hierarchy. It is wrong to have such a power block at the top though. They are always going to vote together and back each other up.

NecessaryScene1 me too. In fact, I only learned that from this thread.

For anyone who wants to read the nitty gritty, I do recommend Wings over Scotland. The author can be very caustic but I've always found his information very accurate and informative.

Wings has spotted something quite important about the stushie yesterday over releasing messages between Salmond’s accusers - Rape Crisis Scotland seem to have accidentally identified what they do for a living, creating a risk of jigsaw identification - the issue Craig Murray was in court for.

Also worth a read is Alex Salmond’s statement to the inquiry. Someone high up in the Scottish Government leaked the accusations to the Daily Record just as Salmond was trying to get an injunction to keep the allegations private. Now, there are arguments to make against injunctions but the proper place to make them would have been in front of the judge.

The whole thing stinks.

God, sorry - I’ve posted on the wrong thread. Ignore me.

I'd be up for that. My constituency used to be a die hard labour seat but recently has been flipping between SNP and Labour.
There are quite a few local GC voters - we even got Joan McAlpine to come and chat to us.
I'd love a decent alternative!

I see andy Whightman is considering standing in H+I as an indie.

I'd have voted for him if he stood in my area.

I mean, I would' have voted for him as a Green because of the whole misogyny nonsense that goes on from that lot. But, if he actually comes out as GC, or at least says that he'll give consideration to women's legal rights, then Id vote for him

He’s left the Greens because he voted in favour of the amendment to allow female rape victims to insist on a female forensic examiner, if that helps you decide at all.

Here’s his letter.

Oooh good news 're Andy Wightman. He's an intelligent and courageous man - I'd admired his work on land reform and ownership before he joined the greens and since he's stood up for women s rights I'd vote form him in a heartbeat.