Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election

[Ghostrider]

 

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.

 

 

No doubt that's the interpretation the SNP will apply, but when you look at the numbers more meaningfully, the LD's only lost 20% of the vote share, with only 10% of that going to the SNP, and the other 10% going to Thomson.

 

They've swung that and more in previous Scottish elections, arguably the face counts as much as the party in terms of vote share in local Holyrood elections looking at past performance across the board, so if they couldn't pull in more than a 10% gain with the candidate they had, the massive publicity effort they undertook, and in such a large field of candidates, I don't think party HQ have much need to be considering ordering up any form of 'congratulations' material for whoever may stand here for them in 18 months.

Edited September 1, 2019 by Ghostrider

[George.]

^Quite right, Wheelsup. Discourteous at the least, if it's to be done. However, if they're standing proud........

Edited September 1, 2019 by George.

[George.]

I accept not the founder but the hero nonetheless, well not considered so by Jim Sillars it seems.

 

Jim Sillars? The relationship with the conversation?

[Muckle Oxters]

 

 

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.

 

 

No doubt that's the interpretation the SNP will apply, but when you look at the numbers more meaningfully, the LD's only lost 20% of the vote share, with only 10% of that going to the SNP, and the other 10% going to Thomson.

 

They've swung that and more in previous Scottish elections, arguably the face counts as much as the party in terms of vote share in local Holyrood elections looking at past performance across the board, so if they couldn't pull in more than a 10% gain with the candidate they had, the massive publicity effort they undertook, and in such a large field of candidates, I don't think party HQ have much need to be considering ordering up any form of 'congratulations' material for whoever may stand here for them in 18 months.

 

 

Da Libs Dems vote went doon 20% at dis election and da same at da 2016 election, and da SNP has gone up 10% at both elections. If dat trends continue den it'll be neck and neck at da next election.

 

I wish Beatrice Wishart aa da best, but she'll need to pit in a good 18 month shift or da SNP will be nippin her heels!

[Muckle Oxters]

 

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.

 

 

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

 

It really is godless. I hardly ever go on Fisscloot onymare we aa da sherrgin and name callin. Folk dunna seem to be able to hae a civil discussion withoot it degenerating intae tradin insults.

[Nigel Bridgman-Elliot]

> use a small screwdriver to open up the locking flap so that the tie can be used again.
 

I've yet to master the art of that, since every time I've tried it, I end up with a useless locking flap which has lost its mojo.

[Nigel Bridgman-Elliot]

I imagine tactical voters looking for who to vote for, would see the poll here, and vote for Ryan..
 

Perhaps next time, we might see more polls elsewhere so folk can see that if they do want to vote tactically, that the LibDem's are the best bet there.
 

Makes me wonder, what would be the reasons be for the majority to vote someone into a winning position who isn't a LibDem ?

 

Half price electricity for all on the islands perhaps..

Actually, considering ours went up 68% this year, they would have to do better than that !

Free electricity maybe !
 

[Ghostrider]

 

 

 

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.

 

 

No doubt that's the interpretation the SNP will apply, but when you look at the numbers more meaningfully, the LD's only lost 20% of the vote share, with only 10% of that going to the SNP, and the other 10% going to Thomson.

 

They've swung that and more in previous Scottish elections, arguably the face counts as much as the party in terms of vote share in local Holyrood elections looking at past performance across the board, so if they couldn't pull in more than a 10% gain with the candidate they had, the massive publicity effort they undertook, and in such a large field of candidates, I don't think party HQ have much need to be considering ordering up any form of 'congratulations' material for whoever may stand here for them in 18 months.

 

 

Da Libs Dems vote went doon 20% at dis election and da same at da 2016 election, and da SNP has gone up 10% at both elections. If dat trends continue den it'll be neck and neck at da next election.

 

I wish Beatrice Wishart aa da best, but she'll need to pit in a good 18 month shift or da SNP will be nippin her heels!

 

 

We must be reading different figures, from the numbers I'm looking at, the LD's gained 20% of the vote in '16, mainly due to getting back the lion's share of the 30% of the vote Billy Fox took in '11.

 

Yes, the SNP have gained on both of the last two elections, but the 10%ish Danus gained in '16 was just taking back what had been lost by the two outsiders across the previous two elections to that. Willie Ross took 20% in '03, but that fell back to 16% in '05 for Val Simpson, then back to 12% for Urquhart in '11.