A tumultuous month in Scottish politics
It's been a tumultuous month in Scottish politics.
Humza Yousaf MSP resigned as Scotland's First Minister after the collapse of the power-sharing deal between the SNP and Greens.
John Swinney MSP was then elected unopposed to become the new leader of the SNP and Scotland's new First Minister.
This was the second change of First Minister in less than 18 months.
The next Scottish Parliament election must be held no later than May 2026, but another change of First Minister in Holyrood has led some people to call for an early election.
We consulted our supporters in Scotland to see whether they support an early Scottish General Election. We received over 600 responses.
Our supporters were divided over the need for an early election.
47.7% of our supporters said it's time for a Scottish general election, while 44.8% said there is no need for an early election. 7.5% of supporters were not sure.
Some supporters want an early Scottish general election because -
“It would be better for Scotland's reputation for the new First Minister to have a fresh mandate”
“Replacing a First Minister, who has no personal mandate has been a disaster in Westminster and we should not repeat their folly in Holyrood.”
Other supporters said there is no need for an early election because -
“This is not the time, especially with a UK general election coming later this year.”
“I vote for a party and its policies not the personality of the first minister.”
“A change in party leader shouldn't automatically trigger an election. If a new leader wished to drastically change policy or direction then yes but we do not directly elect Prime Ministers or First Ministers in presidential style elections.”
At present, the Scottish Parliament is elected using the Additional Member System (AMS).
This system produces a fairer and more proportional result than First Past the Post, which is used for UK-wide General Elections.
Our Scottish supporters were divided on how well the voting system for the Scottish Parliament works.
56.1% of our supporters believe the voting system for the Scottish Parliament works well, and 30.6% believe the voting system works poorly. 13% of supporters were unsure or neutral.
Supporters like the Scottish voting system because it better reflects the wishes of voters -
“The use of PR voting better represents political preferences than First Past the Post and means that a party with a minority of the vote cannot gain power as happens at Westminster”
“I like the fact that smaller parties can be represented, and that the results are much more proportional than in first past the post.”
“More representative than FPTP. It forces parties to work together.”
Reasons given for why some supporters do not like the Scottish voting system included -
“It achieves PR, but at the expense of electing list MSPs with little popular support. STV would be better.”
“PR is a good idea in principle but it does lead to situations like this, where the Greens have had power and influence out of all proportion to their share of the vote.”
“Not fair that people we have not voted for are able to get list seats i.e. Douglas Ross”
We also asked our Scottish supporters whether Scotland should be an independent country.
61.4% of supporters back independence, while 28.8% do not and 9.8% are not sure.
It is clear that many of our supporters are unhappy with both the Westminster political system and the system in Holyrood.
So what's next for Scotland?
We believe a good starting point would be a UK-wide citizens' assembly to look into how to improve democracy for all parts of the UK. After all, it is only right that the Demos have a say in forging democracy.