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Category: Scotland

It takes a nation of millions to hold us back

It takes a nation of millions to hold us back

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Antifrank asks should the SNP commit to a second independence referendum? Picture yourself for a moment as Nicola Sturgeon. Right now, she presides over a hegemony.  At every level of Scottish politics, the SNP has routed its opponents.  It has 56 out of 59 MPs.  It has an absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament.  It has more local authority councillors than any other party. And the SNP is strengthening its grip.  In the most recent local authority by-elections, it is…

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Good news and some potentially worrying news for the SNP in latest TNS Scotland poll

Good news and some potentially worrying news for the SNP in latest TNS Scotland poll

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Salmond & co should be doing better on the NHS Fewer than 1/3 of Scottish voters sampled by TNS rated the Scottish Government's management of NHS as good pic.twitter.com/MiYFrYMR7u — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) August 10, 2015 But a big 2016 Holyrood result looks on the cards New TNS Scottish poll finds SNP up to 62% in constituency section of next May's Holyrood election pic.twitter.com/R3718Ms0hn — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) August 10, 2015

How SNP supporters could sabotage the EU referendum

How SNP supporters could sabotage the EU referendum

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Panelbase polled Scots & Rest of UK (RUK) voters 66% of Scots would vote to REMAIN in the EU 51% of RUK voters would vote to LEAVE the EU — TSE (@TSEofPB) July 18, 2015 Could tactical Scottish Nationalist voters win it for OUT? Panelbase polled 1,002 voters in Scotland and 956 voters in the rest of the UK from June 26th to July 3rd and got the above results on the forthcoming EU referendum, so this isn’t an analysis of English and…

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How the economic case for Scottish Independence was weakened in the last week

How the economic case for Scottish Independence was weakened in the last week

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Picture credit: Twitter How opponents of Scottish independence may have struck metaphorical oil in the last week. The top table (table 5) is taken from the Scottish Government’s white paper on independence published in late 2013, whilst the bottom table (table 1) is from the Scottish Government’s Oil & Gas bulletin published last week. As the Guardian notes The Scottish government has been accused of trying to bury a report that predicts North Sea oil revenues could be £40bn less…

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Holyrood 2016: who will come second?

Holyrood 2016: who will come second?

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Making a tissue on a “Betting Without” market This is a betting thread without a market as yet. However, the best prices on any political market can usually be found within either the first six hours or the last six. So a little forethought as to what you’d be prepared to back – and at what price – can often be rewarded handsomely. Someone launching a “without the SNP” market on Holyrood is only going to be a matter of…

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New guest slot team member DavidL on the other leadership election – the fight to lead Scottish Labour

New guest slot team member DavidL on the other leadership election – the fight to lead Scottish Labour

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I’d like to talk about the Labour leadership election. No, no, not that election but the Scottish one that no one is paying any attention to. On 16th May Jim Murphy announced, having won his vote of no confidence, that he was standing down, not there and then like his esteemed leader but a month later. That month is up next week. As always in the Alice in Wonderland of Scottish politics, Scottish Labour can’t go back to yesterday because…

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At last! Betting on the May 2016 Scottish Parliamentary Election

At last! Betting on the May 2016 Scottish Parliamentary Election

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Ladbrokes http://t.co/5ytVwnqvbc become the 1st national bookie to offer odds on the May 2016 Holyrood elections pic.twitter.com/KS6gSdqYYu — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) June 1, 2015 Understanding the Scottish system Given what we’ve seen it is very hard to envisage anything other than a big SNP victory. Unlike last month’s general elections north of the border where the SNP were able to pick up 56 of the 59 seats with 50% of the vote the system for Holyrood is different and should…

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Only divorce can save the Union

Only divorce can save the Union

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It is time to set the Scottish parties free Unprecedented is not what it used to be. The splintering of the party system and the increasing willingness of voters to shop around means that the previously extraordinary has become rather routine. To take one example, prior to this week, in no election since 1918 had more than three parties polled over a million votes each*; this year, six did so. But nowhere was the scale of the unprecedented more obvious…

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