STOP STURGEON USING COUNCIL POLLS TO JUSTIFY SPLITTING UP UK

ONCE more, you’ll go to the polls on Thursday with a huge amount at stake. I know it’s exhausting, going through a crucial election every year, as we seem to have done in Scotland for a decade now.

But we shouldn’t take it for granted. This is democracy in action and we’re lucky to be in a position where we can gripe that there’s been too many votes.

It’s our duty to make our voices heard, if not for ourselves then for our communities and the next generation.

On Thursday, you’ve got a prime chance to make sure Nicola Sturgeon and her candidates hear you loud and clear.

This local election is important. At stake are decisions about the things that really affect your daily lives – the streets you drive on, how often the bins get collected, the state of your local schools.

And this election will have bigger repercussions, too. If I’ve learned anything from my time in Scottish politics, it’s that Nicola Sturgeon will use every single election as evidence that we need another divisive referendum.

It doesn’t matter that this is a local election. The SNP never misses an opportunity to stir up division and grievance.

I bet you can already picture it. Before the votes are even counted, Nicola Sturgeon will be on your TV screens with a shiny new letter to the UK Government demanding Indyref 2.

So on Thursday, it’s vital that every proUK voter sends her a message. A message that we all want the focus to be on local action, not the Nationalists’ obsession.

Let me tell you the best way to make sure that happens, so we maximise the pro-UK vote, with a quick tactical voting guide. In this election, you mark numbers next to your preferred candidates.

So if you want to beat the SNP and get the focus on your local priorities, be sure to mark a 1 next to the Scottish Conservative candidate.

The Scottish Conservatives are the strongest pro-UK party and Scotland’s biggest opposition party. We’re the only party capable of beating the SNP right across Scotland. So once you’ve marked your first preference, look for any other Scottish Conservative candidates.

There might be as many as three. Mark a 2 and a 3 next to them, and that will guarantee the best chance of stopping the SNP getting power in your local area.

At that stage, to maximise the pro-Union vote, you might want to look for any other pro-UK candidates and mark them with a 4, 5 or 6. They could be candidates from other smaller parties or they might be independent candidates standing without the backing of a party.

Once you’ve done that, and this bit is crucial, stop. Leave the rest of the ballot blank. Don’t vote for a single Nationalist candidate. There is no need to mark anything next to SNP or Green candidates.

It’s worth remembering those two parties are in coalition together in government at Holyrood. The Greens are every bit as nationalist and every bit as keen on another referendum as the SNP.

And that’s all you need to do to maximise the pro-UK vote. It’s as simple as that.

Although there is one other word of warning I’d like to offer those of you who are determined to remove the SNP from power.

Be careful if you feel that you need to put a 3, 4 or 5 next to a Labour candidate.

As the Daily Mail first reported, 25 Labour candidates in this election are pro-referendum. Some of them are outright pro-independence.

On top of that, several of their council leaders have already said they’ll ignore Anas Sarwar and go into coalition with the SNP. Before this election, Labour was in coalition with the SNP in six councils across Scotland.

IT doesn’t really matter if Anas Sarwar is pro-UK because his party certainly isn’t and local council leaders have said they won’t listen to him. The Liberal Democrats have also refused to rule out coalition deals with the SNP. I’m not sure what they’re thinking but that’s what their leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton, has said.

So please, on Thursday, think carefully before you cast your vote. The power is in your hands. You have the opportunity to change the result.

Pro-Union tactical voting can swing this election. The pro-UK turnout will make all the difference.

If we stick together, just like we did last year and in the last local election in 2017, we can beat the SNP.

In local council election votes, it’s so close. Just a couple of hundred votes in either direction could be the difference between the SNP winning or losing your local council.

Let’s make sure it’s pro-Union candidates smiling and not Nicola Sturgeon’s candidates. Send her a deafening pro-UK message on behalf of your local community this Thursday.