Best Of

Morning all! Let’s talk Aberdeen South first. SNP absolutely scunnered by the usual collapse in SNP vote combined with all other party voters going tactical to oust them. Exactly what I was discussing with Tory activists at the Aberdeen count for the Holyrood election a few weeks.

People like me voting Tory - or them voting Labour or LibDem - is how we stop the nationalist menace. Can I also gently remind our Tory friends on here who rightly want to talk bout how their oil and gas policies won this that their previous policies were the same as SNP and Labour policies…

Congratulations to James Adams who gets elected to Holyrood in Lumsden’s place.

I think that over egging it in Aberdeen South. The SNP vote was down 4%, and SLAB down 19% but the turnout was down a massive 28% at 31%.

So tactical voting, but also voters in Scotland much less interested in Westminster politics than Holyrood, particularly SNP voters.

I am not convinced this good result for the Tories is generalisable even to other parts of Scotland, let alone the rest of the UK.

You called it wrong. Badly.

Show some humility and admit it.

Morning all! Let’s talk Aberdeen South first. SNP absolutely scunnered by the usual collapse in SNP vote combined with all other party voters going tactical to oust them. Exactly what I was discussing with Tory activists at the Aberdeen count for the Holyrood election a few weeks.

People like me voting Tory - or them voting Labour or LibDem - is how we stop the nationalist menace. Can I also gently remind our Tory friends on here who rightly want to talk bout how their oil and gas policies won this that their previous policies were the same as SNP and Labour policies…

Congratulations to James Adams who gets elected to Holyrood in Lumsden’s place.

I think that over egging it in Aberdeen South. The SNP vote was down 4%, and SLAB down 19% but the turnout was down a massive 28% at 31%.

So tactical voting, but also voters in Scotland much less interested in Westminster politics than Holyrood, particularly SNP voters.

I am not convinced this good result for the Tories is generalisable even to other parts of Scotland, let alone the rest of the UK.

Morning all! Let’s talk Aberdeen South first. SNP absolutely scunnered by the usual collapse in SNP vote combined with all other party voters going tactical to oust them. Exactly what I was discussing with Tory activists at the Aberdeen count for the Holyrood election a few weeks.

People like me voting Tory - or them voting Labour or LibDem - is how we stop the nationalist menace. Can I also gently remind our Tory friends on here who rightly want to talk bout how their oil and gas policies won this that their previous policies were the same as SNP and Labour policies…

Congratulations to James Adams who gets elected to Holyrood in Lumsden’s place.

Yes, it's pretty clear a lot of that Conservative vote isn't really "real" but tactical unionist voting from Labour and LDs.

Still, a win is a win.

As you yourself pointed out the biggest forces in British politics at the moment are the anti-Starmer and anti-Farage tactical votes. So there’s no shame in being the beneficiary of another form of tactical voting in Scotland.

Good morning, everyone.

I forget who tipped it alas, but thanks to whoever mentioned the Conservatives at 3 or so for Aberdeen South

@Andy_JS . After almost ten years to the day he nailed Brexit.

Well done to Kemi and the Conservatives. It would otherwise have been their night.

A bit of caution @Andy_JS also predicted a cliffhanger/recount in Makerfield. While some of us predicted that Burnham would comfortably win with a majority greater than the Restore vote.

If someone makes two predictions and one fails and the other comes off at longer than evens, that's still a good result.

If I hadn't been feeling pessimistic and backed Conservatives yesterday at 4.5 in Aberdeen South it would've been even better.