(Assassination during the last government to last more than 11 years)
Here are the headline results of the Panelbase poll of Scottish voters commissioned by Wings over Scotland. These figures exclude the don’t knows and are based on fieldwork between 21 and 26 June 2018:
Holyrood
SNP 41 (+2)
Conservative 27 (-1)
Labour 22 (-3)
LibDem 6 (-)
Green 2 (-)
Westminster
SNP 38 (+1)
Conservative 27 (-2)
Labour 25 (-2)
LibDem 7 (-)
Greens 2 (+2)
To be pulling away in an opinion poll after 11 years in government is unheard of, I think. To be holding firm after this time is probably rare. While I appreciate that we’re not comparing like with like, exactly, the last continuous period of rule exceeding 11 years was the Tory government from 1807 to 1830 which included Spencer Percival, the last British PM to be murdered!
Seriously though, Richard Leonard’s succession has clearly been a failure and the Unionist vote is now gathering fearfully around the Tories, regardless of their social policies. Surely the rump Labour vote, still loyal to left-of-centre social policies, must be even more amenable to positive campaigning by the Yes movement.
Talking-up Scotland 
SNP have served their apprenticeship with honour. They will now progress to Independence, having shown their capability at every level of government, not least, on Brexit and representing the wishes of the Scottish electorate, unlike every Scottish Tory. It is remarkable that in spite of Westminster interference in Scottish politics, SNP still guide the way in a straight and unwavering path to success. They deserve the prize that they work so assiduously for, the betterment of Scotland.
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What staggers me is that this is achieved in an environment so media toxic that I constantly meet people who tell me they hate that Nicola Sturgeon, but can’t say exactly why that is. “Just because”, sums up the regular explanation.
Someone close to my partner has had wonderful treatment at the hands of the Scottish NHS, but is pleased that Shona Robison has gone because she was a “failure”. An incredible example of media drip, drip, drip getting into people’s heads.
Well done to the SNP, incredible achievement. They are, without doubt, the best government I’ve experienced in my life.
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Hi John – as a Scottish NHS person can I just say that I, personally, am very sorry to see Shona Robison demit office. She was, quite frankly, a staggeringly good Health Secretary. I have every confidence that Jeanne Freeman will be an exceptional Minister in her turn.
You asked about the source for the increased levels of Council Tax collections I mentioned yesterday. It was carried on beeb Scotland site but was derived from the news.gov.scot. news service as part of their National Stats info: link and snippet below:
https://news.gov.scot/news/council-tax-collection-statistics-2017-18
A National Statistics Publication for Scotland.
In 2017-18 for Scotland as whole, the total amount of Council Tax billed (after Council Tax Reduction) was £2.332 billion. Of this total, £2.238 billion, or 96.0 per cent, was collected by 31 March 2018. This provisional in-year collection rate represents a slight increase on the figure for the previous year.
In-year collection rates have improved steadily from 87.2 per cent in 1998-99 to 94.2 per cent in 2007-08 and are now 96.0 per cent in 2017-18.
TODAY news.gov.scot is carrying further stats re. Q1 renewables electricity generation. These figures are astonishingly good. See link and snippet below:
https://news.gov.scot/news/strong-start-for-renewables-following-record-year
Q1 generation increased by 11% year on year.
Renewable electricity generation in Scotland increased by 11% (736 GWh) from the same quarter last year, with installed renewable electricity capacity also increasing by 11% (999 MW) over the same period.
Provisional annual statistics for 2017 show that renewable electricity generation was 25,166 GWh in 2017 – up 27% on 2016 and up 19% on 2015. This makes 2017 a record year for renewable generation with the equivalent of an estimated 69% of Scotland’s electricity consumption being met from renewables.
Much of this increase in renewable electricity generation has come from an increase in wind generation in 2017, up 37% on 2016.
In 2017, Scottish renewable generation made up approximately 25% of total UK renewable generation and approximately 69% of Scotland’s electricity consumption came from renewables in 2017 – up 15.0 percentage points from previous year.
NOTE: As you constantly (and rightly) point out – 8.3% of the UK population – but now 25% of the UK renewables generation. Big Enough, Rich Enough, Smart Enough – Haven’t we Had Enough?
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Thanks. Great stuff. Like to do a longer piece on the renewables that I could post for you as a separate item?
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While Westminster crumbles, Scotland builds! No need to say more!
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Well done the SNP , shows the people of Scotland are not as easily duped as the toxic Scottish media and lying opposition would hope .
With a new , and I would say , dynamic cabinet and junior team , I am hoping for more wonderful results to come ! .
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The odd thing is, the “Scottish” press are relentlessly against the most popular political party in Scotland, any entrenchment/extension of Holyrood powers (as promised in 2014) and slew news to constantly put the Scottish government in a bad light.
No one could expect the right wing English papers(Mail, Telegraph, Times, Express, Sun) to support a Scottish parliament, but when I bought the Scotsman (1970-1990 approx.), it was a liberal, Home Rule supporting, Paper of Record. We all know it was asset stripped and ransacked by various owners, but that doesn’t prevent it playing a straight bat in the constitutional debate or news promulgation right now.
The Herald, which I now buy ( my wife’s choice–I subscribe to the NYT’s) is a strange paper. As it changes Editors, it goes further and further to a Unionist stance—while losing more and more paying customers.
I think there is a market in Scotland for a paper which is factual, gives news in context and perspective, and which separates reported fact from editorial opinion. But I suspect I will never see such a beast.
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The last 11 year government was in 1830? What about the Conservative governments of 1951-1964 and 1979-1997 or the Labour government of 1997-2010?
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As ever, the question that British Nationalists can NEVER answer in relation to the SNP Scotsgov.
Q. If the SNP Scotsgov are as useless as you constantly claim and have caused EVERYTHING to be in crisis, as you, the Unionist media and unionist politicians constantly tell us, then WHY are they STILL in power and winning elections by MORE than DOUBLE the seats of the next best party and by MORE seats than ALL UNIONIST parties COMBINED, as little as 2 and 1 year(s) ago ?
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