Since the high point of 2014, the political landscape in Scotland has taken a fucking battering. We started as a grassroots, left-leaning movement for a better country, but a decade later we’re looking at a fragmented mess where some folk are more interested in reactionary “culture wars” than actually fixing the politucally created poverty our working class is falling into.
As we crawl toward the 2026 Holyrood elections, we’re seeing a convergence of “red-brown” politics, gender-critical shouting matches, and the rise of Reform UK. It’s a far cry from the inclusive idealism we felt back in the day.
The Alba Pivot and the “Strongman” Act
When Scottish Labour collapsed after doing the Tories’ dirty work in 2014, it left a massive vacuum. While the SNP filled it for a while, the fractures eventually gave us the Alba Party. Led by Alex Salmond, the rhetoric shifted toward a brand of right-wing populism that smelled a lot like Nigel Farage’s leftovers.
Salmond appearing on platforms alongside Farage and his history with Russian state media has people rightly accusing him of “doing Farage’s work.” It’s a “strongman” style of politics that’s more about the leader’s ego than the people’s power. They’ve gone all-in on “anti-woke” sentiment, specifically targeting GRA reform to appeal to what they think is a “bigoted” working class. It’s a myth. They’re using tropes to frame progressive change as some elite imposition, when in reality, our communities have always been about looking out for our neighbours, regardless of who they are.
The Digital Grift and the Reform Surge
The online space has become a playground for grifters. If you don’t follow a specific nationalist or gender-critical line, you’re branded a “traitor to the cause” by folk who spend more time on Twitter/”X” than on a picket line.
Reform UK managed to snag 7% of the Scottish vote in 2024 without having any real boots on the ground. The polling for 2026 suggests they could actually win seats in Holyrood by mopping up conspiracy theorists and folk who feel abandoned by the mainstream. There’s an insurmountable amount of money fueling this right-wing propaganda, with Reform pushing tax cuts for the wealthy and attacks on “quangos” directly into folk’s feeds through sophisticated social media spends.
The Myth of the Bigoted Working Class
The “Bernard Manning” stereotype that these populist politicians project onto the working class is pure bollocks. Data shows that the Scottish working class is far more integrated than the grifters claim.
While prejudice still exists, the vast majority of people on our streets and in our schemes live peacefully alongside their LGBT and immigrant neighbours. And, in fact, the Scottish Social Attitudes data shows that opposition to immigration is significantly lower among independence supporters than Unionists. The narrative that we’re all insular and bigoted is outdated. Our communities are diverse, with family links across the globe and a shared experience of economic hardship that goes way beyond identity politics.
2026: Material Reality vs. The Grifters
The current crisis isn’t about “woke” vs “anti-woke.” It’s about energy prices, debt, and the destruction of our public services. Keir Starmer’s honeymoon is already over because folk can see that Labour isn’t fixing the material insecurity. This has opened the door for fascist elements to claim they represent the “real” Scots.
If the pro-indy movement is going to survive, we have to reclaim our roots as a progressive force. The 2026 election isn’t just about the constitution. It’s a choice between a future dictated by right-wing grifters and one that actually tackles poverty. To keep the far-right out of Holyrood, we need to pivot back to the material needs of the people. Housing, wages, and public rights matter more than the divisive culture wars being imported from the right.
Tactical Voting: Keeping the Far-Right Out of Holyrood
The 2026 election isn’t just about the constitution. It is a vital defensive battle to keep Reform UK away from any decisions on Scotland’s future. If we get a “Yes” vote for independence, we cannot allow a strong fascist Reform party to have any seat at the table or any say on a deal with the rest of the UK. They would poison the well before we’ve even started.
To stop them, we have to be smarter than the party machines. The national advice from the SNP to give “Both Votes SNP” is often a tactical disaster on the regional lists. Because of the way the D’Hondt system works, if the SNP wins big in the constituencies, their list votes are worth next to nothing. This creates a “waste” of pro-independence and progressive votes, which is exactly how Reform candidates sneak in on the list.
How to Block Reform Locally:
Find Your Best Combination: Don’t just follow a party slogan. Use tactical voting sites and look at the previous election results in your specific region.
Split the Vote Strategically: In many areas, the best way to keep Reform out is to vote for the strongest pro-independence candidate in the constituency, but use your List vote for a secondary progressive party (like the Greens, SSP or another solid socialist -or at the very least an anti fascist- alternative). This ensures your second vote actually counts toward a seat instead of being discarded.
The List is the Battleground: Reform is targeting the list seats because they know they can’t win a constituency. Every list vote given to a party that is already dominant in the constituency is a gift to Nigel Farage’s Scottish proxies.
Prioritise the Deal: We need a Holyrood that is focused on housing, wages, and public rights. A strong progressive presence on the list is the only way to ensure that any future independence negotiations aren’t dictated by right-wing grifters.
We have to scrape out the shit ourselves. That starts with a ballot paper that actually works for the people, not the the far-right interlopers.
