One thing that has become painfully obvious over the last few days is that the London establishment, including ITV, Sky News and quite possibly the BBC as well, are hellbent on crushing the SNP at this election, and aren't much bothered about being seen to do so by illegitimate means. And I'm afraid some SNP supporters are being a tad naive in telling themselves that high-profile TV debates excluding the party will have little impact on voting intentions or somehow might even work in the SNP's favour. The evidence from 2010 tells a very different story - the three-way Brown-Cameron-Clegg debates effectively became the whole campaign, and the SNP could only look on helplessly as the Cleggasm changed the trajectory of the campaign in Scotland as much as in the rest of the UK. It's also naive to believe that intensive local campaigning can somehow offset the negative effect of a debate exclusion. If the broadcasters refuse to do the right thing, the SNP really ought to consider legal action, because it's no exaggeration to say that it might just be the only way of rescuing their election chances.
That said, local campaigning is obviously very important as well, and the SNP are not on a level playing-field as far as funding is concerned - the Tories in particular can bring in riches from south of the border in a way that the SNP can't. So, as I've done in previous general elections, I've put together a list of links to local SNP election fundraisers. It's probably not exhaustive - feel free to point me in the direction of any I've missed.
GLASGOW NORTH-EAST - Anne McLaughlin
RUTHERGLEN & HAMILTON WEST - Margaret Ferrier
WEST ABERDEENSHIRE & KINCARDINE - Fergus Mutch
GORDON - Richard Thomson
NORTH-EAST FIFE - Stephen Gethins
EAST LOTHIAN - Kenny MacAskill
KIRKCALDY & COWDENBEATH - Neale Hanvey
OCHIL & SOUTH PERTHSHIRE - John Nicolson
DUMFRIESSHIRE, CLYDESDALE & TWEEDDALE - Amanda Burgauer
MORAY - Laura Mitchell
AYR, CARRICK & CUMNOCK - Allan Dorans
BERWICKSHIRE, ROXBURGH & SELKIRK - Calum Kerr
DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY - Richard Arkless
COATBRIDGE, CHRYSTON & BELLSHILL - Steven Bonnar
ANGUS - Dave Doogan
ABERDEEN SOUTH - Stephen Flynn
STIRLING - Alyn Smith
MIDLOTHIAN - Owen Thompson
ARGYLL & BUTE - Brendan O'Hara
PERTH & NORTH PERTHSHIRE - Pete Wishart
EDINBURGH WEST - Sarah Masson
EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE - Amy Callaghan
LANARK & HAMILTON EAST - Angela Crawley
EDINBURGH SOUTH-WEST - Joanna Cherry
ROSS, SKYE & LOCHABER - Ian Blackford
GLASGOW EAST - David Linden
EAST RENFREWSHIRE - Kirsten Oswald
GLASGOW NORTH - Patrick Grady
PAISLEY & RENFREWSHIRE SOUTH - Mhairi Black
ABERDEEN NORTH - Kirsty Blackman
AIRDRIE & SHOTTS - Neil Gray
INVERNESS, NAIRN, BADENOCH & STRATHSPEY - Drew Hendry
DUNDEE WEST - Chris Law
PAISLEY & RENFREWSHIRE NORTH - Gavin Newlands
GLASGOW CENTRAL - Alison Thewliss
CENTRAL AYRSHIRE - Philippa Whitford
GLASGOW SOUTH-WEST - Chris Stephens
EDINBURGH EAST - Tommy Sheppard
CUMBERNAULD, KILSYTH & KIRKINTILLOCH EAST - Stuart MacDonald
NORTH AYRSHIRE & ARRAN - Patricia Gibson
GLASGOW SOUTH - Stewart McDonald
MOTHERWELL & WISHAW - Marion Fellows
KILMARNOCK & LOUDOUN - Alan Brown
LINLITHGOW & EAST FALKIRK - Martyn Day
There are a couple I haven't included on the list because they seem to be closed after reaching their target - Catriona MacDonald in Edinburgh South and Paul Robertson in Banff & Buchan.
There's also the option of donating to the SNP centrally HERE.
Of course, another vitally important thing that everyone can do apart from donating money is badger any potential SNP and/or independence supporter they know to register to vote at this link by the deadline of 26th November, if they're not already registered. Young people and those who have recently moved house are particularly worth chasing up. And remember also that citizens of the Republic of Ireland who are resident in the UK, and citizens of all Commonwealth countries who are resident in the UK, are eligible to vote in general elections - but may not be aware of that fact. New Zealanders may be newly-receptive to the arguments for Scottish independence given what happened to the All Blacks a couple of weeks ago!
Thanks for those links, James. I wish I was rich and could donate to them all, but I cant, so I'll have to try and do whatever else I can to get as many of the 5o over the line for all our sakes.
ReplyDeleteThanks again.
59 (damned auto-correct!)
ReplyDeleteJust stuck in £20 into my own constituency Alison Thewliss and stuck £20 into Amy Callaghan funder .Also had a wee nibble with £20 on Amy at 100/30 to take out Jo Swinson.I think Kirsten Oswald will take East Renfrewshire again but poor price with Paddy Power at evens.
ReplyDeleteKirsten Oswald is certainly in with a shout. To be honest I don't think 100-30 in East Dunbartonshire is a value bet. I might be tempted at 20-1.
DeleteYou are probably right with Swinson but everyone I'm speaking too thinks that Swinson has had a terrible campaign so far.Im quietly confident the SNP are going to do well very well.On purely anecdotal evidence I get the feeling that lots of people are as Nicola said today scunnered with Brexit and the prospect of a majority Johnson government.Fingers crossed
DeleteWell Swinson threatened legal action and she was then invited on to Sky.
ReplyDeleteAnother possibility is to call for a block on the debates being shown in Scotland, and replace them with a Scottish version. Failing that, since the UK media is just not working for Scotland, maybe time to call for broadcasting to be devolved, and throw that into the debate.
Yougov UK Scots sample:
ReplyDelete47% SNP
22% Con
10% Lab
8% Lib
8% Grn
5% Brx
Yougov have Remain losing ground to leave, with it now back to 50/50 UK-wide.
DeleteIn Scotland, Remain is on 69% ex DK in the sample.
James as I live in Nova Scotia but born in Scotland, can I donate money to a Scottish election. You can only donate money to a Canadian election if you live in Canada - this is why I'm asking. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've deleted my previous two replies because I don't want to mislead anyone. Having done a bit of checking, it appears that anyone on the electoral register, including overseas electors, can donate an unlimited amount. Restrictions apply to anyone who isn't on the electoral register, but they're still permitted to make small donations (because, bizarrely, small donations are not classed in law as "donations" at all). It looks like the limit for these constituency-level fundraisers is £50, although I believe that the limit might be quite a bit higher if you donate to the party at national level. (I think it might be £500, but I'm not a lawyer so don't treat that as gospel.)
DeleteThanks for the information and for the idea of donating. I made a donation to the SNP. I think it went through. I love the term living outwith - see below posting!
DeleteLast time I checked it was GBP500.00. However, the contribution is only legal if it is less than that amount. A penny, in this case, can make an enormous difference
DeleteLiving outwith Scotland, have just made my SNP donation. Thanks for the cue, James.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of SNP media coverage in Scotland is a real concern. It could be that due to Sturgeon's high profile in the debates in 2015 and the subsequent success, that there is a general feeling in the corridors of power that this has to be toned down a bit.
But take Sky et al to court - at least that may generate some media coverage and demonstrate to more people what's going on.
The 2015 Westminster GE and the amount of coverage given to the SNP by media, whether London based or Scottis based, was quite unusual. An aberration that, given the result, the powers that be and the media determined not to repeat. Thus in the 2017 Westminster GE the SNP were all but written out of the election and any time they did appear on TV the questions were all on devolved matters. In effect the opposition parties in Scotland, with willing help from the media, tried to re-fight the 2016 Holyrood election.
DeleteThe SNP in 2017 also had their campaign derailed twice. Firstly by the Manchester bombing which delayed their manifesto launch and secondly by the London terror attack.
Overall the election coverage of the SNP in 2017 had reverted to the usual bare minimum seen in all elections apart from 2015 which as I said earlier, was an aberration in terms of coverage that they, and their policies, received.
This time round it seems, even at this early stage, to be even worse. Not only is the SNP being written out of the election but it seems the whole of Scotland too.
There is no way the British establishment will make the same mistake they did in 2016. Nicola will not be allowed near a TV debate. She is too good. Too dangerous. Not going to happen folks. Legal action is the only option if the SNP want to challenge this.
ReplyDeleteShe and her leader Eck off Russian TV fame lost the 2014 referendum. So what qualities does she have now except wanting the EU running Scotland?
DeleteSorry typo 2015
ReplyDeleteJames your blog prompted me to look at what happened last time (ie 2017). Famously - or infamously - the PM basically hid away, or if seen in public said little more than "strong and stable, stable and strong". However, there was a debate with the "7 main parties in the UK" - ie Conservative (Rudd), Labour (Corbyn), Lib Dem (Farron), Green (Lucas), UKIP (Nuttall), Plaid (Wood) and SNP (Robertson).
ReplyDeleteOne thing noticeable about that is all the parties sent their leader with the exception of the Tories, and eh the SNP (Can't help but think that as things worked out Angus would have been better off up in Moray!).
But much more important is that, if we accept the assurance that the audience was representative of the UK (party affiliation, vote on EU, age etc) how many of them - even if they thought Angus was the greatest thing since sliced bread - could vote SNP even if they wanted to?
This, in turn makes me wonder how much ITV or BBC are the right target? Might the more appropriate target be STV or BBC Scotland to organize a "leaders in Scotland" debate. Whether the others are stupid enough to go along with this is of course questionable. But, given its a WM election would the Tories really go with Carlaw, or might they go with Jack (not that he would be a big improvement, I suspect). Labour would be in a bit of a bind - Richard Leonard or Iain Murray is a bit of a non-question for the Labour Party. But how about Swinson?
With the possible exception of Swinson, there would be no national leaders (unless Corbyn decides to come to avoid having to put Richard Leonard up). But the crucial thing is to avoid the perception that this is the "second eleven" (I dont mean that, but it could be portrayed that way) at Holyrood, debating the big people's election at WM.
The thesis is James, that what is really needed is to create a Scottish debate (for our politics is not the same as down south) on TV, and for that it's STV and BBC Scotland that should be targeted (if nothing else it will expose how much/little autonomy BBC Scotland - esp their new channel - actually have). I think that would be more influential than appearing in front of a TV audience where 90+% couldnt vote SNP even if they wanted to. I know there are status issues - getting on with Boris and Jerry creates status just be being there with them - but if we are going to deal with the issues, its not the way to do it.
You are playing lock, stock and barrel into the hands of Sky and ITV with that argument. There will be Scottish leaders' debates. There always have been Scottish leaders' debates, and there always will be. We'll have them coming out of our ears, and nobody will pay the slightest attention to them. The question is not whether the SNP will be represented at these second-division debates that have taken place since the year dot, but whether they will be represented at the *main* debates. Sky's very excuse for excluding the SNP is precisely that the SNP will be graciously permitted to debate Jackson Carlaw in front of an audience of two men and a dog, and why you would want to give succour to that absurd excuse is beyond me.
DeleteSo the answer to your point - are the BBC and ITV the right targets - is absolutely 100% "yes", without the remotest shadow of doubt.
You miss a couple of points in the argument though
Delete1. "But much more important is that, if we accept the assurance that the audience was representative of the UK (party affiliation, vote on EU, age etc) how many of them - even if they thought Angus was the greatest thing since sliced bread - could vote SNP even if they wanted to? " - in other words much of the audience at a UK leaders debate is irrelevant to the SNP - they will never vote for the SNP - indeed cannot vote for them
2. I don't suggest that the audience should be two men and a dog - you clearly missed that "the crucial thing is to avoid the perception that this is the "second eleven" Perhaps for instance putting this on at the same time as the UK (or rUK) debate.
3. while I take the point about associated status by appearing with the big boys, your good friend in Bath has put up a YouGov poll of 1060 Scottish adults, shows the SNP up 5 points, Tories down 7 and the Labour vote down to less than half. How much good do you think it will do to have Nicola appear with someone who is regarded with much suspicion - Corbyn - and another who is considered a liar (remember the reaction Kirstie Hair got last night when she claimed he cared about Scotland?).
I repeat a better strategy is to put pressure on BBC Scotland (more prog time with the new channel) and STV to put on a proper leaders debate that focuses on Scotland rather than one in London where we can be patronised when we are not being ignored.
The Greens are standing in East Dunbartonshire where they have absolutely zero chance of doing anything except dilute SNP votes
ReplyDeleteThe Tories have stood back to give Swinson even more chance of winning and here we are stuck with a Green party who's making sure the SNP have less chance of mounting a fightback
When George Square Booed Patrick Harvie for this behaviour let's hope the people's memories are long about this self serving little tyrant
The Greens have been the Unionists' Little Helpers ever since they gave Ruth Davidson the necessary boost in her Edinburgh seat.
DeleteI agree with most of what the Greens say and I admire Andy Wightman a lot. But... What the hell are they thinking? Are they ethereal that real life doesn't matter? "Whee. I live 8n my own pretty world. Lovely."
DeleteJesus.
"Tyrant" for standing in an election. Lol
DeleteA better description of Harvie would be Communist, take a look at his economic strategy, he has more in common with Corbyn, he's a horrible wee man
DeleteI don't believe the Greens are Britnat supporters. Maybe just naive, like school debaters.
ReplyDeleteGiven the apparent rise in SNP support in polls, we might conclude the SNP exclusion from the media is having a positive effect. The UK is not exactly covering itself in glory of late, and, well, all three unionist party leaders hate Scottish people and are happy to say so ('I / England will decide if they can have their referendum, not them'), so why not just stick that oan the telly for Scots to hear over and over again?
ReplyDeleteSNP should make a PPB of unionist leaders just saying no over and over again to Scots. Include Boris saying 'A Scots tax pound spent in Croydon is much better for us English than one spent in Glasgow old boy!'.... the HoC murmuring 'Sean Connery' over and over again when Scots MPs try to speak etc etc.
Then break half way to the positive of independence...
Maybe the SNP need to add another strand to their campaign, a vote for the SNP is a vote for Scottish democracy, the right for us to make decisions about our future. The Tories can campaign against independence but in denying a referendum they are denying democracy. Even fair minded unionists should see that, and that simply voting for a party to stop a public vote is not healthy. True blue tories may always vote tory but labour and libs should look at themselves if they really would put 'stopping a referendum' ahead of the more natural 'stop the tories' stance.
ReplyDeleteCan't see Edinburgh North & Leith there for Deirdre Brock
ReplyDeleteI've searched for Deidre Brock's name, and I can't find a fundraiser for this year? The only ones I can find are from 2015 and 2017.
DeleteSomething for pro-indy parties in Scotland to consider?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50327937
General election 2019: Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru agree pact
There's only one pro indy party in Scotland, the Greens are a hanger on coat tail party the same as the Liberal Democrats hang on to the Tories
DeleteWhat's encouraging is how many of these names are recognisable. I was thinking of putting money in for Joanna Cherry even though she isn't my PPC but there are so many names worth supporting that it has given me pause for thought!
ReplyDeleteScotland hes 2 choices, 5years of Boris or independence.
ReplyDeleteEnglish government making clear its hatred for Scottish people again today.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/libby_brooks/status/1192453576313987073
Boris Johnson tells reporters in Moray that he will not grant [Scottish people] the powers for a second independence ref regardless of whether the SNP wins majority of seats in this election OR wins a pro-independence Holyrood majority in 2021
This is the same treatment blacks received in the southern states and Apartheid South Africa.
If 59% of English MPs backed English indy, there'd be no refusal of a section 30. It's pure anti-Scottish racist hatred. No question about it.
If it is clear there is no democratic route to independence - and conservatives, labour and liberals have spelled that out- now what? All the arguments about list votes and new parties etc all irrelevant as the establishment watch and laugh at our squabbling. Hold a non sanctioned vote and goto jail for ten years for sedition? Disrupt parliament every day every week every month? Civil disobedience? Give up and go back to moaning about the weather? Now might not be the time to discuss this, but come Friday the 13th its likely we are going to have to have to face the fact that all democratic routes have been blocked.
DeleteThe Tories are actually arguing that violence is justified. Which of course it absolutely is where a democratic route is not possible and all non-violent means have been exhausted.
DeleteJust as the Brits fought the Nazis when the latter refused to let occupied countries vote for freedom, so the Scots can do the same with complete justification if the UK won't allow them to leave freely, and sends in the black and tans.
Democracy must be fought for if it comes to it; it is something 'no man should give up but with life itself'.
There are of course lots of avenues to pursue first though, some of which you list, but it's quite scary to have a UK government declare that violence, such as the Irish had no choice but to use 1919-21, will be an acceptable route as they plan to shut off the democratic one.
Anyway, they'd better be prepared to send in English jackboots to beat up Scottish grannies. You must follow through if you mean to cancel democracy. The population will rise up and never give you rest. You will need to batter women, kids etc. Ask Spain.
There is a crowdfunder on Crowdfunder for Pete Wishart in Perth and North Perthshire. His majority in 2017 was only 21 and we are campaigning hard to see him returned on 12 Dec 19
ReplyDeleteThanks, I've added it. (I hope my magnanimity is duly noted, given that Mr Wishart has had me blocked on Twitter for over a year!)
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that and thank you. I'll ask him why.
DeleteSo, who is going to ask the LibDems why they are pretending their pact is all about Remain in England and Wales, but in Scotland, they are happy to collude with the pro Brexit Tories?
ReplyDeleteThe Liberal Democrats are Tories, Jo Swinson has voted Tory more times than Jacob Reese Mogg, the news will never point that out, they play the game they're told to play, I think they call it *As long as we make it look like news*
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't give that woman a packet of Fox Newtons never mind a vote.
DeleteThe Scottish Nat sis are Tories.
DeleteThatcher said if we want independence we only have to vote for SNP. Time to remind Boris of that when he trots out his once in a generation crap. The thing that worries me is that once you block all democratic routes to independence, as mentioned above by Lochranza, you have to deal with two realities: 1) we live in a 'capped' democracy and 2) inevitably someone will start down the non-democratic route. History shows that no-one ever gets free of Britain without a blood-bath. Sad, but true.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Jo Swinson who wants a statue erected to Thatcher should be reminded of her views of a mandate for Scottish Independence.
ReplyDeleteI call her Jocob Rees Witherspoon's.
DeleteI can't find his fundraiser - do you have a link?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/elect-steven-bonnar/comments#start
ReplyDeleteCould still benefit from support!