Euro Landslide

'An ICM poll on the eve of the NE by-election put Labour only 4 points behind the SNP - an amazing anomoly brought to light by the actual result giving a 28 % SNP lead.'
Scots Independent December 1998.

Euro Landslide

The North of Scotland by-election result was reported in the Scots Independent of December 1998

Scots Independent The shock waves of the SNP's sensational victory in the European Parliamentary North East by-election continue to wash over the entire political spectrum in Scotland and far beyond.

The by-election was tragically caused by the untimely death of the sitting Euro member Dr Allan Macartney. His universal popularity was always going to provide a solid base of loyal support in the North East but, even so, the SNP candidate, Angus Council leader Ian Hudghton, succeeded in increasing the Nationalist share of the vote to 48 per cent - as much as the other three main parties added together - and knocking the London Labour candidate into third place.

A comprehensively professional campaign was overseen by the Party's Organisation Director, Allison Hunter, who moved her entire administration North from the SNP's Edinburgh headquarters for the purpose.

'Opponents will be fighting this seat hard,' she told me, 'so an SNP hold would be viewed as a considerable boost for the crucial Scottish parliamentary, local authority and main European elections next year.'

In the event Ian Hudghton added a spectacular gloss to the word 'hold'.

Scotland's Soul Soars Again

Surely one of the most remarkable aspects of the SNP's present standing is that it has reached these exhilarating heights despite a universally hostile newspaper and broadcasting Media. New Labour's massive and prolonged assault on Scotland's sense of identity and self-confidence has been given wall-to-wall coverage by Unionist editors in their combined determination to 'dish the nats'; but, as evidenced by the magnificent outcome of the North East Euro by-election, the results have been the very opposite of what they had intended and expected. Despite their deploying every manipulative trick in the propaganda book, our great national crusade refuses to lose momentum. The Scotsman and Record try to preempt the Herald's respected System 3 poll by publishing telephone polls during the period of its sampling; the Herald itself alters the format of its poll and then describes continuing SNP progress as a setback; an ICM poll on the eve of the NE by-election put Labour only 4 points behind the SNP - an amazing anomaly brought to light by the actual result giving a 28 % SNP lead. To reassure all of us, as to who decides what we should see and hear, Radio Scotland, in a current programme trailer proclaims: 'Every day we set the news agenda'. So now we know for certain!

The question of the moment, in Scottish politics, is what on earth can Unionists do now to prevent a massive SNP presence in the Scottish parliament when it reconvenes, after 300 years in suspended animation, in July next year?

Labour's home bombing raids, designed to frighten fellow Scots, including their own supporters, into remaining within the Unionist camp have been shown to be counter-productive and yet,, if they abandon them now, what other strategy can be put in their place? If the massive (but largely illusory) handouts of public money, so lovingly minuted by our fawning Media, cannot turn the tide now, what else can they do when this apparent largesse runs out between now and May 99? If at the height of Tony Blair's honeymoon in England the Scots are already deserting New Labour in droves, what is likely to be the prevailing mood when the results of their economic and social mismanagement really begin to bite at the deepest roots of their traditional support from oncoming winter through to spring next year?

The war against the SNP has already been a dirty and dishonest one and much of what Unionist politicians and their Media heavies have thrown at us has already had the effect of sickening the general public to the extent of turning them off politics altogether. Once again it is difficult to see how continuation of this culture of gratuitous political abuse can do anything other than increase our own levels of support and exacerbate Labour supporters' stay-at-home tendencies.

The trend, which we have observed before, of our Media having less and less influence on people's political perceptions, appears to be gathering pace; and, should it continue, it seems likely that sheer exasperation will drive New Labour and its Unionist allies into even more bizarre forms of calumny and abuse - leading to yet further alienation of its previous and traditional supporters. As Labour's John McAllion cogently reflected, on the morn of Ian Hudghton's stunning victory, there is a very thin dividing line between running down the SNP and running down Scotland.

While we must not be complacent, over the steady unravelling of Unionism as a political force, the absence of any more substantive strategy than nat-bashing in its Luddite armoury presents it with a truly daunting prospect in the bitingly chill political winter that lies immediately ahead.

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