Monday, February 8, 2010

Labour Party take lead in an opinion poll over the Scottish National Party, the SNP can win it back through new ideas and hard work













Dear All

I have previously posted on a theme that popularity doesn’t last but trust and transparency does in politics.

In a recent poll by TNS-BMRB, the Labour Party has stretched its lead over the Scottish National Party to 16 points for the Westminister Election.

Polls however don’t tell the whole story as people are fickle and most before elections are open to listening to a political party state its case.

Since October last year according to the poll there has been a shift in public opinion, this represents a sharp change in voting intentions for the Scottish Parliament.

Politics is a hard slog because you have to fight for every vote and no one is giving a free lunch.

So, the Scottish National Party has a problem.

Labour has picked from lagging behind the SNP by eight points on both constituency and regional list votes to a lead of two and seven points.

Can this be fixed?

Yes, the SNP can return to a lead in the polls but that requires a substantial and radical change.

The SNP traditionally polls lower for Westminister and if you look at a constituency they tend to hold their core vote in an area.

But it requires more than their core vote in order to win a Westminister seat.

It requires a change agenda.

Chris Eynon of TNS-BMRB said of the SNP;

“The additional support it has attracted for Holyrood are less committed and it is these who appear to be less enamoured of late.”

It is no good simply pushing a leaflet through people's doors telling them how wonderful the SNP are, the SNP need to go talk to them face to face, to get out into the community and raise their game and profile of what they are doing for the public on their behalf.

98% of unsolicited mail goes straight into the bin unread.

Personal contact leaves an impression.

It seems that the SNP will be embracing the change agenda at some stage, it would be sensible to start early.

New ideas and practices are needed from the ground up.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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