Make your mind up time
- 28 Apr 07, 12:05 PM
Alex Salmond, politician, we鈥檙e used to. But Alex Salmond, sporting hero? At Stirling University today, he took to the tennis courts 鈥 and appeared to wield a fairly mean backhand.
He鈥檚 spent the campaign in modest mode but couldn鈥檛 resist mentioning that he had once triumphed in a tennis tournament.
However, he added that his victory was due to an injury sustained by his opponent who was two sets up at the time.
This was delivered with a broad grin. In fact, the Nationalists are finding it hard to assume any other countenance. They try, they really try, to look grave and concerned. But then they read another opinion poll 鈥 and can鈥檛 avoid the odd guffaw.
Privately, though, listen to the sensible strategists on the SNP side (these days, they are numerous 鈥 and serious.)
They will tell you that the voters are engaged as never before. They cross the street, not to avoid canvassers but to sound them out on a range of policy issues.
However, that engagement contains a range of responses. There are switchers aplenty, say the SNP team. But there are many others who are undecided. They are engaging with the SNP 鈥 but to question them, to challenge them, to put them to the test.
Also, the strategists know that a lead in the polls might not translate into a uniform swing across Scotland. For example, the SNP might pile up big majorities in one part of the country, say the North-east, while falling short in the seats they need elsewhere, say in the West.
Traditionally, the last weekend of a campaign is billed as 鈥渕ake your mind up time鈥. Voters look at their options, seriously. Helping them in that process will be the 成人快手鈥檚 TV election special with the leaders on Sunday evening.
I鈥檒l be scrutinising that, eagerly.
Before that, though, I鈥檓 off to Tannadice this weekend to see the lads triumph once more. C鈥檓on the Terrors!
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I'm Brian Taylor, 成人快手 Scotland's political editor. I'll be blogging the election here. |
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Comments Post your comment
Your comments about Salmond are rather worrying. I am reminded of that time in the film 'The Untouchables' where Robert de Niro uses a Baseball Bat and Ball to teach his mobsters something about the value of teamwork...
Bedd, What on earth? The mafioso from lanarkshire are about to learn that justice comes on the back of a Tax charge.
The man with the spectacular braces is a SNP man!!! Well done Brian, who ever said the 成人快手 were NuLabour in disguise?
So the Arabs scraped a draw-no change there.Brian ,I've been reading about electronic counting in American elections (how sad am I) The DVD "Hacking democracy" is pretty scary stuff.Do you know if the Executive are using a US company and do you know if it's reliable.
All these commitments the paties are making, to spend money on and no details of how they are going to fund them.
You'll be aware of the YouGov poll published in today's Sunday Herald, the biggest poll of the campaign. It would be good to see some mention of it on the 成人快手 Election site as the last such poll went completely unreported.
Well, you two men fight it out with baseball bats and tennis equipment if you like, but I am just worried about how I will actually pay for these things for my 2 boys if the SNP do win and I have to pay more tax.
I was surprised that it was only 拢5000 per family to cover the costs of the SNP's seperation plans.
I am genuinely scared that the SNP's poll lead wont deflate this time.
Campaigning can either be a method of stimulating the voters or it can lead to a rejection of all the messages carried, especially when a single item of aggravation is the most regularly the lead component; my limited observations have led me to believe the latter is the case with the Labour campaign.
Opening as they regularly do with attacks on the SNP, Labour I feel, have chosen a damaging strategy; I have observed people turning away, switching channel and exclaiming; oh on not again鈥, I cleaned that up just a bit.
To be fair to Labour much of this may be down to questions asked by media representatives or by editors being selective; however when given a free run by the editors it is Labour themselves who choose to attack the SNP.
I feel many floating voters have yet to make up their minds, I have been appraised of occasions when decisions have been made in the actual polling booths; it would therefore be wise of party representatives not to harass voters as they enter their polling stations, negativity could still return an alternative effect than was desired by those representatives.
If Labour is rejected by the voters it will be down to their periods in office, negative, campaigning, offering little or no change and a First Minister displaying a gross lack of knowledge about the Council Tax.
If the SNP are rejected by the voters it will be down to those doubts on separation that exist in the minds of the voters, even though this vote is currently wholly about a First Minister and a Scottish Government for the next 4 years some voters will still fear a bandwagon effect.
If Labour win it will be down to fear of an untried SNP administration and independence; it will not be on their 鈥渘o change policy,鈥 more 鈥榖etter the devil you know.鈥
If the SNP win it will be mostly down to poor Labour policies, where 鈥渘o change鈥 was the Labour order of the day at the start of the campaign, Labour now promise to listen to the people about exporting jobs to the West Coast, Bridge Tolls, Council Tax, Hospital Centralisation, etc, etc; if Labour had taken the opportunity to listen to the voters over the past few years they would not be offering manifesto changes during their campaign. Additionally fresh approaches to taxation from the SNP may be the vote clincher although I must admit to as yet seen the full workings behind the headlines.
Is it significant that Paul Hutcheon & the Herald have come out for the SNP?
If Alex Salmond loses his constituency but the SNP are the largest party does that give us wee Nicola as FM. If so, this may cause hundreds of people not to vote SNP as we don't want to be shreiked at by her for four years!
> here are switchers aplenty, say the SNP team.
Amazingly, I have discovered that my true blue Tory neighbours (elderly couple) have switched to the SNP. The first time ever that they won't have voted Conservative. (I'd been working on converting them myself for years, but without any success.)
Why change now I asked?
"Because their street canvassers were the smartest dressed this time, something that always matters. And we never encountered any Conservatives at all."
Oh well....
Interesting that in a GMTV interview Alex Slamond was trying to reassure voters that after independence Scotland could always theoretically apply to "rejoin" the UK.
Alex must know that it is highly unlikely thta such a request would be agreed to. He's being dishonset and is saying this to lull uncertain voters into a false sense of security. "Vote for us and independence - you can always change your mind later". Its a lie. the independence gamble is a one way bet - if it doesnt work then tough on us.
I see that the Laaabaaah sheep are bleating louder than ever today - Jack McConnell is now bleating for aaaanti SNP vote on Thursday! Is he really suggecting that Labour die hards should vote Toryin places where the Tories are in 2nd place to SNP!
Make your mind up time indeed - Labours mind is truly desperate! I am not surprised though their whole campaign has been negative and hysterical. So this last minute bleat for an anti SNP vote does not surprise me!
I more than ever hope Labour gets a kicking on Thursday - it is richly deserved!
On 3rd May let democracy prevail and the people who live in Scotland decide through the ballot box which is after all our democratic right.
It has been quite odd today to hear Alex Salmond reassure the voters that independence is not necessarily a one-way street and it would be the perorgative of Scotland to become un-independent if it wished. Is it not obvious that the rest of Britain would quite rightly have a say on whether Scotland could re-join and given this scenario would most likely be driven by economic problems why would any state welcome back a liability. It is most probable when the union is over it is over.
Janet Shirlaw - Sorry you have fallen foul of poor Labour economics (or perhaps you help peddle the myth).
I look forward to lower overall personal taxation with the scrapping of the Council Tax, more prosperous business with a reduction in business rates for small business (who can then afford to pay staff more) and a Scotland that first reaches parity with our neighbours then forges ahead.
janet shirlaw
What seperation plans? the SNP have'nt published any seperation plans, if they win on Thurs any proposed referendum for independance wont be for another 3 1/2 years at least. Enjoy your holidays till 2010 and beyond.
PS are you a labour drone, your name and post ring a bell from the Herald and Scotsman boards?
Peter, Fife
Labour have had no option but to attack tyhe SNP's policies and econmic strategy. Why?
Well the incompetents who are the Scottish media seem either unwilling or incapable of even asking the most basic questions of the SNP - I have nevr in my life seen a party who may be in government getting such an easy ride from the media as the SNP.
I really do hope that some people wake up and smell the coffee or we are going to be in for four years of hell . . . those of us who choose to stay . . . me - I'll be looking for the first teaching job abroad if that bunch of incompetents get in power.