The people have voted - the bastards!

"The people have voted - the bastards!" - The best quote from the late Ron Brown. The problem is when the voters vote for you it is great and when they don't they are .......... well you can work it out!

In Scotland - what have we got to say? The "we" being the Scottish Socialist Party. Firstly we got 10,000 votes, 1% its not great but it's 10,000 votes Secondly the No2EU got just less than 10,000 votes. Thirdly, the Socialist Labour Party got 22,000 - more than No2EU and SSP. Forthly the BNP got 2.5% - still 2.5% too many. Fifthly the SNP trounced the Labour Party. Sixthly the Tories did no bad. Seventhly the Liberal Democrats got a seat!

So what do I have to say about it all?

10,000 people voted SSP - we got 140,000 votes in 2003, so its not our best vote but given our public split and everything else I suppose its better than nothing, still not quite on the way up but its not going down. So we take the victory where we can find it.

No2EU despite having the backing and being funded from the RMT, the Morning Star and the "most iconic socialist in the post war period" alais Former BIg Brother contestant - Thomas Sheridan, they got less votes than the SSP, I am sure members of Solidarity will be dissapointed.

I don't want to be horrible but I think the SLP's votes are based on many people voting Socialist Labour Party by mistake, I think they think they are voting Labour, though some might know who they are. In the Scotland, they don't really campaign publicly, there are not many of them and do little public activity.

The BNP got the same vote as the SLP, SSP and No2EU together!! However it was less than half the vote they got in England and Wales!!! So if nothing else that can only be seen as a hollow victory.

The SNP did very well and I think were very pleased they humptied Labour!

And I can't be bothered commenting on Labour, Tories or Lib Dems.

The only thing is I think the Greens in Scotland did nto do that well - I thought they would!

So what now? Of course there will be alls for left unity but how does that happen?

I just want to send my best wishes to Joe Higgins from CWI in Ireland, met him a few times and he was always nice and is a principled class fighter.

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