Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election

[Wheelsup]

I find the habit of coming to your door, with your name on a list, asking you who you are going to vote for and then marking your card, a bit intimidating. Admittedly only one of the latter canvassers did that. It happened to me in Edinburgh a few years ago. “Now Mr. ——-, can I put you down as voting for us?” They said.

[davie-L]

 

Great to see the SNP 'door people' standing at the polling stations, a bit intimidating no doubt for some voters.

Not sure why you would say it was great to see them despite accepting it could be a bit intimidating for some voters.

 

This over the top approach by the SNP, with lamp post posters, flying in all the top brass, bringing in the foot soldiers, folk at doors of polling stations leaflets after leaflet, over planning etc etc, likely ended up having a negative effect. I think the SNP let Tom down by their over the top approach. This push it down your throat approach might work in Edinburgh, but it’s not the way we’re used to it up here. The top brass in their desperation to win the seat, took over his campaign and I think that lost him votes.

 

 

The reason I said it was great was that it gave me a chance to debate the positives/negatives of supporting SNP directly with one of their canvassers. I didn't feel intimidated but my 17 year old son said he didn't feel comfortable and wouldn't have known how to react if confronted during his first voting experience with these SNP 'door people' loitering around. 

 

Completely agree on your comments on the over the top approach from the SNP top brass and Tom Wills possibly losing votes due to this. Will be interesting to see how the people of Shetland will be punished for not voting SNP.

[BigMouth]

I was really surprised with the number of people that voted for the Tories. The party that has seen so many deaths shortly after those assessed were deemed fit for work. They have tried the starve the disabled and brought in the Rape Law. Their leader in Scotland ran away. Loathed in Westminster, where it was felt she needed to wind her neck in. The Tories overwhelming success has been the food bank. There are no shortage of them. We are not a country at war, we are the 6th richest economy in the world, yet we have people going cap in hand to food banks to feed their children and themselves. The tax avoiders have done well, as have those that benefitted from our assets being sold off. Many made a killing on the Post Office, especially the preferred bidders. As far as I am concerned, if you vote Tory you have little interest in your fellow human beings, and have an I’m alright Jack attitude.

 

Labour really do need to stop putting up a representative here. They just humiliate themselves every time. When an independent candidate can command multiples of the vote that a major well funded national party can get it may be time to give up.

 

The worst thing about the campaign was the amount of crap that came through my letterbox, from all parties, but particularly the SNP. You’re politicians, therefore you are by nature duplicitous, see Boris Johnson. You are lower than estate agents, and I wouldn’t waste my time reading your proclamations, let alone believing anything you said.

 

For those that dream of autonomy, keep on dreaming. You need permission to break away, and you’re never going to get that, not until you are a cost rather than a benefit to whichever government rules us, but even then Northern Ireland has been kept in the UK union.

 

As for the War memorial, it smells of the LieDems. Any party that could go into coalition with the Tories could quite easily arrange for a useful idiot to do that.

[whalsa]

I was really surprised with the number of people that voted for the Tories. The party that has seen so many deaths shortly after those assessed were deemed fit for work. They have tried the starve the disabled and brought in the Rape Law. Their leader in Scotland ran away. Loathed in Westminster, where it was felt she needed to wind her neck in. The Tories overwhelming success has been the food bank. There are no shortage of them. We are not a country at war, we are the 6th richest economy in the world, yet we have people going cap in hand to food banks to feed their children and themselves. The tax avoiders have done well, as have those that benefitted from our assets being sold off. Many made a killing on the Post Office, especially the preferred bidders. As far as I am concerned, if you vote Tory you have little interest in your fellow human beings, and have an I’m alright Jack attitude.

 

Labour really do need to stop putting up a representative here. They just humiliate themselves every time. When an independent candidate can command multiples of the vote that a major well funded national party can get it may be time to give up.

 

The worst thing about the campaign was the amount of crap that came through my letterbox, from all parties, but particularly the SNP. You’re politicians, therefore you are by nature duplicitous, see Boris Johnson. You are lower than estate agents, and I wouldn’t waste my time reading your proclamations, let alone believing anything you said.

 

For those that dream of autonomy, keep on dreaming. You need permission to break away, and you’re never going to get that, not until you are a cost rather than a benefit to whichever government rules us, but even then Northern Ireland has been kept in the UK union.

 

As for the War memorial, it smells of the LieDems. Any party that could go into coalition with the Tories could quite easily arrange for a useful idiot to do that.

 

Arguably you don't NEED permission, although realistically some form of agreement would have to be reached with Westminster and probably Holyrood. However, all peoples have the right to self-determination, it is in the UN Charter. 

 

​A good chance for Shetland would be in the event of Scottish independence, both sides would want to hold on to Shetland so a forward looking Council/Party could negotiate an autonomy deal with either side. All that is needed is the public and political will to exert our rights and use our unique position.

Edited August 30, 2019 by whalsa

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

I'm finding it a tad ironic, whalsa, that you're now advocating autonomy when Wir Shetland appears to have disappeared without trace with no explanation as to why to the general public at large.

I found little, if any substance, in what Ryan had to say; several people have said to me that you might as well have voted for the SNP because Ryan just kept going on about working with the Government and no real detail as to how he would achieve results; the devil is in the detail, as they say.

However, I do think this election has demonstrated just how vicious, vitriolic, blinkered and downright fanatical many of the SNP supporters are on social media, resorting to personal attacks if anyone dare to criticise their beloved party.  I have never seen such intolerance in any election previously and I, for one, would hope that along with the veiled threats by SNP politicans themselves, that has opened people's eyes.  Beatrice will be a member of the opposition.  It's not down to her to go begging for our services to be well funded, any Scot. Gov. should be providing services for all, not dependent upon whether or not a certain constituency voted for them.  The Scot. Gov. prepare their budget and it is then debated, it is the opposition's job to vote against it if it is a pile of poo but hey, never mind, Ryan would work with the Government in any event.  If his backing of the wheelie bin scheme is anything to go by, then thank goodness he never got voted in.

Soooo whalsa, are you going to stand in 18 months' time advocating autonomy or what?

[BigMouth]

The reality of politics is that political parties look after their constituencies.  An example would be the Tories, who have diverted HS2 around one of their seats at vast expense (£600m).

 

I know we like evidence, so here's a quote from the Tory Daily Heil:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270380/Chancellor-George-Osborne-faces-furious-backlash-accused-diverting-controversial-HS2-rail-route-backyard.html

[shetlander]

However, I do think this election has demonstrated just how vicious, vitriolic, blinkered and downright fanatical many of the SNP supporters are on social media, resorting to personal attacks if anyone dare to criticise their beloved party.

Agreed other than that the behaviour has been confined to just SNP supporters. The vicious personal insults that have been flying about on FB in the last few weeks have been truly shocking in some cases and say a hell of a lot more about the folk trading them than the politicians/policies they’re trying to argue against.

[Davie P]

Completely agree Shetlander. The tone of discussion on Twitter and FB has been appalling - everything from childish insults (can we please ban the use of '(friends with concerns about Brexit)'!) to threats of violence.

 

However, the candidates themselves have largely fought positive campaigns (although the Lib Dems did seem to emphasise an anti-SNP agenda which is perhaps to be expected of an opposition party)

 

Whatever your political persuasion and despite the inevitable social media trolling, I think the by-election has been <cliché alert> a good result for local democracy

[Claadehol]

Well BigMouth, I see you are determined to pin the blame for the desecration of the war memorial on the Lib Dems, and we all know that is fantasy stuff. 

 

As you say the Lib Dems joined the Tories in coalition and that was certainly a serious error of judgement but that hardly means they would indulge in vandalism such as this.

 

It is obviously the work of a deranged, single figure IQ, fanatical follower of the SNP. This kind of nationalistic party always attracts people like this, it's been seen so often before.

 

Now if we wish to condemn the Lib Dems for their coalition actions, whatever their motives, maybe  we should be having a go at the legend and founder hero of the SNP who has happily got into bed with the russians. His previous admirers in government don't seem so keen on him these days, especially as he's just taken them for £500,000. This was primarily due to the incompetence of Nicola and her senior accomplice.

 

Anyway the SNP may have gained a little after an astonishingly expensive campaign, carpet bombing the islands with leaflets, signs, badges and innumerable servile helpers, but they are still 1800 or so votes behind here. 

 

They need to lick their wounds and accept the fact the northern isles don't need them, or for that matter want them. 

[Davie P]

Anyway the SNP may have gained a little after an astonishingly expensive campaign, carpet bombing the islands with leaflets, signs, badges and innumerable servile helpers, but they are still 1800 or so votes behind here. 

 

They need to lick their wounds and accept the fact the northern isles don't need them, or for that matter want them. 

 

Fair enough you're anti-SNP, but the Lib Dem majority was more than halved from 4,895 in 2016 and the SNP gained a 14.4% swing. I don't expect the SNP will be licking their wounds or thinking the north isles don't want or need them.

[BigMouth]

Well Claadehol, I see you are determined to pin the blame for the desecration of the war memorial on the SNP, and we all know that is fantasy stuff. 

 

After the LieDems joined the Tories in the ConDem coalition I would put nothing past them, especialy when the SNP were reducing their majority.

 

It is obviously the work of a deranged, single figure IQ, fanatical follower of the LieDems. This kind of party always attracts people like this, it's been seen so often before.  It was about as disrespectful as you can get in Shetland, but politically it was a LieDem tactical masterstroke.  I wonder how they will outdo that the next time.  Change will come to Shetland.  It is only a matter of time.

 

Politicians of all parties would sell their soul, yours and mine too, for money.  There are very few that aren't feathering their nests one way or another.

 

Anyway the LieDems may have gained a little after an astonishingly acrimonious campaign.  They have held onto their seat, with a reduced majority and shown themselves to be happy with a poisonous divisve campaign.  The SNP carpet bombing the islands with leaflets, signs, badges and innumerable servile helpers, (but they are still 1800 or so votes behind here), should have to pay for the recycling costs of all this crap, as should the rest.  Servility describes all the helpers of all parties.

 

The SNP don't need to lick their wounds and accept the fact the northern isles don't need them, or for that matter want them, because they got so many more votes, devastating the LieDem lead.  Bear in mind that this is the LieDems safest seat in the UK.  They shouldn't even have to campaign.  You could ut a monkey in yellow and it would get in.  The fact that the SNP are getting so close shows that change is on the horizon.  It will come when people realise that if you think Holyrood doesn't give a toss about us, Westmonster cares even less.  Most of Westmonster couldn't point to Shetland on a map.

 

I should make it clear in case their is any doubt that I didn't vote for the SNP.  I feel that little Jimmy Crankie's politics are as loathsome as the LieDems treachery.

[admin]

If anyone has evidence relating to the vandalism of the War Memorial , please contact the police.

 

If not then.....

 

Re: vandalism of the War Memorial (which, we understand, has now been cleaned off)

 

At this stage there is no evidence of who was responsible or their motives so let's not be distracted by speculation.

[George.]

Now if we wish to condemn the Lib Dems for their coalition actions, whatever their motives, maybe  we should be having a go at the legend and founder hero of the SNP who has happily got into bed with the russians. 

 

I wonder just who the founder of the S.N.P that you mention actually is. Regardless, he must have been born before 1934 because that was when the founder did the job of founding. How old do you think he is?

Edited September 1, 2019 by George.

[Claadehol]

Ok George, the hero Alex who was described as a legend not long ago, the man who brought the SNP in out of the wilderness. I accept not the founder but the hero nonetheless, well not considered so by Jim Sillars it seems. Alex will be making news for some time yet, though perhaps not beneficial news for the party he used to love.

 

It's ok anyway we will keep them out of the isles.   

[Wheelsup]

Now Claadehol, best not to keep hitting them when their down.