A decent start
Posted on
March 24, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Respect to John MacKay of STV, who on last night’s Scotland Tonight asked Labour MSP James Kelly the question this site has called for about whether Labour would stand aside and let the Tories rule if the latter were the largest party after May’s election, but Labour had enough seats to win a confidence vote and form the government with backing from the SNP and/or other parties.
Kelly, unsurprisingly, flapped and blustered and totally evaded it. But then we doubt he has the authority to make the tea in Scottish Labour, let alone speak for the party on key policy issues. If the question isn’t put repeatedly by all of the media to more senior Labour figures until an answer is produced, we’ll be wanting to know why.
My God, what an eejit. How do these morons get elected?
They dance about the question, but never answer it….That’s what the electorate are getting pissed off with Murph and deputy dugdale and Labour in general, they cant answer a simple question.. Is it yes or no ?? Err, Maybe.
Sooner we see the back of them the better.
The bit of his brain reserved for thinking has obviously been disconnected.
Alternatively
Anybody else think that all the “Scottish Labour” apparatchiks have been secretly kidnapped and are placed in suspended animation inside some giant space ship hiding behin the dark side of the Moon.
They have been replaced with badly programmed robots or unintelligent lizards.
Well what do you know someone in Labour HQ, Scotland branch, has actually read the post it note left behind by RED Ed.
Unfortunately what it says is of absolutely NO interest to any man,woman, child or dug cause what it says is exactly the same as the wee post its left at Tory HQ, Branch office, and LibDem HQ, branch office as well. In other words everyone knows that every political party is going out to win the General Election ya numpty what we want to know is the answer to the question that is asked NOT some two bit one liner you have FINALLY managed to remember and recite off verbatim! 😀
I am going to ask you a question but rather than answer it, can you please just talk some absolute bollocks.
Evasive answers like that will get him sanctioned after 7th May
No luck there yet. Still let’s hope they persevere relentlessly like they did with the Currency Plan B during the Referendum.
And er, two sugars and milk for me, James
Wonder if we’ll see anyone on the BBC asking the same question…?
I am not a judgemental person, but if people in Scotland are still voting Labour, there is clearly something fundamentally wrong in Scotland.
Kelly is right, we do want Change, from Labour!
And the answer, surprisingly is . . . “Oh bollocks, you’ve been on WINGS haven’t you?”
Trident/illegal wars, banking fraud and tax evasion. Westminster secrecy, lies and economic failures covered up by the Official Secrets Act. Hold their feet to the fire for more powers to improve the Scottish economy. Vote SNP. Vote NO you get nothing but unemployment. The only thing protecting Scottish services NHS/Education is the SNP Gov at Holyrood.
At least McKay asked the question, as you say, so credit where credit’s due. No surprise that he didn’t get an answer just moronic waffle.
Labours Northern sheep are not genetically programmed to make political decisions, Mr Kelly is proof of that fact.
So…er…we now have ‘Vote labour, get Tory’
Chic Thomson says:
24 March, 2015 at 10:16 am
Evasive answers like that will get him (sanctioned) sectioned after 7th May
🙂
Nice one, MacKay.
Let’s keep asking that question.
England – Land of the Pure: http://wp.me/p4fd9j-17d
I think it is clear that Ed will enter No 10 if he can be sure he has the numbers on his side, regardless of whether Labour has more seats than the Tories. He would be mad not to.
Oh jeez. 😀
Well done Mr MacKay right enough.
It’s not that the Labour party don’t have any brains it’s just that quite often James Kelly doesn’t get the use of them
It’s a sharing thing
One-scot if people in scotland are still voting labour, there is clearly something funda (mentally) wrong with the people of scotland.
Jim Murphy will be asked that question in TV debates, where the SNP are present.
What’s Plan B?
North Korean Party aparatchiks
The Scottish Office Bruce Millans of their day
Oh FFS how did we ever vote for these people?
What have they ever achieved?
What have the Scottish Government done in comparison?
Night and day. Night and day.
Keep turning the screw Stu! The SLAB and indeed UK Labour mantra is wearing thin. The parrot approach is easily seen through, as we can see in the polls, fewer and fewer are listening now anyway.
A bit more pressing and he would have burst into tears. The other question is, what was murphy going on about in 2010, when brown was meeting with libdem?
Ros 10.33
“Vote Labour, get Tory”
Love it!!!
James Kelly is obviously a five foot man in six feet of water.
Out of his depth and drowning, on national TV no less.
What a confusing way to ask the question, and he gave up on pushing for an answer.
Our political news coverage is shocking. I see no reason to afford any credit to the interviewer for this whatsoever.
I suggest that Wings should run with a count down clock similar to the fundraiser but headed “WHEN WILL THE BBC ASK THE OBVIOUS QUESTION?”
I’m hearing a wee birdy that says all vans transporting votes from polling stations will be followed to and from their destinations by volunteers, timed and filmed, regardless of who the security is
Who are these guys then, and good on them, if correct,
I think?
Labour are not genetically programmed to answer questions!
O/T From The Postal Ballot
‘We then asked local people to identify for us people they knew whom they felt were unlikely to have voted at the Referendum for whatever reason. We got quite a few names and addresses of local people given to us on that basis. What we then did was to select 20 of these from the main polling station register and 20 from the PB register.
We visited Argyll & Bute HQ again and got access, under supervision, to both registers, which enabled us to complete our work. Our findings again illustrated, that of our 20 polling station voters where we expected a low turnout, 6 voted and 14 did not vote, i.e. 30% voted 70% did not vote. With those on the PB register, the situation was dramatically different. 4 were registered as having not voted while 16 were recorded as having voted i.e. 80% voted and only 20% not voted. Is that not strange and interesting?’
Why did they then not simply contact and ask the 20 selected from the Postal Ballot if they had indeed used their Postal Vote?
Ah! James, James even at school you were never the sharpest, nor to be fair the bluntest!
Never for a moment had I imagined you making a career in politics and I guess I was right! From memory James was more interested in distance running as a boy, was actually quite good as I recall. Judging by his performance last nioght he should have stuck with the Harriers!
Let us not underestimate James Kelly. Not sure if this is still the case but he was given a very important job a while back for next year`s election. That said I hope it is true and he is as good a rain maker as Jim Murphy has been.
https://archive.today/1qqwH
His response was no more nor no less than ANY unionist politician in the run up to an election. Nothing new here. All unionist politicians come from the same mold or is that mould? Thank goodness for the breath of fresh air from the indy parties. Vote SNP get Scotland
Sandra says:
24 March, 2015 at 10:10 am
My God, what an eejit. How do these morons get elected?
A red rosette compensates for a lack of brain cells.
An obviously solid Labour supporter was trying to defend James Kelly last night on a twitter-feed discussion. He quickly ran out of arguments, as Murphy and others all seem to do, resorting to repeating soundbites instead. His final comment was to the effect that it was thanks to James Kelly and fellow Labour politicians, that “Scotland is where it is today”!!! He didn’t realise just how true and ironic that statement is!
There is something clearly Freudianly unhealthy about Steve Bells Bellend cartoon.
Another missing question could be, is Longanet closing because of pooling and sharing, in that only generators sotb can be paid to connect to the grid and Scottish generators have to pay?
Perhaps the C4 program this weekend “Coalition” will give the lie to the largest party forming the government.
At least people will see that although he didn’t have the largest party Brown was in talks with Clegg, trying to form a government for several days.
Nice work, Rev. But it’s not just the MSM who need to ask this question. It’s the SNP hierarchy as well. It bursts the Slabbers’ entire election strategy.
Yeah, I wondered whether John MacKay had been reading your blog piece.
Kelly is that wholly uninspiring, no-mark type of Labour politician that we would all like to see the back of come May 8th. I can’t believe that the same family produced a fairly sensible solicitor.
James got the short straw but his connections to the Labour family, like the Masons, pulled him through.
That Labour is unwilling to answer this question and inform the public on policy isn’t surprising. Labour fear an affirmative response will direct more votes to the SNP.
What I do find surprising and puzzling is how on earth polling predictions place Labour close on 30% in Scotland. Is there that many people feeding from the Labour political trough in Scotland?
Pathetic.
Well, that’s MSM let the cat out of the bag!
Will the MSM now let it get amongst the pigeons?
Or will lack of curiosity kill the cat?
(Hmmm. This could have worked much better on Facebook with pictures of cuddly kittens to engage the politically unaware, then finishing with Jim Murphy with a Cheshire grin and a cat’s tail lolling from his lips).
I would like John McKay, say thank you ,but that wasn’t the questions asked, Ill repeat it. The more they do that the MPS wont get away with bluster and the electorate will hear/know that the MP didn’t answer the question…..
He is our constituency MSP… Where is the shakey heid emoticon when you need it?
@ Casper1066.
In this case you could hardly miss the fact he didn’t answer the question. What might have been helpful would have been more emphasis or explanation as to what the question means – not everyone will understand the context, perhaps
CONSTITUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAANNNNTS
A timely reminder that on Channel4 this coming Saturday 9pm. “Coalition” a full length drama about “the politically frenzied days” following the 2010 GE.
Link includes video trailer.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/coalition
@Sandra says:24 March, 2015 at 10:10 am:
“My God, what an eejit. How do these morons get elected?
Usually, Sandra, it is by default or because there are still lots of their own kind still now awake to the way folks like him are treating them.
oh dear Lord do people actually vote for this?
I knew Kelly was clueless but this takes things to a whole new level. He makes the average dog turd seem like Stephen Hawking.
http://caltonjock.com/2015/03/23/prostitution-and-illegal-drugs-in-the-uk-valued-at-10bn-eu-gets-2bn-cut-of-notional-taxes-uk-absorbs-5bn-bill-policing-the-trade-crazy/
Hahaha, keep it up labour! Answer no real questions of significance, let’s just just keep spewing out the same old hollow party lines. You are doing a wonderful job pissing off even some of your most loyal troopers (my neighbours for example). -slow handclap-
You can ask that question, which is a good one, until the cows come home but the only person who can answer it truthfully is Milibland.
That opperchancity was let slip again just the other day when he sneaked in and out of Scotland’s back door under the cover of darkness to give a few soundbites in front of a carefully arranged group of sycophants and their media friends.
The rest of the minions, Dim Jim included, can and will only skip and dance around it.
No point in asking some relatively unknown jobsworth but on the other hand, just for the cringe factor and future reference, it would be absolute gold to fire that one at the likes of Dim Jim, Deputy Dug, Bayonet Davidson, Septic Meg Curran and wee Dug Alexander etc.
Oh my, how we’d laugh and laugh and laugh.
Protect Scotland’s interests – vote SNP.
Excellent tactical question. It should be picked up by all relevant media outlets and broadcast widely. Political interviewers worth their saly should also raise the question at times of interviewing anyone connected to the general eElection
that’s more like it an honest appraisal pointing out he is not qualified to give answer and not holding him up as definitive answer is why wings soars above competitors in political analysis
I went straight to the source and tweeted Milliband with this question yesterday. Still waiting for an answer. Hands up if you think I should hold my breath.
Fundamental issue, yes, no, maybe would all be perfectly decent answers, respectful to us, the sucka voter expected to endure these morons for ever and ever, long to reign over us…
In a few weeks they can either remain a destructive tumor in the heart of Scotland or a boil on the bum. Its all on Project Fear 2.0 and their chums at the beeb now.
Actually SLabour even have likes of the evermore ghastly C4 news also creeping around their Scotland region, lying at people.
Last night their UKOK twit at large explained to a voter that if she voted SNP, she would really be voting for David Cameron and the voter was genuinely taken aback. She hadn’t realised it, because he’s just one more tory boy shill, every vote counts, on expenses.
The current anti SNP hysteria whipped up by the English press maybe has the purpose of making it impossible for Ed to get in by that route… can you imagine what the tory press will say if he does. He is being stitched up.
Of course if he refuses to do a deal with the SNP, and lets the Tories in, Labour are even more finished in Scotland and the SNP will have the moral high ground. The 1979 myth, reversed… karma
Then, a minority Tory government? No wonder Dave wants out 🙂
I cant remember so much fun since the 70s.
Interesting development south of the border with the Sun re-employing Kelvin MacKenzie. This man is not a lover of anything to do with Scotland and made that plain (whoever invited him) in his interviews about why do we pay for them arguments.
I think he’s there to try and stir up a Tory vote to get them over the line in England. He was the editor during the 80’s into the early 90’s and I’m sure he’s been placed.
Let’s hope this odious man who was responsible for “The Truth” headline in 1989 (a complete lie) after the events of Hillsborough serves as a reminder to people every single time he appears or writes anything.
Murdoch has taken his gloves off with this move. There’s a storm coming.
Responce from SNP to wee visit yesterday by ED.
http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2015/mar/people-would-not-forgive-lab-letting-tories
PS;saw a dirty van this morning which had SNP written on the dust at the back its the little things that make us smile eh.
🙂
I’ve said it before, I used to work with james Kelly.
A nicer more open man you couldnt meet.
I can only conclude Labour is to blame!
@Bugger (the Panda) says: 24 March, 2015 at 10:14 am:
“Anybody else think that all the “Scottish Labour” apparatchiks have been secretly kidnapped and are placed in suspended animation inside some giant space ship hiding behin the dark side of the Moon.
They have been replaced with badly programmed robots or unintelligent lizards.
Doctor Who had it right way back when the series started with William Hartnel as the Doctor, BtP. They are Cybermen.
These are a race of cyborgs and were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids from Earth’s twin planet Mondas. They began to implant more and more artificial parts into their bodies for self-preservation but this saw them becoming controlled by one interconnected collective brain and with every human like emotion deleted from their minds. Anyone got a sonic screwdriver handy?
Whit’s yon they say aboot truth being stranger than fiction?
They have brought this on themselves.
And now they don’t want to paint themselves into a corner
Wouldn’t it be fun, if every SINGLE time Murphy came out with the largest party guff, he immediately got hit back with the obvious question:
Will Labour let the Tories back in, if they aren’t the largest party in a hung parliament? Yes or No!
Ned Kelly says in that interview with McKay:
“We want progress, we want change”
Bollocks, ya clown, the Scottish electorate was offered the greatest form of change and progress Scotland will ever experience on the 18th September 2014.
YOU, Ned, and every other Slabberite conspired with every other Tory to deceive the Scottish electorate and urge them to vote against that progress and change.
YOU, Ned, and the rest of your Slabberite cronies are now paying the price for that grand Tory collusion and this will be reflected on Thursday 7th May 2015.
There will then follow the final wipeout instalment of any remaining Slabberite dregs in the Scottish elections of 2016.
DON’T SAY YOU WEREN’T WARNED, TURNCOATS.
Edulis @ 11:03
I imagine John MacKay was reacting and prompted to ask the question on the basis of Twitter chat yesterday where Stu asked a lot of people (but including STV’s Claire Stewart) to ask the question.
I don’t think Claire Stewart got the chance when Miliband was in Clydebank but at least John MacKay asked it and hopefully others will follow suit.
Fair play, cannot ask much more of Mr MacKay than to have such a responsive attitude towards some of the questions would we like to see asked of those who expect to be our representatives and have had far too easy a ride to that status in the past.
That was like asking a Russian foot soldier what Vladimir putins foreign policy was.
How do imbicillic arseholes like this ever get elected.
And some people voted for this person?
@Stoker says:
..the only person who can answer it truthfully is Milibland.
Any Labour politician coming out with the ‘only the largest party’ line can be asked for their personal opinion.
If the Tories end up a handful of seats in front, Do they personally think Labour should let the Tories back in, instead of doing a deal with the SNP?
Interesting story in the National
http://www.thenational.scot/politics/parliament-should-not-just-accept-scottish-devolution-proposals-says-house-of-lords.1357
Would a Labour LibDumb coalition work?
I am going to repeat a post I made several threads ago, although not verbatim.
I reckon that Miliband and Sturgeon have been in contact although not directly and in a deniable manner via intermediaries, Smurfy is not in that loop.
I also reckon that Cameron knows this and the avalanche of bile and pish being directed at the SNP reflects the Tory tactic of poisoning the SNP in the minds of English voters and some Labour MPs.
Smurfy knows that Scotland is lost and Miliband has already written him off. Miliband’s away day trip to Clydebank was the complete minimum he could have done not to be insulting to whatever Labour voters and activists may be still alive and not on the Postal Voters Register at the local cemetary.
Smurfy is now trying to find a way of staying alive in politics, however and wherever he can.
He is otherwise unemployable
Bugger (the Panda) says:
24 March, 2015 at 11:53 am
I reckon that Miliband and Sturgeon have been in contact although not directly and in a deniable manner via intermediaries, Smurfy is not in that loop.
Of course they have. Of course he isn’t!
I saw this last night and immediately posted it on Facebook saying he must be a Wings follower!
So, based upon the current polls, we potentially face a situation where the Labour Party will, almost certainly, have no mandate from the English in England and, almost certainly, no mandate from Scots in Scotland, for the implementation of the Labour manifesto, post General Election.
Therefore, how is it democratically tenable that the Labour Party could possibly think that they could, or should, be involved in forming the next UK government?
The one bit of clarity that the Labour Party will be able to take from the next election will be a clear message from the electorate in both Scotland and England – i.e. that they are not wanted in either country.
What is most alarming in the Political debates currently on offer is any question thrown at the SNP is 99% of the time answered CLEARLY and CONCISELY . In a way that we ALL understand . Sometimes the individual fails to emphasise certain aspects but hey ho no one is perfect .
From there we move to Labour Folk , well you see it for yourself , evasion , evasion , with bluff and bluster thrown in for good measure .
Guess what , they do not understand whats going on in the polls ! LOL …… they aint got a scooby !
Glamaig says: 24 March, 2015 at 11:33 am:
“Then, a minority Tory government? No wonder Dave wants out :)”
Two things, Glamaig. The first is that by Westminster rules a minority government will not work. Someone will call for a vote of no confidence and we are then in for re-runs of the election with who knows what result.
If it is yet another minority we go in to an endless belt of more elections, more no confidence, until one of the Unionist parties does accept they must have the SNP’s backing. Just to maintain a UK government.
Secondly the real reason poe-face Cameron want’s out is because he wants to escape his rightful place in the annuls of history as the PM that saw off the United Kingdom.
Sorry for being blunt but this guy sounds like he has a brain injury or some mental health problem and he is an MP?? Jeez Louise.
I wonder how many of the press releases that the SNP make actually end up being the seed for a story in the MSM that HASN’T been negatively spun.
Here’s the output
http://www.snp.org/media-centre
Can’t say I’ve seen, or heard of, many of these.
You got tae understand the labour polyticians is not jeanette ickly programmed tae answer the questying. But we have got to keep asking just to see them squirming and wriggling, if for nothing else. The constant drip drip of their avoidance of the question must be having a negative effect on any credibility they might have left.
O/T but well done Rev for being ahead of the pack re broken bones Labour photograph, and Wingers for their forensic analysis.
Telegraph article
https://archive.today/Q802V
Onwards wrote:
“Any Labour politician coming out with the ‘only the largest party’ line can be asked for their personal opinion.”
Yes, this is true, anyone can be asked the question but the point i was trying to make is – do you want a reaction or an answer when you ask the question?
None of the minions are in a position to give the answer and i’m not so sure Milibland would attempt it either.
Everyone of them would attempt to skip and dance around it.
It’s an excellent question destined to produce endless Morris dancing.
That’s an easy question for Oor Jimmie….
http://www.scottcreighton.co.uk/GE2015/Oor-Jimmie1.png
Bugger (the Panda)
re Unemployable.
May I propose a position of Ambassador to South Africa for Mr James Murphy B.Sc(Incomplete)
jings i hope John doesnt get into to much trouble with his paymasters over that lol
Much respect to him for not toeing the line 🙂
As for the numpty Slab tea boy ehh ummm what would murphy do in this position ,i know i will talk a load of rubbish and not answer the question job done.
@ John King HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
Irene . save on the Gas when making the Cake, stick the mixture in the cake tin,stick the Candles on top, popit in the unlit oven 35min.
Awe the breastest tae you John.
Well done to John McKay, I smiled last night at that point.
I know it’s self inflicted, but I do feel sorry for James Kelly, and I think it’s quite disgusting his party allow him to be exposed, and personally I’m glad McKay didn’t press.
I detest cruelty in all forms.
A thought: There is a marked difference in the reported 7 May voting intentions of Scots and the outcome of the referendum.
Assuming the referendum honestly reflected the wishes of the Scot’s electorate the total number of SNP MP’s to be returned to Westminster should be 8 in total.
Could the difference be contained in the postal vote?
Assuming those questioned in the various surveys included a number of postal voters, it would appear they have either changed their allegience or perhaps the postal vote was inflated at the time of the referendum and this cannot be done in a survey.
It is a worry that the postal voting will throw up similar results on 7 May. Thwarting the SNP’s bid to send a large number of MP’s to Westminster providing Murphy with the triumph he seems so confident in gaining
Hi Desimond.
James Murphy B.Sc(Incomplete)
Should that not be James Murphy BA? (Bugger All)
Robert Peffers at 12:01
Secondly the real reason poe-face Cameron want’s out is because he wants to escape his rightful place in the annuls of history as the PM that saw off the United Kingdom.
Exactly my thoughts last night when I heard the news. It would mean that he knows that Independence is now highly likely and he doesnt want to be PM when it happens. I didnt even dare hope this. He also might want to be away before the UK accidentally leaves the EU… gambling on Referendums to put issues to bed is a dangerous game.
BtP says @ 10.14
“They have been replaced with badly programmed robots or unintelligent lizards.”
What makes you say that?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13971770
OH?
@ Glamaig and Robert Peffers
I do not really believe that Scotland is at the core of his thinking, despite its current importance. I suspect it is a distraction from something happening now, but I do not know what
@ Doug Daniel,10:22am
I still say it is dangerous ‘getting in to bed’ with these creatures, you just don’t know where they’ve been!
John King,
a wee birdie tells us its your Birthday today? or was that yesterday..
Am getting oan a bit so sorry if i have picked it up wrong.
happy Birthday 😉
1. Would the Tories pass a confidence vote?
2. Would Labour really allow a minority Tory government when they can avoid it?
3. how EXACTLY do these people envision Scottish MPs forcing any issue with 10% of the seats in the house?
Only someone with a significant cranial cavity could buy any of this BS
I saw this question on the blog weegingerdug and was wondering Wings if it would be be possible to answer and then see if it can’t be put to Jim Murphy and Ed Miliband?
The question is: How can a party that doesn’t exist separately from Labour UK claim to have policies that are distinct from Labour UK? Is that even legal under electoral law?
It just got me wondering is all.
I’m with Fiona right now.
A cage full of squirrels has been released
with the intended and predictable result –
widespread distraction and loss of concentration.
Some things never change.
Here is a saying you can rely on:-
England will be bankrupt without Scotland, and will collapse.
Westminster has a history of conning Scotland out of it’s birthright by rigging elections.
GE15 is simply the next opportunity to do so again.
Aren’t those squirrels cute?
Boris – if we are to win another referendum the polls will have to show Yes at 65% plus ie unriggable. The polls at the moment are almost unriggable, between 2 and 10 Labour seasts. Some serious questions will be raised if Labour end up with 20 Scottish MPs.
I believe that there are those who would risk going to the country a second time rather than have SNP with any semblance of a voice.
Glamaig says:
24 March, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Robert Peffers at 12:01
Secondly the real reason poe-face Cameron want’s out is because he wants to escape his rightful place in the annuls of history as the PM that saw off the United Kingdom.
Exactly my thoughts last night when I heard the news. It would mean that he knows that Independence is now highly likely and he doesnt want to be PM when it happens. I didnt even dare hope this. He also might want to be away before the UK accidentally leaves the EU… gambling on Referendums to put issues to bed is a dangerous game.
Aye, I was also wondering about this – there is Scotland, Europe and the fact that the UK plc is about to go belly-up. Cameron escaped by the skin of his teeth from becoming “The last PM” in September, but he may know that something is likely to blow wide open before his second stint (maybe) is over.
sounds like his batteries were running down a bit there
Will it not also be more risky for a vote rig during the election as we will have exit polls this time?
@K1.
Will those be the ones taken by the BBC then, and reported by the MSM?
😉
Eh um only askin’…
Why did Eck agree, via the Edinburgh whotsit, that there would be no exit polls for the referendum?
Was he caught out there?
Would exit polls have helped?
If there was a radical difference between the postal votes and the in person votes it would not show in an exit poll. Is that not the suggestion being made?
Och Gerry you know what I mean 😉
On the FB notes they mention that it would look very suspicious if the PB seemed to be contradicting the incoming results of the live count, and as they’ve discovered:
“Our findings again illustrated, that of our 20 polling station voters where we expected a low turnout, 6 voted and 14 did not vote, i.e. 30% voted 70% did not vote. With those on the PB register, the situation was dramatically different. 4 were registered as having not voted while 16 were recorded as having voted i.e. 80% voted and only 20% not voted. Is that not strange and interesting?”
They canvassed areas where they new pretty much what the turnout was expected to be, the difference between voting in person and voting by postal vote should make no difference to their canvassing estimates. And yet there we have it; like two different sets of canvassing results were coming in, this would have been noticed if exit polls had been taken. Even the BBC and others besides would have noticed this live ‘on air’. As was suggested in their report this could have been why there was no exit poll.
I’m pretty certain the BBC can’t prevent exit polls for the GE. Nor anyone else for that matter. So, my question relates to this aspect, is it therefore less likely a vote rig could be achieved this time?
@Gary
“I believe that there are those who would risk going to the country a second time rather than have SNP with any semblance of a voice.”
I considered the same scenario. If Cameron or Milliband don’t get an overall majority what’s to stop them holding a press conference together, calling another election and blaming the SNP.
One thing preventing this is the Tory MPs lust for power. Any loss of SNP seats at a second election would undoubtedly go to Labour, making a Tory win harder, but they may take that gamble to fillet the SNP.
Not sure it would be too good for Scotland at this stage either. With another election, the unionist parties would promote it as a de facto second referendum, and we’re not ready yet.
In their report they seem to imply that it would be possible to tell by the use of the exit poll, how this would be possible on the night I’m not so sure of. Nonetheless:
“Where the PB is a relatively small part of the overall total the No vote is contained; indeed in the first and largest group a Yes vote is in the majority, but as the level of the PB rises, so the No vote rises with it and takes a stronger and stronger lead.
This clearly demonstrates that the PB is much more biased towards No than the polling stations vote. That’s why an exit poll could not be allowed as it would have shown this in stark contrast.”
Squirming! Well done John Mackay.
@K1.
I think the whole affair further highlights the need to have responsibility for a Scottish electoral system.
Hell, it re-enforces the need for independence.
Cameron’s announcement, Andrew Marr predicting the break up of the U.K, last nights Sky News predicting 52 SNP seats to the disgust of the presenter, all those Zoomer articles… we live in interesting times friends, most interesting.
@K1 – you’re right regarding the NO vote increasing as the PB rises. The 3 lowest postal vote returns by % were all YES areas:
North Lanarkshire (PB 86.6%), Glasgow (PB 88%) and Dundee (PB 91%).
Seems totally weird that Dundee had 91% postal vote return but only a 76% voting booth return. Glasgow 88% postal vote return and around a 73% voting booth return.
If you haven’t seen them I’ve listed the postal vote %s for each area in Off Topic.
Agreed Gerry, agreed 🙂
Jim it’s not me that was ‘right’ it’s the FB post of their report that outlines this. But I’ll check out O/T anyway to get a better feel for this point.
In the Section headed:
An Examination of Argyll & Bute Marked Registers , you’ll find the quote I referred to, near the end of that section.
https://m.facebook.com/notes/10152740278692513/
Sorry the section heading that my second post relates, the one you are referring to Jim is headed:
The Facts Which Can’t Be Covered Up
My first quote refers to the previously mentioned section heading 😉