Friday, May 6, 2011

SNP win overall majority of nine seats

Like a lot of people, I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'll write a more coherent post later (possibly!). In the meantime, I thought I'd just wallow in the sheer arithmetical poetry of the final result...

SNP 69 (+22)
Labour 37 (-9)
Conservatives 15 (-2)
Liberal Democrats 5 (-11)
Greens 2 (-)
Independent 1 (-)


Overall SNP majority of 9 seats (possibly 10 once a Presiding Officer has been chosen). Incredibly, that's slightly bigger than the one enjoyed by the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in the 2003-2007 parliament.

11 comments:

  1. I think we are all stunned by the size of the victory.

    Your blog has helped the cause to.

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  2. Run out Champers. Off to Carrefour!

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  3. Plenty champers here in Brigadoon Lord Snooty, it's slipping down nicely, hic!

    Keep up the good work James, Marcia is right.

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  4. Indeed James, your well thought out, constructive and amusingly written posts must surely have played their part in last night's victory.

    Thank you.

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  5. Thank you James. We got all 10 seats in the north east and a list MSP, thanks to you I did not use that vote for the greens. ta!

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  6. May I also say that your insight has been most helpful in keeping us all on the level. Thank you!

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  7. Thanks for the kind words - of course blogging during an election campaign is almost entirely a case of preaching to the converted, but it's been lots of fun!

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  8. Super stuff from you - many thanks - and to Tris and everyone else: a stunningly epic result! Onwards now and upwards!

    Enjoy the champers or whatever your poison is. I've been on the whisky.

    Kampai agus Slainte!!

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  9. James.

    Indeed, your blog has been a joy to read and I often came here to keep up to date with what was going on during the campaign. Keep up the good work over the next 5 years. :)

    Btw just a wee question! I thought the SNP had an over all majority of 4 seats but you have it down as 9?

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  10. Allan, the convention (at least at Westminster) is to calculate an overall majority in the following way -

    Government 69
    Combined Opposition 60

    Majority = 9

    So in effect every seat a party gains or loses makes a difference of two to the majority.

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  11. James.

    Right got you now. I'm no good at simple arithmetic lol. And I see where 10 comes in if one of the other party's put forward someone for the presiding officers place.

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