When is a mandate not a mandate?

It is interesting to hear Scotland’s First Minister time and time again talking about the wishes of the Scottish people.  Assuming that she does get the seats landslide the polls are suggesting, according to a TNS survey in Scotland she will still only have garnered around 54% per cent of the votes cast by the electorate.  

In other words, given the turnout won’t be 100%, it’s highly unlikely she will have persuaded a majority of Scots to vote for her.  Even if there is a whopping 84% turnout like there was at the referendum last year, Nicola will only have had 45% of Scottish people voting for her.

So when she claims to speak for the people of Scotland, hardly.  And if indeed she does get her wish and her influence is writ large over an incoming Labour government, I hope she remembers who she will be representing, the more than 50% of the electorate that didn’t vote for her.  But somehow I don’t think I’ll ever hear Nicola saying that.

And while we are on the subject of the SNP, it is pretty amazing to hear some of their ground troops at Hustings and on the streets indulging in what can only be called bully boy tactics.  Shouting to drown out people who have a different view is a sad reflection on where politics has descended over the past few years.  Nothing wrong with a good robust conversation.  But we all know where the fine line is crossed.  And too often it’s the SNP supporters who are crossing it.