I find myself at somewhat of a loose end at the moment in light of the 2024 General Election results.
We lost every single one of our central belt seats – the region that in recent years our support was strongest, and there needs to be some accounting done in light of this.
I’m of the opinion that where we’ve been going wrong in recent years is not showing people the ‘why’ of Independence. That is to say: pushing devolution to its limits and showing the people of Scotland that their political and social aspirations cannot be met under the current constitutional framework.
With things like the deposit return scheme and gender recognition reform, we had two sterling opportunities to do exactly that – to showcase that our ambitions to become a more egalitarian and forward-thinking nation would be quashed by an inequitable constitutional settlement that keeps one hand tied behind our government’s back.
Instead of capitalising on issues like these in this way, it seems like we very much swept them under the carpet at the first sign of media scrutiny or upset from the Tartan Tory wing of our movement.
I’ve said this in times past, but the SNP has performed at its best when we held Labour to account from the progressive left. We’ve lost a number of key demographics in our electoral coalition due to our own hubris – and I was somewhat hoping that this election would prove a wake-up call for some of our cranks.
This has unfortunately not proven the case.
I’ve been seeing a lot of rhetoric from the fundamentalist, right wing of the party hinting that we should adopt a single-issue manifesto (Independence alone) for the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections.
Let me be 100% clear as someone who has studied public policy and the science of electoral demographics. That would be political suicide and would undo 20 years of progress. People have voted SNP because they wanted an alternative to a Labour Party that lost their way and were precariously out of touch with what ordinary Scottish voters wanted.
We are running a very severe risk of repeating that same mistake ourselves – having learned nothing from our victories over Labour in the last few years.
Contrary to popular belief among some members, we are not entitled to people’s votes.
Most Scots DON’T view it as their patriotic duty to vote SNP, given that we live in an accountable and democratic society. This is especially true in hard times where most are worried about the climate crisis, the cost of living, their jobs, and their civil rights.
We can only earn votes through competent governance and admitting where we have failed the electorate. We ourselves MUST be accountable, and the governing institutions of our party MUST be accountable to us – the doorchappers and canvassers who make it all possible in the first place.
A relentless push for independence is not on the minds of Joe Public, and relentlessly pursuing this strategy in these times would only alienate us further from the people that it is our duty and privilege to serve.
It has long been discussed that the strategy towards independence that we have been pursuing needs to change – and I agree. Moving forward, that strategy needs to centre around good governance for Scotland, electoral accountability, and showing in real terms how the constitutional settlement is unfairly and negatively impacting the Scottish public – and how out of step it is with our values as a nation.
Speaking frankly, we cannot allow the impatience of cranks, Tartan Tories, and the radical fringe (I include organisations masquerading as moderates, such as SALVO in this) of our movement to dictate where we go from here, as it would not only be a disservice to the people of Scotland and our membership, but also quite simply WOULD NOT WORK.
If you don’t like what I’ve said here, I understand – but the highest form of loyalty we can show to our country and our party is questioning ourselves and making the reforms necessary to right the ship.
Yours in Service of Scotland,
Eilidh McIntosh
