Lib Dems consider taking court action over two-vote victory in Fife
The 2015 general election in Scotland was an aberration unlikely ever to be repeated by any party. As the SNP were the runaway winners with 56 out of 59 seats, there was only one way this election was going to go, and that was down.
When you’re at the heights, dropping down can seem a calamitous fall. The SNP did not expect to fall below 40 seats and under 40 per cent of the vote. But they did on both fronts, and not only that lost their away team captain and veteran star striker.
Beyond the bruised egos, there will have to be an analysis of both strategy and tactics, which were sadly found wanting. There seemed to be little coherence to the campaign and until the final fortnight, little semblance of a message. Why they waited until the final days to run a “vote SNP to protect Scotland” theme seems incredible now. For sure, they faced a hostile crowd and united opposition, but they could still have performed better.
Some of the responsibility for that will land at the feet of the First Minister who has centralised party control and was at the forefront in the campaign despite it being a Westminster election.
Despite that, if you had offered the SNP 35 seats and 37 per cent of the vote before 2015, they would have bitten your hand off. They languished at a half dozen seats or so for quite a while and it is over a generation since they had a team of 11. A total of 35 during that time was a distant dream, as was a Scottish Parliament.
In some ways Scotland has reverted to some old form. The Scottish Liberal Democrats are considering going to court over the general election result in North East Fife.
SNP MP Stephen Gethins won the seat by only two votes. Scottish Lib Dem sources said there were multiple recounts which saw them winning until the final count which went in the SNP’S favour.
They say a court may rule that the election should be rerun and that they’re convinced they could win.
Mr Gethins’ election as the SNP MP for North East Fife in 2015 brought to an end more than a quarter of a century of Lib Dem rule in the constituency.
Sir Menzies Campbell stepped down at the last election after representing the seat since 1987, and Mr Gethins took the constituency from the Liberal Democrats with a 4,344 majority.
Following election to Westminster in 2015, Mr Gethins was appointed the SNP’S Europe spokesman and sat on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Prior to becoming a politician, Mr Gethins was a special adviser to Scotland’s then first minister Alex Salmond, advising on European and international affairs.
Many more rural and coastal areas going Tory, although the central belt and other areas are going SNP now instead of Labour as in years gone by.
So the result leaves problems but also offers opportunities. The concern is that the opposition is breathing down the SNP’S neck in many seats, and there is a far from strong and stable UK government in office. Changes are needed in how the party is run and a more radical position needs taken on policy.
But 35 seats when the Tories are even less in command than before is an opportunity. Rather than seeking to be the best opposition, this is a chance to maximise Scottish influence. However, Nicola Sturgeon needs to broaden her management team. Tactics, management, a slow rise to victory (we hope) and a good sense of humour in the face of defeat are all qualities needed in whoever is in charge of the Scotland national team, and things that Alex Salmond can relate to. So if Gordon Strachan gets sacked after today’s game against England, Mr Salmond could look to apply.
Loud, outspoken and known for eccentricities including headgear that Sherlock would be proud of, John Mccririck was the face of Channel Four racing for years. Since the channel’s decision not to include him in the reporting team in 2013, racing has lost a big, if controversial, character.
Mr Salmond has a special, phone-in slot on the air, and has even had a spat with presenter Iain Dale. Could he use this experience to launch his own, Scotland-based, talk radio show? As he is from Linlithgow, Mr Salmond may want to go back A staunch campaigner of global warming, Mr Salmond could use his free time to oversee the building of Scotland’s many windfarms. A place of interest could be off the coast of Turnberry Bay, opposite Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort.
No matter what he chooses to do next , we can bet that he will not be gone from public life for long. As he said on losing his Gordon seat: “In the midst of your glee, you have not seen the last of my bonnet and me.”