Vocal Voices

In June 1987 I was preparing to go back to college and was working as temp staff for the Potato Marketing Board. My boss at that time was working out the schedule for the day after the elections. He pointed to a farm on the list and told me "If there is nobody up or nobody responds, just move on to the next farm". The owner of that farm was the leader of the Scottish Conservative (and unionist) party. They had just lost a lot of seats. I know because I helped unseat them in North East FIFE.

Today we hear that Miliband may be banned from campaigning in Scottish Seats.

The wording is interesting

MPs painted a dire picture of the party’s hopes north of the border ranging from disbelief at the scale of the collapse to utter despondency

Yup, I've seen that before. However, I have hope for Labour. The Tories had some hope in 92, cruelly crushed. Little hope in 97, rewarded with one seat. No hope of gaining more in any of the following elections so acceptance had set in. They do, however, have support in Hollyrood....

I'm reminded of the line from the Lord of The Rings. "Beware Wizards for they are subtle and quick to anger". My take is. "Beware voters for they are very slow to anger and totally unsubtle". Oh and Scottish voters like to nourish a grudge. For decades.....

I do not get Labour, or maybe I do.

The SNP is going to wipe the floor with them in Scotland, consigning them to the political wilderness for God knows how long. So, in order to still have power in Westminster ,there is talk of a coalition with........ the party that slaughters them in Scotland, the SNP.

It appears that London Labour will do anything and everything to get into power; and that should be of great concern to their core voters. Labour is effectively telling them that it will sell them, their hopes and wishes, down the river in order to keep its elite in power.

The message should be sent out loud and clear on a daily basis and hopefully it will sink in - Labour is for its London elite and chosen few and nobody else.

On the other hand a coalition, from the SNP's point of view, gets them seats at the top table from where they can havoc, and Labour will not be excluded from their sights. The one thing I feel is definitely on the cards with SNP is that if it is not getting its fair share of power and policy decisions it will walk away from any coalition.

Workingman wrote:The one thing I feel is definitely on the cards with SNP is that if it is not getting its fair share of power and policy decisions it will walk away from any coalition.

Well they wouldn't have much to lose would they. Sturgeon has already stated that they would demand another 180bn of spending if they were in coalition. They fully intend to extract their pound of flesh for that lost Yes vote and they don't care what they do to the United Kingdom in the interim. After all, they don't want to be in it and believe they are better off out of it. Therefore if they have to be in it, then they want the benefits of being out as well as the benefits of being in.

This is why I was a Yes voter. If people want to leave, then let them leave. Because if you entice them to stay, against the will of those who want to leave, then those who want to leave will constantly cause trouble.

However the more trouble they cause for Scottish Labour, the happier I am. There is a level of arrogance to Scottish Labour which really gets my back up and I'm just pleased that they are getting a kicking. Although I do think the result won't be quite as bad as the polls say.

Suff wrote:Well they wouldn't have much to lose would they.

Nothing at all and that is why Labour should be so worried about such a coalition.

I do not like Labour, that is pretty obvious, but I do not believe its core voters actively want destroy the Union and condemn rUK to the wilderness. That is almost a racing certainty if there is a failed Lab/SNP coalition, and it is essential that Labour's core vote, and the rest of us, know that.

Just to add.

If the SNP walked away from a coalition there would be another general election - Labour w/could face the same fate as it will in Scotland. With the LibDems a spent force the UK would swing right, and stay right for a very long time indeed.

Democracy would definitely be dead in the UK.