A new full-scale Scottish poll from YouGov appeared last night, and it cleared up some outstanding questions from the previous one (more on that later), but of most interest to us at the moment is that it has personal ratings for the SNP leadership candidates. For the first time in any poll that I'm aware of, Ash Regan is included.
Net personal ratings:
Reform UK 2%
I must admit I burst out laughing when I heard Stewart McDonald doesn't want independence until 2050. I'm past the point of despair now, it's just sheer comedy. Yes, another three decades should give Stew the chance to "steel the mandate to an unprecedented level".
— James Kelly (@JamesKelly) February 22, 2023
Fun game for the evening: work out what age you will personally be in 2050, Stewart McDonald's new target date for independence. Will radical life extension technologies be required for YOU to see indy?
— James Kelly (@JamesKelly) February 22, 2023
Oh gosh. I have defended The National to the hilt over many years but this does not look like a paper that is being neutral in a crucial leadership election. I hope they don't turn too obviously on Ash Regan as well, or they could lose a lot of trust.https://t.co/q00zu1Simt
— James Kelly (@JamesKelly) February 21, 2023
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Even a lot of the WGD numpties are not happy with The National at present. Mind you their wee heads are all over the place trying to make sense of everything that is happening but still keep Sturgeon in her place as the Great Leader who just got a bit tired. A friend told me it must have been the weight of carrying all these independence mandates about for so many years. I guess that would tire anybody out. Perhaps she should have used one of them up.
ReplyDeleteMcDonald should check with Skier what his Ski slope graph tells you yes will be at in 2050. Way too many Britnats in the SNP.
It's one thing the media monstering Corbyn and Salmond it's a lot harder doing that to a very pleasant honest likeable young woman and new mother. No wonder they are starting to look and sound ridiculously obscene in their attacks. Just like Corbyn and Salmond the media are being assisted by members of their own party.
Patrick Harvie has been on the BBC deliberately misrepresenting what Forbes has said- no scrub that he downright blatantly lied. Ruth Wishart quite rightly called him out on it. He said that Forbes stated she would implement her opinions on gay marriage etc etc. He also made it clear that only Yousaf will save the SNP/ Greens agreement.
ReplyDeleteSo let's summarise the position. Sturgeon's SNP gang, Britnat Media, The National, The Greens all in monstering of Forbes. Anyone still to join in? Truly disgusting behavior.
A small glimmer of hope- the National is running a poll of who should be leader and Ash is clearly ahead, so if their readership is even vaguely in line with SNP membership then all is not lost yet.
ReplyDeleteThat poll is a joke. The National is a joke. Shades of Mugabe getting 98% of the vote in Zimbabwe stuff. Can Murrell and his team be trusted not to do a Mugabe on Scotland.
DeleteUmm, yeah, just after that I saw that the poll was wide open to abuse. Voted for Ash a few dozen times though...
DeleteThe YouGov study is here: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2023/02/21/nicola-sturgeons-legacy-according-scots
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Ash is a completely unknown quantity to the electorate at large as well as to SNP voters. Over 80% didn’t express an opinion on whether she would make a good FM or not. Let’s hope she’s been using this week wisely so she can get her campaign off to a flier on Friday.
If Forbes suffers from the gay controversy I can't see a majority of her former supporters going to Yousaf. Promising for Regan? And in general promising for Alba after all the stooshie?
ReplyDeleteIt might well be promising for Alba if Yousaf actually wins, although Yousaf as FM would be such a hammerblow for independence that any increase in the Alba vote would be something of a hollow triumph.
Deletethis is simple - I might even stand. Priority No.1. As a member of the SNP I'm really really in favour of Independence (I know). Same as Regan, have 50%+1 on every manifesto. No.2. Brexit is a disaster. We can't even get fresh veg in our shops. We are part of the greater collective humanity of Europe. The only way back is via Indy (See No.1). No.3. We need to grow the economy to get ourselves and our kids a better future and in the process make our country more prosperous, and thereby healthier. We can't do this in the status quo (see No.1 and No. 2). That's it, it's a leadership election. We need big vision. Belief. Energy. A goal. Motivation. Excitement.
ReplyDeleteI'll reply to my own post (bad I know). The SNP are close to unique in UK politics that if we come out very strongly in favour of a single policy, just one policy (Indy, in case you were wondering) it'll drown everything else out, and about 50% of the country will lend us their votes, rejoicing in slightly misguided early victory, and life will feel good for at least a while. What is stopping the potential leadership candidates from doing this. It's a no brainer. Life is generally downbeat for many at the moment, most politics are in the doldrums - a passionate orator, with a strong single message, who we can belive in, will carry us (and them)
DeleteDon’t know much about Robin McAlpine’s politics these days (think he might be an Ash supporter), but he has to my mind the most level headed take on Kate Forbes’s campaign, and her prospects as future FM after the past couple of days. Reading it, I can’t escape the feeling that Ash may be the only hope at averting SNP defeat in 2026. Even if I do disagree with her stance on oil and gas. If that’s my only gripe with her, it’s nothing as compared to my thoughts on the wider political viability of the other two.
ReplyDeleteShe certainly seems at present to be the only person preventing this race from descending into a three stooges contest. Hopefully the decision to hit the campaign trail later gives her an “adult in the room” advantage.
Anyone remember the new great Sturgeon campaign for Scottish democracy that the big dug championed and numpties supported following the London court case last November. Whatever happened to that.
ReplyDeleteThis is Skier's current opinion on a democratic vote for the FM of Scotland.
" Both top contenders are way better than the sh*te we get from London, so can we just put them as FM/DM and get on with things."
So just how does Skier know who the top contenders are before the closing date for people to put their names forward. Doesn't sound a very democratic statement to me. In fact the SNP doesn't seem a very Democratic Party to me. How many can vote? Who is auditing/validating the integrity of the process. Who guarantees transparency.
Remember there has NEVER been an SNP leadership election that also elects a FM of Scotland.
Of course numpties will say it is none of your business you are not a member of the SNP. Wrong. I am a Scottish citizen and it affects me and my family who is FM.
Will the same people who said there should have been a UKGE after Truss was elected by Tory members now say the same about having a Holyrood election?
"It is none of your business ..you are not a member of the SNP."
DeleteQuite right. As if the voting public of Scotland should have any interest in who their political leader is going to be. The very thought of it.
DeleteThree candidates three possible futures for Scotland.
ReplyDelete1. SNP members see sense and elect the candidate (Regan ) that wants to obtain independence. Scotland has a shout at becoming independent in the near future.
2. SNP members stick with the Sturgeon gang and elect Yousaf. Yousaf is Scotland's Liz trust and is a complete and utter disaster but hangs in there through the next two elections. The SNP loses both elections and becomes a special interest party for advancing trans rights and merges with the Greens. Alba deliver independence in the long run but it takes a long time to rebuild trust after the Yousaf Armageddon years.
3. SNP members elect Forbes and the SNP continue to win elections and keep doing nothing about independence and eventually declare as a British devolution party when new leader Stewart Mc Donald forces through the change in 2050 after saying Scottish independence is impossible. Scots are not genetically programmed to be independent claims McDonald to wild applause from party members.
Other futures may also be available but WGD numpties say it is none of our business. So numpties can rightly take the blame for Sturgeon not delivering independence as Feb 2023.
I know 'banging your head against a brick wall' can be painful but, at the risk of coming across as far too obsequious, YOU ARE THE VOICE OF SANITY CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS.
ReplyDeletePlease keep on calling out the 'false flag' merchants like Humza.
Remember the old saying.
'Evil flourishes when good men do nothing'
I know this is going back more than 20 years. After saying that, it is around the time that Wishart had his falling out with Donnie Munro and leaving Runrig.
DeletePerhaps someone can come up with an innocent explanation re the formation of the company and the subsequent addition 3 years later.
Probably me having an overactive imagination.
https://companycheck.co.uk/company/SC203193/INDEPENDENCE-MERCHANDISING-LTD/companies-house-data
For some reason the link to the Independence Merchandising page isn't behaving itself. Details can be garnished by simply googling the name.
DeleteA quick scan reveals only 3 participants plus a company secretary.
The 3 business owners/directors:- Struan Stevenson, Pete Wishart and Peter Murrell.
Hmmmmm
Absolute menaces.
DeletePretty hilarious that the "Muslim Council of the United Kingdom" group which has been getting a lot of attention for attacking Yousaf was founded on Tuesday. Say what you like about the "establishment" side of this contest but I doubt their black ops would be as inept as this.
ReplyDeleteKeaton - all black ops and lies are to be condemned.
DeleteSturgeon's Chief Constable Livingstone to retire. Hopefully that is true.
Scotland's top bobby standing down. Just in time for Yosaf to be top jobby?
ReplyDeleteBeats me how John REDACTOR MAN Swinney can criticise Forbes on same sex marriage as he doesn't even seem to know what a women is so how on earth can he be sure a marriage is a same sex marriage.
ReplyDeleteSuperb!
DeleteI wonder what the reason could be why none of our 'brave' MSM 'journalists haven't asked Yousaf how many Muslim trans women are there in Scotland and what he has done to make trans Muslims free to trans in Scotland.
ReplyDeleteAll leadership candidates should be asked the same questions out of fairness, but unless I’ve missed it and Kate Forbes has been asked how many trans women there are in the Free Church and what she’s done to make them free, that seems like a patently ridiculous line of questioning. Actually, it seems like an absurd line of questioning regardless.
DeleteNothing ‘brave’ about it. Just unhinged, ill-channelled vitriol that does us no favours.
Anonymous - I'll give you a 'nice' reply - not sure your comment deserves it though.
DeleteYousaf supports self ID Forbes does NOT support self ID therefore there is absolutely no reason why that line of questioning is absurd. Surprised you missed that very basic point. It seems 'brave' anonymous posters let their emotions run wild before considering the facts involved.
Anonymous at 6.03pm - your comment that all leadership candidates should be asked all the same questions is neither unhinged, or ill - channelled vitriol but it is just very silly. I recommend you think a bit more before expressing your outrage. Alternatively, if you are the anonymous diddy who called me a liar then just pissof .
DeleteAw poor old nasty numpty Dr Jim is so upset at recent events he states:-
ReplyDelete" I really don't care who wins this leadership election now, my 53 year membership is over, ...."
a minute later he posts " After I've voted of course."
Whether or not Dr Jim resigns from the SNP or not is up to him but what is pathetic is he and all the others cannot accept and admit they got it way wrong about Sturgeon. Even now when they see Sturgeons gang monstering a decent person in Forbes to promote a useless gang member (Yousaf) they cannot bring themselves to admit it.
James, perhaps Forbes team have read your article and taken your advice because first sentence in a Forbes statement says:-
ReplyDelete" This election is about independence, who is best equipped, and who has the best plan to achieve it."
So where is your plan Ms Forbes? ( Hopefully it will be better than Russell's phoney 11 point plan.) It will take more than that after your previous comments to convince me that you are not a do nothing candidate or as they like to call themselves - a gradualist.
As the SNP crashes and burns I believe support will stay consistent at high forties/low fifties. A fantastic opportunity for Alba beckons.
ReplyDeletesupport for independence that is
DeleteYer (unionist) maw!
DeleteOnly SNP members get a vote, and Kate Forbes is at the moment head and shoulders above Humza with Ash Regan a distant last having already blown it with the members on her association with Alba
ReplyDeleteClearly the SNP members are not keen on Scottish independence as they want ' do nothing ' candidates but just to confuse matters the Greens probably won't vote for Forbes to be FM so it doesn't take many SNP MSPs to vote her down.
DeletePossibility 1. A Holyrood election but it won't be be a de facto referendum - useless SNP/ Greens.
Possibility 2. Yousaf as FM and Forbes as party leader - 😂😂😂😂😂😂
SNP members could now realise that the plan all along was to force them to have Yousaf as FM or face chaos and then decide to change their vote.
Hatred of Alba and self ID now more important to the SNP than independence. The Britnats in the SNP have won.
Sturgeon's Scotland a farcical corrupt mess.
Honorary WGD numpty Keaton states Robin McAlpine is a nobody. Keaton fails to say why. I would say to Keaton that McAlpine has his own blog - you don't - so I guess that would make you less than a nobody. In Keaton's favour at least he posts on SGP and WGD under his own moniker and doesn't hide as an anonymous like so many WGD numpty cowards when posting on SGP.
ReplyDeleteSkier now sits on the fence. " It's interesting, as I don't as such have a preferred candidate, so just almost feel like a third party observer in it all."
ReplyDeleteJames should have started a fun competition on guessing how many times Skier will change his postion before the winner is announced.
The anti democratic Skier says:- " I really hope all candidates refuse to take part in any televised BBC/ STV debate."
ReplyDeleteThis is the same numpty that would complain about Sturgeon being excluded from TV debates.
we could do with gaining back those 8 points but 12 or 14 would be better, Ash does seem like the most strait forward choice at the moment, though i like Kate, I wonder if it's too late to join the SNP again? I would vote for Ash at the moment because she has a plan.
ReplyDeleteIf you joined the SNP now you wouldn't get a vote because there was a cut-off date. (Unless they change the rules, which logically you'd think they should want to do to bring in revenues from new members. However, it's highly unlikely that the rules would be changed when the process is already well underway.)
DeleteMind you, I suppose there's an argument for saying that Forbes or Regan supporters should join just on the off-chance that they're given a vote by mistake. Stranger things have happened where technology is involved.
DeleteNew poll released this morning by the Big Partnership
ReplyDeleteSNP leadership preference:
Kate Forbes - 28%
Humza Yousef - 20%
Ash Regan- 7%
Morning, James. Sorry for the stupid question but if it's a three-horse race what happens to the voting preferences of the supporters of the person who comes third? Does the individual ballot paper include second preferences? And are they passed on automatically? Thanks.
DeleteSturgeon's gang, The National and the Britnat media all working together to force feed Yousaf on the people of Scotland. Now if you think about all the baggage Yousaf is carrying ( as Dross put it - he has failed upwards throughout his career) then it makes you wonder what mountain of baggage the original preferred candidate for the succession, Robertson, must be carrying.
ReplyDelete