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.
Much of the commentariat and media has been in a froth for the last 24 hours about the supposed failure of the nation’s pollsters to predict the Conservative victory. This, for example, was Labour’s highly-paid election guru David Axelrod:
But the truth is that the polls – just like the heavily-maligned exit poll which turned out to be bang on the money – got nothing wrong. The people interpreting them did.
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.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on How To Get Away With Crimes: “‘CONSIDERING A SEX SWAP? THINK AGAIN’, WARNS DETRANSITIONER A detranstioner who once took male hormones and had a double mastectomy,…” Apr 24, 22:26
Grace Green on How To Get Away With Crimes: “If men like the subject of this article were genuine they would have had surgery. In reality they are actors,…” Apr 24, 20:41
Aidan on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Fuck me that’s some shame for the Alliance, having someone like “James” associated with them. Ouch – I’ve been critical…” Apr 24, 20:30
James on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Two clowns looking for a circus. That’s right, Scotch folk; vote English Nationalist! Numbskulls. Alliance to Liberate Scotland. Bring it…” Apr 24, 19:26
Insider on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “Phil, Seems an accurate summary of the situation ! The heart says YES !…why shouldn’t we be independent and run…” Apr 24, 18:03
agentx on How To Get Away With Crimes: ““together with a rising number of younger people attaining voting age, would have had a greater and fuller vision of…” Apr 24, 16:12
Phil on The Narcissism Of No Differences: “I think the Reform except on the independence question is reasonable. It doesn’t actually say Scotland can never be an…” Apr 24, 15:38
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on How To Get Away With Crimes: “UAIGNEAS Blas sméara dubh’ tréis báisteach ar bharr an tsléibhe. I dtost an phríosúin Feadaoil fhuar na traenach. Cogar gáire…” Apr 24, 14:57
lothianlad on The Pit Of Vipers: “Sturgeon and robison were along with others, corrupted, manipulated, controlled and blackmailed by the brit secret service. sturgeon drank from…” Apr 24, 14:52
TURABDIN on The Pit Of Vipers: “AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THE SOFT SELL IS DONE, https://www.facebook.com/aaciculturalinglesa/ I doubt in the texts used Scotland or Wales figure…” Apr 24, 13:52
Mark Beggan on How To Get Away With Crimes: “That’s a reality they don’t want to hear about. Flag waving and marching and blaming the English colonial fantasy. Is…” Apr 24, 13:35
Sven on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Northcode @ 12.31. “What is the true nature of the prison ?” Many factors are involved, I’d suggest, Northy. A…” Apr 24, 13:14
Lorncal on How To Get Away With Crimes: “H McH: when the time comes – and it will – there will be no choice. Either sink or swim…” Apr 24, 13:11
Northcode on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Scotland is England’s prisoner. In the year of our Lord, 1642, a chap called Richard Lovelace quilled oot these words…” Apr 24, 12:31
lothianlad on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Stick with it Stu!! We need you! Thank you for all you do for whats right.” Apr 24, 12:22
John H. on The Pit Of Vipers: “But he was eliminated in the end. It just took a while.” Apr 24, 11:47
Alf Baird on The Pit Of Vipers: “@ TARABDIN “what then the fate of peoples without sovereignty?” Indeed, the people and nation will ultimately ‘perish’ unless they…” Apr 24, 10:13
Minceheid on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Hatey McHateface says: 23 April, 2026 at 7:15 pm Hmmm. Bananas don’t have cores. Plenty of people enjoy bananas so…” Apr 24, 09:55
TURABDIN on The Pit Of Vipers: “@ Alf Baird »COLONIALISM is always a co-operative venture» (Fanon). A truism, how did the Brits & French etc hold…” Apr 24, 09:51
Alf Baird on The Pit Of Vipers: ““our wee, pretendy parliament” Twas aye a fair description of a colonial administration, Hatey, also know as ‘indirect rule’ in…” Apr 24, 08:44
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Lorncal @ 23 April, 11.07 writes: « John Money was not “tragically misguided”, Fearghas. He was a PDfile » —————…” Apr 24, 00:23
Lorncal on How To Get Away With Crimes: “Confused: that pilot would have been female with XX chromosomes – therefore, intersex or DSD. DSD people are still either…” Apr 23, 23:22
Lorncal on How To Get Away With Crimes: “John Money was not “tragically misguided”, Fearghas. He was a PDfile and made those two boys (the twin brothers, both…” Apr 23, 23:07
Hatey McHateface on The Pit Of Vipers: “I swore a solemn oath to respond to you only once in any 24-hour period. But I don’t mind breaking…” Apr 23, 23:02
Hatey McHateface on The Pit Of Vipers: ““stop the Dog Whistle politics” What other politics would most of them have left if they stopped that? “we have…” Apr 23, 22:52
Hatey McHateface on The Pit Of Vipers: “Cheers, YL. It’s good to be back. Thought I’d drop in to see how close we are to Indy. Damned…” Apr 23, 22:43
