Double voting idea carries a degree of risk

ANALYSIS

SETTING up a new pro-independence party for next year’s Holyrood elections makes perfect sense in theory.

Under the Parliament’s split electoral system, the SNP won 59 of the 73 first-past-the-post seats after securing more than one million votes.

But on the regional lists, the SNP were limited to four seats – even though they won about 950,000 votes. This is because the voting system is partly

BY PAUL HUTCHEON proportional and designed to reflect Scotland’s pluralist democracy.

Some senior Yessers, such as ex-SNP MSP Dave Thompson, want to maximise the pro-indy vote by setting up a new party to contest the lists.

It would mean independence supporters backing the SNP in constituencies but giving the new Alliance their second vote. Thompson believes the Alliance could win more than 20 seats.

However, there are flaws with an idea that could easily damage the independence cause.

The premise of the Alliance plan is that the SNP will rout the opposition in the 73 FPTP seats. Polls suggest this is possible but what if the political winds change?

If the SNP dipped in the polls, they would rely on list MSPs to top up their total and a separate Alliance would divide the pro-indy side.

The Scottish Greens already occupy the space the Alliance wants to carve out, which means there would be at least three pro-independence parties chasing votes.

A chunk of the SNP membership is frustrated at Nicola Sturgeon’s perceived caution on IndyRef2. A rival party would likely fuel these divisions, not heal them.

Senior party figures also fear an Alliance would expose the rift on Alex Salmond, who is in self-imposed exile.

Salmond supporters are bitter about the legal problems he has faced. His critics believe his ego is out of control.

If the ex-first minister stood for another party, the next election could easily become Salmond versus Sturgeon.