Pollsters advise indy supporters to vote Green as poll gives party 13 MSPs
A new report by the Electoral Reform Society advises independence supporters to vote Green to avoid wasting their list votes. With the SNP likely to win most constituencies, voters in most regions are likely to find their SNP list votes bringing no additional SNP MSPs.
Report author Professor John Curtice said: “Some Yes voters may think it’s a waste of time voting for the SNP on the list vote …you may be inclined to the view that it makes more sense to vote for the Greens than the SNP on the list vote because it might make more impact in terms of delivering more MSPs in favour of independence.”
“We know the SNP are sensitive about this… I understand where they’re coming from… They wish to try and stop people from wandering off to vote for the Greens.”
Quoted in the Sunday Herald Dr Craig McAngus, politics lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, added “there is an argument that if you are pro-independence and left-leaning then why not bank on one of the other alternative left-leaning pro-independence parties?”
The report comes at a time of record high polling for the Scottish Greens.
A sturvation poll published on Friday predicted the Greens would take an impressive 11% of the regional list vote, far higher than their previous best Holyrood election result of 6.9%.
Bloggers reached different conclusions about how this would translate to seats in Parliament.
A prediction on ScotlandVotes.com and calculations by Cubot.net sensationally predict constituency wins for the party over the SNP in Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Kelvin where sitting MSPs Alison Johnstone and Patrick Harvie are standing.
The former prediction saw this contributing to a total of 12 MSPs and the later 13 MSPs. Another site, RollingPolling, saw no constituencies wins with 11 MSPs returned.
New MSPs for the group would include many leading independence campaigners, such as Maggie Chapman, Zara Kitson, John Finnie and Sarah Beattie-Smith as well as noted land reformer Andy Wightman.
The SNP were far in the lead in the poll (43%) which was made headlines for scoring the Conservatives ahead of Labour, 18% and 17% respectively. Seat predictors were divided over the impact of UKIP, with seat tallies ranging from 0-4 MSPs. Support for RISE appears to be lower, but polling on the new party is patchy and in some cases confused by a lack of clarity over its branding.
It really depends where you are. Here in Edinburgh, Green list seats are coming exclusively from the London parties. The SNP topped the vote here in 2011 but won zero from the list.
Very different story in other regions though.
https://unfinishedscotland.com/two-votes-snp-4cff36e091e2#.ucigqcg98
Ultimately, tactical voting isn’t where support should come from. It’s always best to win people’s hearts and minds, making them vote *for* you rather than against someone else.
If, indeed, “A new report by the Electoral Reform Society advises independence supporters to vote Green to avoid wasting their list votes”, you’ll be able to point to the report and the words “advise independence supporters to vote Green” then.
Of course, he could have said “I’m simply pointing out there may be a tactical dilemma here, although IT’s ONE WITH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH IT but YOU MAY BE inclined to the view that it makes more sense to vote for the Greens than the SNP on the list vote because IT MIGHT MAKE MORE IMPACT in terms of delivering more MSPs in favour of independence.”
Which wouldn’t be the same thing at all.
But then you know that.
Curtice’s figures apparently suggest that a very significant swing towards the Greens in the list vote actually results in FIVE FEWER pro-independence MSPs on the list. The Greens gain seven seats overall, but every one was already a pro-independence seat. (http://wingsoverscotland.com/polling-projected-properly/#more-84419)