Cards on the table, I’m an SNP member and I voted SNP 1 Green 2. I might have voted Alba 2 until the crazy trans comments from some members and the polls suggesting they might be a wasted vote too. Listening to the very impressive Scottish Greens co-leader, Lorna Slater will have played a part in my decision
Though a member, I’ve been pretty sure the SNP 1 and 2 strategy was more tribal than rational.
I’m also relaxed about a wider alliance especially with a party holding even more leftist views on economic matters.
Some have misunderstood my intentions in writing about this. I’ve spent the last nearly 50 years being curious about controversies on which I often have no strong opinion.
I have friends who voted SNP 1 and 2, SNP 1 Green 2 and SNP 1 Alba 2. Perhaps because of my age, more of the latter than I’d expected.
Anyhow, it’s interesting isn’t it?
The polls have largely put Alba out of the game but when you see the regional breakdown in the data tables, only released yesterday and in the case of the Savanta/Scotsman/Suspicious ones, still under wraps, Alba look stronger in some parts and even into double figures in two.
Seeing those breakdowns, I did a twitterpoll with the above results.
1 546 responses out of 5 500 followers, is good. The sample is of course not properly structured and it’s self-selecting so that’s bad but it’s quite a big sample of almost entirely the Yes supporters we’re interested in knowing about, so that’s good.
We’ll know on Saturday. I won’t eat my hat either way.
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
In 2016 the SNP got 41.7% of the list (second) vote. This got them 4 list seats. The other parties combined got 55.7% of the vote and 50 list seats.
10% of SNP list vote per MSP.
1% of Others list vote per MSP.
Looking at the above I could see no logic whatsoever for SNP 1/2 and during the last few weeks no SNP followers could offer any reasonable counter argument to this.
I voted by mail about 8 or 9 days ago. SNP 1, Alba 2. Since then, after seeing some of the Alba supporters comments, I have reviewed my position. Yesterday I would have gone SNP 1, Green 2 but it was too late.
I doubt Alba will get my vote again (if they are still around). There’s a lot of cleaning up to be done there. Some good people amongst them but they are attracting too many egotists and other nutters for my liking.
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Some good people amongst them but they are attracting too many egotists and other nutters for my liking?
Agreed
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“In 2016 the SNP got 41.7% of the list (second) vote. This got them 4 list seats.”
Actually, this got them 4 extra seats, and their 41.7% of the list vote got them 48.5% of the seats in total. That is its purpose, to establish
a vote share, in order to produce a roughly equivalent seat share. It can’t do that by ignoring the seats a party already earned from the constituency vote. BOTH sets of seats count towards the seat share set by the list vote, and the SNP clearly didn’t lose out at all, because they ended up with more seats than their list share justified.
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We all know the current system is designed to stop any one party getting an overall majority and the 2nd vote is important in getting a potential political ally. The 2nd vote choice is confusing and made more so by all the SNP literature encouraging you to vote SNP 1 & 2 when they know it’s not always the best way to go. Education is what is required to properly inform people of the potential consequences of their choices and how best to get the system to work for them. There will be a large number of people confused as to why their 2nd vote has resulted in a unionist candidate getting in on the list vote.
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If the SNP leadership doesn’t deliver independence during this parliament’s lifetime they will rightly go down in history as traitors to Scotland.
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IF THIS IS THE BEST OR ONLY WAY TO STOP THESE THIEVING UNIONIST
GETTING FREE SEATS THEN UNDERMINING OUR ELECTED MEMBERS
LETS GET AN SECTION OF YES SUPPORTERS TELLING ALL OF THE SCOTS OF VOTING AGE.
EXACTLY HOW TO VOTE TO STOP UNIONISTS GETTING SEATS
WE CANNOT ALLOWED CHEAP CONMEN AN WOMEN TO DEFRAUD OUR CITIZENS OF SCOTLAND
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Fair play, good reasoning, no decision is wrong, despite the hyperbole of some of late with insults aplenty.
The results will be interesting even if the wait is excruciatingly long, what I’ll be more interested in is turnout and how much of a beating the Unionists have taken.
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I think most people realised from its inception in Scotland in 1999
that the d’Hondt system allowed greater leeway for electors to decide
how to deploy their votes to get a parliament that reflected better
their views.
And, along with the STV in Council elections, changes have
been brought about, not least breaking the grip Labour had had,
particularly in the Central belt , for nearly 70 years and the complacency
and corruption which ensued.
It did, to be fair, have some notable achievements. We need further
devolution of powers to more local levels, including the powers to raise
monies by taxation.
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I voted for Alec Salmond every time his name was on a ballot paper. It wasn’t yesterday but he still got my vote. Situations vary all round the country but where I am I judged that to be the best decision.
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Here in the Scottish Borders I felt it had to be 2 votes SNP, sadly we often seem to be the only blue patch on the map that rarely changes though the lib dems held the seat for many years a while back. I would agree that a coalition with the Greens wouldn’t be a bad thing though I suspect their more radical policies aren’t geared to persuading voters of other hues to come round to independence. It’s the impatience to demand independence that would put me off Alba. No matter how strongly we all feel about this, if we don’t have majority support in Scotland a positive referendum result is not guaranteed. And frankly I would also prefer a broader based support from across the political spectrum so we don’t end up as with Brexit and a country split almost down the middle. Like you Bob I’ll be very interested in the turnout, it’s always good to know folk are interested & engaged no matter their choices
fingers crossed for some good results today and tomorrow
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Interesting article, John.
FWIW I voted SNP/ALBA. Whether there are an abnormally high numbers of “nutters” in Alba I couldn’t care less because I honestly believe Alba MSPs in Holyrood are essential if we are to regain our independence. The more the better.
I would gladly make a pact with the devil if it meant Scotland would regain its independence. Independence won’t be delivered by angels.
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I’m not saying the nutters are “in” Alba, just that they are following them. ;o)
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Boom boom!
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Every party has egotists and nutters
ALBA a small party shows them up more clearly
Every other party being bigger , will have more nutters and egotists than ALBA
You have seen them in the past
Got used to their existence
Dont worry about them because they are a small proportion
ALBA will probably eject them but now is not the time to do so if you want as many votes for independence as possible
This argument has ranged over many months now about accepting all points of view into the Scottish independence movement to gain independence , policies and views on other matters we said should be dealt with after independence
Now you say lets deal with the other matters ( nutters and egotists ) right now ?
Personally i knew the risk of voting for a new party was high
But Scottish independence is top yes top priority for me
Sorting all other matters will be much easier without the britnat media , BBC , STV SKY , newspapers and their daily propaganda
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Agreed, Terence. Independence, first and foremost.
This ain’t no beauty contest.
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I appear to have been wasting my time explaining the dangers faced by women in Scotland, as any vote for the Greens was a vote supporting misogyny and patriarchy. Voting for the Greens also make you a political opponent of the World Health Organisation, so I suppose it’s good that women now know who to trust.
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CameronB Brodie, you are not wasting your time, keep up the good work please. The latest absurdity to become apparent from identity politics ‘theory’, due to equal marriage becoming legal after the GRA Act, is an end to annulment of a marriage when one partner declares themselves the opposite of their birth sex. Have a look at the ‘transwidows’ website.
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I don’t think you’ve been wasting your time. The threat is serious. Patrick Harvie has been quoted as saying he would recognise a board or committtee with only male and transwomen as ‘gender balanced!!! FFS!!
As a woman, I am not going to wheesht.
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Its a very dangerous thing do, voting for a party on the number of nutters they have, or don’t have! I’m pretty sure that most ordinary voters would think that the Greens have the most nutters. If you want hate it would be the Tories and the SNP still has many woke nutters.
In my opinion, one man’s nutter is another man’s hero. Nutters apart, I voted, as always, with the gaining of independence the only important criteria; SNP 1 Alba 2.
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Do you actually understand what “woke” is?
It’s not a neologism (a new term), it’s been around since the 1860’s; it was first used in the aftermath of the American Civil War. It’s a term used to acknowledge that slavery did exist and racism is very much with us. In its wider context, it means that social injustice is part of our lives. Neither of which is a bad thing, in my not so humble opinion.
To my mind, anyone who uses “woke” in a pejorative way: either doesn’t understand it’s definition; or is a denier of racism and/or social injustice. Please consider it’s use more carefully in future.
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Drew – Keep up please. The meaning has been changed. Please consider this in future.
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Like John I voted SNP 1 and Green 2. In my view a potential coalition of SNP & Greens could be stronger than a majority SNP government: Greens’ firm views on having our own currency make more sense than the vacillating statements from SNP whose inner, elite core seems not to have noticed Tim Rideout’s successful amendment (at the 2019 Conference) to the elite’s proposal to adopt sterlingisation. It’s mission critical that we adopt our own sovereign currency and having the Green’s insistence on it in Cabinet discussions would make me more comfortable.
Likewise, the Greens’ input to policies around climate change, green energy, land use etc are very clear and constructive, and their involvement will bring credibility to ScotGov policy. Similarly, they are guaranteed to hold a tough line on Trident removal and nuclear energy. These three topics – currency, climate change and removal of WMDs – are of paramount importance to me: get these right and our children and grandchildren can live in a much better, safer Scotland than the one we currently inhabit.
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Last chance saloon for the SNP.
If the SNP leadership doesn’t deliver independence during this parliament’s lifetime they will rightly go down in history as traitors to Scotland.
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