Finally the message is getting through in Scotland's second city.
An area famous for having the potential to vote for a monkey in a red rosette, the turnout is reported as being a frankly bonkers 7%.
This must surely be a boost for the SNP and a sign that Labour have failed to get their vote out. I wonder if there will be a knock-on effect for the Glasgow North East by-election and the General Election, whether it's in a few weeks, a few months or next year.
Turnout overall in Scotland is expected to be 25%. Given that the last YouGov poll had suggested 46% of people would definitely vote then there is potential for a large tranche of projected votes to be distorted.
Which party has the most determined voters? SNP? Greens? Labour?
Whichever party does, has the potential to significantly exceed the expectations that have been created by the YouGov polling.
Monday already feels very far away...
Grexit Trading
11 minutes ago
15 comments:
Seriously? Bloody hell. My polling station here in Edinburgh East was about as brisk as when I voted in the Holyrood election, plenty of folk about (about 6.30pm). Well, low turnout should favour opposition parties, no?
God, that is absolutely disgusting. I suspected the vote may be very low as I live near a polling station and haven't noticed many more people than usual going down the street but nothing like 7%. While this could be good for the SNP as they have mostly managed to steer clear of the expenses scandal and get themselves lumped in with the smaller parties the flipside to this is that the BNP stand to gain a high percentage of the vote.
I voted (SNP)in rural Dumfriesshire at 4 o'clock. Turnout very low at that time.
if that is correct, it's scandalous.
I understand the turnout in my hometown of Keith to be a pitiful 17.4%. Which given the population (5000-odd) makes an actual vote of less than 1,000 people.
And you wonder why I didn't think voting was worthwhile?!
That is appalling -totally shocking! When I went to vote at lunchtime from talking to the the staff at the polling station I was aware turnout was low but 7% is a disgrace. If anything I hoped anger over expenses would have brought folk out to spoil their papers if nothing else.
Good thing is the count on Sunday will be over by Songs of Praise...
What's supposed to be "disgusting", "scandalous" or "appalling" about this? At whom are people who make these judgements directing their indignation? The public? Politicians?
Colin,
I direct my comments at both public and politicians. Yes the mainstream hardly inspires one to get up and vote but there were plently of non-mainstream candidates on the sheet to vote for and if none of them speak to the majority there was nothing stopping the disillusioned standing as independents.
Instead the sat at home and did nothing at all to effect any change. I can see how politicians benefit from apathy but am baffled as to what the benefit to the public is. So on reflection I direct most of my rage at the halfwits who failed to vote and let them away with it.
Turnout at a polling station in Glasgow South was 19% at 9 o'clock (pm). But at single figures, that's just background noise, and really shouldn't encourage any activists (particluarly in the SNP) that they got all of their vote out. But let's just hold our breath for a second...
Turnout at the local council by-election in Drumchapel/Anniesland was 26.9% and Scottish Labour won that. Discuss...
MekQuarrie:
You mean there were party activists in Glasgow South other than the SNP?! ;)
I was out and about all day and the sum total of non-SNP activists was:
2 Greens over 8 hours at [Polling Station A]
A Tory woman till 2pm and after 6pm at [Polling Station B]
And that's it. Our SNP activists were out and about, and doing a wee bit of polling station duty as and when. No sign of Labour *at all*. Nothing, nada, zilch, bugger all, a duck, hee-haw. Not a leaflet, a car, a teller, a poster, an activist walking the street, nothing.
And a better turnout than usual for Euro Elections (it looks like). 26% at 9:20pm at my station when I voted. Add in the postals and it's 30%+, which beats 2004 anyway. Springburn was about 15% by the end. And Aberdeen was terrible. But Edinburgh & Ayr were above average I hear.
I don't think that turnout figure's right - surely the SNP GOTV operation aalone would ensure at least double figures?
Clairwil - you're right that a low turnouts doesn't benefit the public, as a whole. But it doesn't harm them either. The only people who are damaged by low turnouts are the ones who didn't vote, and that was their choice. The other side of the coin is that influence is concentrated in the hands of those who do vote. So my vote becomes more likely to make a difference. It's hard to lose too much sleep over that.
I visited a polling station in my ward at 4.30pm and the turnout was 14. Not per cent, 14 people. SH03 is the smallest polling district in my ward (under 300 voters), but that's still worrying.
My wife visited the polling station in the morning and told me she was surprised that there was no Police presence or canvassers at the station, which is the first time that she'd ever seen that - or rather not seen it; if you see what I mean...
I went along in the evening, expecting that perhaps it would be busier then...
It was like the Mary Celeste!
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