By: Huntly Loon

Huntly Loon — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:32:57 +0000

I read that Nick Clegg was in Glasgow saying that the Scottish elections will be a two horse race between Labour and the Libdems. He is either taking the mick or way out of touch with the present political reality. The reliance being placed on the 2005 results to give an indication of the likely outcome of the 2010 results is quite amusing. There has been such a change in political voting habits since 2007 that the 2005 results are worse than useless. But if they want to use them like a comfort blanket good for them. ‘Only the Libdems can win here’ will be blown to bits in those seats where they were defeated by the SNP in 2007. In seats like Argyll & Bute, Inverness etc, and even here in Gordon it no longer holds any water. In rural seats voting Libdem was always done to keep the Tories out, but as even they admit that such seats as Argyll, Inverness and Gordon are not on their real targets, the reasons for voting Libdem is shot to pieces. Here in Gordon, which is held at Holyrood by Alex Salmond and Brian Adam with a combined vote of some 26,000 (44%) over the Libdems 16,000 (27%) requires only those who voted SNP and Libdem to stick with their 2007 voting patterns to see Malcom Bruce lose Gordon to the SNP. Yet Gordon is being shown as a Libdem hold by most analysts relying on the 2005 result. At the moment Gordon has a heavyhitter in Bruce but Salmond is now parked on his front lawn, and I think most would agree that Salmond is a bigger hitter than Bruce. Bruce fought like a trojan to keep Radcliffe in Holyrood in 2007. The Libdems threw everything at it, but Salmond won while hardly campaigning here at all. Bruce really lost his seat back in 2007. For 3 years he has been on borrowed time. The SNP will win in Gordon.

Comments on: Gordon

By: Huntly Loon