The reasons for Scottish Labour’s obliteration at the hands of the electorate last week are manifold, and most of them were very thoroughly explored in the weekend’s press, for example by Kevin McKenna here and here.
But as is our wont here on Wings, we wanted something a little more empirical to get our teeth into, so a few days before the election we commissioned a poll of 1,013 Scottish voters from Panelbase covering some of the subjects the regional office had campaigned on under its branch manager Jim Murphy.
We’ve done another poll in conjunction with our dear chums at Panelbase, readers, which we think will be the last full-size Scottish one before the polls open. You may already have seen their headline voting-intention stats, but if not they’re below.
Those numbers suggest, depending which electoral forecaster you feed them into, over 50 seats for the SNP. The poll delivered some extremely interesting results, but we’re going to tease you and hold most of them over until tomorrow, because it’ll actually be a really slow news day.
(September 18 last year was one of the most miserable days of our lives, and we’re not talking about the result. It just seemed to drag on forever and ever, with nothing happening until past midnight. This way there’ll at least be something to read.)
But as a little taster, here’s a fascinating info-nugget.
Greg Moodie’s Election Dissection, a compilation of splendid cartoon strips from The National, Bella Caledonia and elsewhere, is available to order now.
DaveL on The Shortest Day: “How about settling down and stop your moaning and creeping?” Aug 30, 19:22
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““He will share … the secret to success” He’ll reveal how much he has in his pension fund. And you…” Aug 30, 19:19
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “What’s that you say, Sooty? Why does Auld Lochnagar want to airbrush the Norman Conquest out of history? I guess…” Aug 30, 19:12
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Commentators already saying that the thought of being forced to share their wealth as the first net contributor to the…” Aug 30, 19:07
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: ““With stronger coordination, dedicated support and sustained ambition, the potential exists” Wow! After decades of Independence and quite a long…” Aug 30, 19:01
Spartan 117 on The Shortest Day: “Quite pleasing to see a small independent nation reject the EU’s advances. Democratically, as well, rather than bring railroaded by…” Aug 30, 18:57
Hatey McHateface on Spot The Problem: “Prick AND bawbag, Dan. Yet you still expect to be taken seriously? OK, I’ll do it. What kind of soup…” Aug 30, 18:55
Dan on The Shortest Day: “@ AIdan The residents of my village are for the most part appreciative of my efforts to interact and educate…” Aug 30, 18:21
DaveL on The Shortest Day: “Away back to your whinging and moaning about posts you don’t like but can do nothing about. Beg Stu to…” Aug 30, 18:21
Dan on Spot The Problem: “Just noticed the site bawbag and keen typist swerved addressing the main points of my post, and instead tried to…” Aug 30, 17:55
Aidan on The Shortest Day: “Okay – it was first published in Jan and then republished in another journal in May. Either way, it came…” Aug 30, 17:50
sam on The Shortest Day: “Chas seems to be one of those proud Scots who think that Scotland never could manage its own affairs. He…” Aug 30, 17:41
Saffron Robe on The Shortest Day: “Good comment, Sam — thoughtful and forward-looking. An independent Scotland would be a nation reborn and, more importantly, revitalised.” Aug 30, 17:40
Saffron Robe on The Shortest Day: “They may be long dead, but that doesn’t alter the fact that our ancestors never voted for the Union. Our…” Aug 30, 17:34
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “On a lighter note. Has anyone else seen Useless’s new attempt to reinvent himself as a Leader advisor! whatever the…” Aug 30, 17:17
Chas on The Shortest Day: “Strange response Dave. Does the ‘L’ represent loony?” Aug 30, 17:13
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Iceland says “No”. I guess it’s too much to hope that we might get a few Icelandic regulars posting on…” Aug 30, 17:03
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “Why don’t you ask the people of Ulster about that one. I’m sure they will be very interested in what…” Aug 30, 17:02
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “HMcH The supplanting of the name Scotland in lieu of Alba (basically the landmass north of the Forth – Clyde…” Aug 30, 16:51
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Good post, Northy. Lacking only references to and quotes from the post colonial boys (Fanon, Memmi, Cesaire, etc.) to make…” Aug 30, 16:47
Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “I’m sure something happened in 1066 that made the “English” of 1018 a different people/race/tribe/dynasty from the “English” of 1067…” Aug 30, 16:39
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “MB “He (Cnut) became King” Should read “He became King of England”. As for never being beaten, dying at 40…” Aug 30, 16:36
TURABDIN on The Shortest Day: “everywhere fools, useless idiots and referendum freaks. Scottish democracy is a grotesque inarticulate Frankenstein monster best not viewed in daylight.…” Aug 30, 16:10
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “@ young Lochinvar It is artistic licence. Loosely based on history. Uhtred spanned four kings and fought in about eighty…” Aug 30, 15:58
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “MB Errr, that’s a no. No matter how much you wish it so..” Aug 30, 15:31
DaveL on The Shortest Day: “If it was up to Chas we’d still be living in caves. “What? Build a shelter? Best not, we don’t…” Aug 30, 15:09
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “No Lochy I was there., I remember distinctly Uhtred kicking the shit out of the Scot. I can still see…” Aug 30, 15:01
sam on The Shortest Day: “The first paragraph of Aidan’s post is irrelevant. “Growth in a time of Debt” was published in January 2010. George…” Aug 30, 14:49
Mark Beggan on The Shortest Day: “That was a worthy effort Northy. The psychiatrists just give him 100mg of largactil three times daily.” Aug 30, 14:44
Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “One to celebrate; On this month in history (best reckoned as August 1018) the Scots under Malcolm II “Forranach” (the…” Aug 30, 14:42
