The same old tricks
Way back in the day, the Lib Dems in particular, but also other parties and the “Better Together” campaign, were infamous for the “dodgy barchart” tactic.
And so degraded is the modern SNP, it’s now scraping the same barrel.
Here’s a graphic the party’s MSPs have been tweeting this week, made up to look like it came from the polling company Survation:
And here’s the tragic reality from Survation’s website:
That’s politics, of course. So far so casually, cynically dishonest. Business as usual. But what’s (very) mildly interesting about it is the way the SNP have bigged up Anas Sarwar in it. Their graphic suggests he’s the second-least-unpopular leader, when in fact he’s even LESS popular than Russell Findlay and Alex Cole-Hamilton.
A Scottish Labour leader being less popular than even the Tories’ would be something you might expect the SNP to want to make a bit of capital out of. Unless, of course, there was some reason they wanted to go easy on Labour.
Stroking Sarwar! SNP already making plans to be in coalition with labour, after the 2026 election? Shame on them.
Not to mention Lorna Slater of the Greens doing the same thing.
Sneaky with the graphic, eh.
For the consummate liars that they clearly are, I’m surprised, and a tad disappointed, that Swinney is still viewed so favourably. Only minus 1.
I fully understand how Harvie/Slater get minus 18 and are viewed the LEAST favourably, but Swinney should, based on his track record, be closer to minus 18. And why is Ash Regan viewed so badly? Weird.
The NuSNP have been sooking up to SLab for ages – nauseating, obsequious-ness – ‘Choose us, choose us, we won’t steal the duvet and hog all the pillows, kiss kiss’.
The Nolan sisters. Hands up who was turned on in a very nice way by these Irish beauties. Ok hands down.
Parachute Boy is being groomed.
It would be interesting to run a survey asking voters if they would prefer having an STD instead of ANY of these fuckwits
What a collection of imbeciles and LIARS
When the sun of politics is low even dwarves cast shadows..
I don’t see that bar chart as showing anything of the kind. Clearly Sarwar is far more unpopular than Swinney and Findlay as the bar chart shows. That’s hardly going easy on Sarwar. Not often I disagree with WoS but in this case I do. Maybe if the chart was in black and white it would be clearer…
Look again
Pay more attention.
It’s the photo that has Sarwar second [the bar chart is correct].
I saw this reported elsewhere in a nominally pro-Independence website by a nominally pro-Independence blogger.
I pointed out that all of the leaders/branch managers of parties in Scotland were in negative territory and as such was hardly a ringing endorsement of political discourse in Scotland.
Cue silence.
Seems as if they have fallen in step with Colonialising England now. Taking turns at being in Gov and then pointing the finger of blame (pretendy) Chuckle Brothers’ From me to you You to me’
Let Labour take stick for a wee while, hoping we forget their betrayals eh?
The John Smith Centre introduced its Parliamentary Interns for 2025 this week (they weren’t the worst bunch they’ve produced). One was in her third year at the University of Glasgow doing a degree in Politics & Theatre Studies. After overcoming my initial outrage at such a preposterous course title, on reflection, it makes perfect sense. Actual performance and competency is sooo 1970’s. Perception is the only game in town.
Labour and the SNP are two cheeks from the same are.
British establishment parties supporting a neo liberal agenda. The SNP now, and indeed for some time habe been fully in the Better Together camp.
And that’s it folks. Game over. Enjoy your fuel poverty, your declining standards, and all wrapped up with the eradication of Scotland as anything more than an English region.
The SNP sold out and soon Swinney, Surgeon and the rest of the sell out brigade wi ride off into the sunset well pensioner up.
People are so fed up with politics and being lied to that the general public don’t know who to trust. For me it has to be said that politics in the last century was a better place to be, so what’s happened? It would have been unthinkable in the last century to be making someone acquaintance by sticking your longest finger into a fellow MP arse or to be looking at porn on a free Ipad with another 649 MP’s watching and not blinking a eyelid.
The funny thing is in the last century we used to look at Westminster as a joke and think at least in Scotland our MSP’s are a bit better you can no longer say that, if anything the SNP has brought our parliament right down to the sewer Its not that Swinney popularity is great its that who do you trust and who do you vote for. John Swinney hasn’t changed the party’s fortunes its that Labour down south is abysmal and the general public are picking up on it. The real test is when there’s a by-election and what the turn out is and here is were the SNP voting number are so low if I was John Swinney I’d be worried but I’m not John Swinney and I’m also not a moron.
I don’t pay attention to polls on any subject as its all down to the question your being asked because if you put the right phrase into the question you’ll get the answer you want every time.
For starters, I don’t under any circumstances call Labour Scottish we should get out of saying that all together there British Labour, end off.
“For me it has to be said that politics in the last century was a better place to be, so what’s happened?”
I agree.
As to what’s happened, I think a veritable panoply (and this is by no means an exhaustive list) of very cynical thinking/behaviour, rampant greed & self interest, the promotion of deviancy, a gang mentality has ensured what appears to be a frantic race to the bottom.
Our elected representatives are supposed to be the BEST of us.
They now appear to be the WORST of us in increasingly greater numbers.
They have absolutely no interest in Politics or their constituency never mind their Country its all about the free bar, food and the wage and pension and the best of all the french benefits that comes with the JOB its so overwhelming they’ll say and do anything to keep the lifestyle up. This is the reason why Scotland isn’t Independent and why Sturgeon is the Messiah. Look at the clip of Kate Forbes that was posted by Wings the other day she was Window Dressing John Swinney arese and she look as untidy in her appearance. I going to be honest If I had to pick and I only had two options of the next leader between Sturgeon and Forbes trust me it would be a hard choice, Forbes is in it for the money and I would trust her with my Country never mind a rotten party like the SNP.
Anyone for a finger, hold your arse up.
Eekies for Swinney is actually a pretty good result I’d say given everything.
Definitely get the impression he’s no William Wallace but a safe pair of hands.
He didn’t dimiss fracking in Scotland today at FM’s questions.
Safe pair of hands? Yer arse!
Safe for whom? Not for those who want good governance nor those wishing Scotland to be out of the Union.
Long way to go but SNP might actually end up winning again haha.
Labour are awful.
Just show you how things can change.
SNP actually do quite well when Labour are in govt as people can remember how terrible they were.
Polling showing pro indy majority isn’t totally off the cards according to survation
I’d rather see SNP out and rise back from opposition but if they maintain an independence majority again… that would be a turn up
Ross I see your promoting snp as usual , what I do not understand is how can you seriously believe that anyone within the snp is actually working FOR independence, how can you forgive and forget the BLATANT BETRAYAL of sturgeon,useless and now swinney towards Scotland and Scots
Are you, like them quite happy to accept devolution , how many broken promises , lies and corruption are you willing to accept b4 it registers that they are taking the piss out of you and your fellow apologists ,FFS Pete wishfart OPENLY BOASTS about being 20+ years in WM , to any SANE person a person who was elected to sever ties with WM and gain Scotland’s independence boasting about his 20+ years in the heart of WM must realise that that fuckwit is maybe not trying hard enough or he is really ripping the serious pish
Every word of this. Total agreement.
I may not vote for the SNP.
Sturgeon did us wrong going to court without plan to carry through the defacto vote.
But.. I think they decided the defacto vote should be played at a more opportune time.
Like it or lump it, I don’t think even all yes supporters were totally up for another vote ..not to mention the rest of the country which would be needed to gain legitimacy.
Sturgeon’s intentions were clear, stop independence. Her favorite colour is red and its betrayal she had in mind and treachery in her heart. Theresa May was weak but she knew how to scare Sturgeon. God, I hope Peter tells all, go on peter shows us all you’re a better man than your ex-wife.
I’m not sure what website you think you are on, but I can tell you this: you’re on the wrong one if that’s the best you can do.
At least our ‘3 Jokers of the Union’ know full well what shit they’re peddling. And where.
I’ll give my opinion. You can disagree with it or not.
True dat.
Well SLab was nice enough to abstain so the SNP could get their budget through. So a dry run in semi cooperation there.
Asar wanted to keep is JOB that’s the only reason.
No such thing as SLab only BLab!!
And Ash Regan is only the party leader at Holyrood by default as she is Alba’s only representative now.
I was unsure what was going on there. I am clearly running off old data, but last I knew Kenny was interim Leader of Alba . . . so what’s been happening?
“Ash Regan is only the party leader at Holyrood”
Kenny MacAskill is interim party leader … but not in the chamber … as he’s not elected to it.
Thanks for explaining.
I’m not a party member so don’t get the full bhuna, I only get occasional emails from Alba as someone who has previously donated.
And just in case Stu is wondering if we are all myopic, yes, the opening bar graph is quite something 🙂
96 season tickets of a difference, and the red bar is almost double in size to the pale blue one.
They’ve got a book out: ‘How to lie in bar graphs for dummies’.
And this would be quite funny if the NuSNP weren’t at it too.
That Ash Regan has a worse rating than the “leaders” of the BritNazi Establishment parties is the clincher I needed.
This country is populated by imbeciles and doesn’t deserve independence nor my efforts
To hell with it.
I’m upping sticks.
Where you going? Can I come too?
Independence is supported by nearly half the population. It’s just not a priority for many. And the rest.. 20% , bringing it upto 70% or so who would accept a yes vote even if they disagreed with it… aren’t convinced we need one right now.
It’ll come again but will be a good number of years.
The SNP can’t force people to vote one way or the other. It’s into the people.
Are you Ross Greer? I claim my £10.
Now wait a damned minute. Why is the poll listing Ash Regan as leader when Kenny McAskill is acting interim leader, & was previously Depute Leader? It explicitly says “Scottish party leaders,” not “Holyrood group representatives.”
I have asked a similar Q, Al, check up thread. I too was puzzled by this.
Point taken about the graphs but how in gods name does Regan, wrongly placed alongside party leaders, rank as low as that? I would be surprised if could form that negative an opinion of Regan given that she doesn’t get much coverage in the press. If they did know about her the punters would almost certainly rate her more highly than that. Unless the trans lobby dominate Survation polling this particular poll doesnae convince
who cars about tories labour or any of the english based parties,,,,,,,,,not me,,,,,,,,,, you can big up any of them i care not a jot,,,,,,,,,,,,in fact big up the lot, they are all just ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s in fancy dress after all.