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Nick - you've just been talked about rejected ballots in Scotland.

I've got the official web page up for the 2004 London Mayorial elections.

Get this;

There were 1.863 million 'good' first votes and 1.591 million 'good' second votes.

Rejected votes:

56,862 first votes (just 2.96 percent)

and

329,090 second votes (17.14 percent)

Note that Ken Livingstone won by a majority over Steve Norris by

143,000 first votes (a 7 percent lead)

and just 28,000 second choice votes
(a 1.4 percent lead).

Q. if Salmond could not engineer a win in Gordon, where could SNP win?

Before Socialist Salmon starts to crow too loudly others should be mindful of background changes to the Gordon seat.

This constituency has been altered following the 2005 Scottish boundary changes. It takes in 73% of the old Gordon seat and adds 45% of the former Aberdeen North as well as a tiny part of Aberdeenshire West and Kincardine. [1]

SNP where high placed 3rd in Gordon in 2005 [1]
SNP where high placed 3rd in Aberdeen North 2005 [2]

So, if Alex Salmond & his Republican clan had made ground in virgin but hostile territory - he could rightly claim major success.

But this was a targeted seat, chosen for SNP ability to win it, not loose it. The campaign lead by the Leader of SNP (themselves to become the elected SMP). A campaign fully supported by the use of limited SNP resources, to exploit disenchanted Scottish voters against a strong historical presence of SNP in the redrawn consistency.

The rest of Scottish seats the SNP need to win, will not fall into their laps so easily. The SNP lacks the support, the resources & the happy confidences :)

vikingar

SOURCES;

[1]

[2]

1st - Alex Salmond - SNP leader wins targeted seat *

2nd - Nicola Sturgeon - SNP deputy leader win targeted seat *

3rd - SNP* picks up votes from Scottish Socialist Party (who are not fielding candidates in all elections) [1]

* a socialist party or what it now calls itself "left-of-centre political party committed to Scottish Independence" [2]

4th - meantime, the Labour Party share of vote in Scotland remains largely intact.

� whooppeedo Alex, hardly the voters storming the barricades is it :)

vikingar

SOURCES:

[1]
[2]

Galloway & Upper Nithsdale:

2007 Election - Tories win, SNP 2nd (lead of 11%)

2001 Election - Tories win, SNP 2nd (lead of .3%)

99 Election - SNP win, Tories 2nd (lead of 9.2%)

97 Election - SNP win, Tories 2nd (lead of 13.4%)

.... Alex .... NOOOOOOO !!!!!!

vikingar

Vikingar - the changes to Scottish constituencies for UK General Elections don't affect Scottish Parliament Elections - for example we still have an Aberdeen Central seat.