In Edinburgh, John Swinney emphasizes that SNP support is crucial for Scotland’s independence.
John Swinney spoke to the Press Association about the upcoming election. He stated, “I want to make it clear to people that none of us can predict the outcome of the election before it happens.”
He stressed that if people want Scotland to become independent, they cannot take the election lightly. Swinney believes the SNP is the only path to independence. He added, “They’ve got to make sure the SNP does really well, because that’s the only way Scotland is going to make progress, it’s the only way Scotland is going to get anywhere on the independence question, if the SNP does really well.”
Due to the SNP’s success in winning constituency seats, it is projected that the party could end up with zero seats on the regional list. According to Ballot Box Scotland, if a recent Ipsos Mori poll is accurate, the SNP would win 63 seats, all from constituencies. This would fall short of the 65-seat majority desired by party leaders.
The strategy could also take votes away from other pro-independence parties, such as the Scottish Greens and Alba. However, calculations based on the poll, released by STV in mid-December, showed that the Greens could double their number of MSPs with a strong list showing. They could have as many as 17 representatives in Holyrood after the May elections, up from eight elected in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Alba Party is not standing candidates on the constituency ballot and is focusing on the regional list. Their leaders have urged independence supporters to ‘max the yes’ by supporting Alba on the list. A Facebook post stated, “ALBA was formed to ensure that independence remains firmly on the agenda. Vote ALBA on the Regional List to boost the number of pro-independence voices in the Scottish Parliament.”
However, Swinney insists that a SNP majority is the only way to achieve independence. He said, “If the SNP wins a majority and if people want that to happen, if they want… a choice to be made about independence, then they’ve got to support the SNP to do so.”
He added, “People in Scotland are fed up with the lack of progress that’s been made on improving standards of living of people in our country as a consequence of the mistakes made by Westminster, principally around Brexit and austerity.” Swinney believes these issues can be addressed by Scotland having the power of independence to meet the needs of its people.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Speaker | John Swinney |
| Location | Edinburgh |
| Projected SNP Seats | 63 |
| Desired Majority Seats | 65 |
| Current Green MSPs | 8 |
| Projected Green MSPs | 17 |
