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A few canvassers have come knocking at the door, and some have asked what my voting intentions are. I told one that they could check my website. They probably dismissed me as a bit of a crank, but I’m nothing if not true to my word. I also think it provides a good way of solidifying in my own mind my specific reasons and justification and working out if I’m happy with my decisions.

Strangely I’ve also had a few web site searches hitting my website with the query “how should I vote?“!. Well – to those people who might find this! – I’d really encourage you to make up your own mind using the various leaflets you’ve received, debates, and resources you can find. I link to a few here and elsewhere on my website. But by all means feel free to read my conclusions here, and any comments that might follow from readers.

In days gone by I generally stayed quiet about my voting intensions and history – it’s a secret ballot after all – but given I’ve been blogging for years, and about this election quite extensively, so it’s only fair I state my conclusions so you can dismiss my opinions, critique my arguments and hate (or love!) me for ever.

I have three votes. One for the MSP consituentency candidate (my constituency is Glasgow Govan). One for the the MSP regional candidates (I’m in the Glasgow region(!)). And a ranked vote for the three councillors (via STV), in the Pollokshields ward. I’ll start with the easy one first – the Scottish parliament consistuency vote.

Also to emphasise, this is my voting intention as of writing this. A lot can happen between now and the ballot box. I’ll certainly be posting any changes to these posts!

Constituency vote

Short answer: I’m planning to vote for Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP candidate.

Long answer: I do not want to see Labour returned to power in Scotland. They have had eight years to make their mark, and frankly I don’t see them having done much more than ban smoking. Many of the other distinctive policies have been as a result of their coalition with the Liberal Democrats, or policies inherited from down south. They have also run a dismal, extremely negative (The most negative I’ve ever experienced). It’s been thoroughly uninspiring, and reflects a thorough lack of ideas. The painful dependency on the London Labour leadership which has itself little going for it has set them back. All in all their campaign has been one of the most negative I’ve seen, and I’ve no intention of rewarding them with my votes at any level.

I also have no confidence that the Labour candidate, Gordon Jackson, is serious about his job. He was instructed to stand back from his “other job” as a lawyer, but used the term ’stepped back’ rather than ‘finished’. I want a full time, hard-working MSP representing this constituency, and I expect plain words to that effect. The Labour candidate is not coming across to me as a dedicated parliamentarian. Previous experience is a Good Thing. But not concurrently.

The Labour party also have a misguided adherence to the atrocious book-fiddling public-private funding mechanism so adored by the chancellor. This is, in my view, an appalling way of raising money for investment, and costs much more in the long-run, and is not something I can support.

There is also the war in Iraq. Yes, I know this is a local election, and foreign policy is not something we are voting on. However, it’s a significant factor none the less, one I care quite strongly about, and I really can’t bring myself to support this party given it’s dismissive view of public opinion before and after.

I’m also a determined to vote tactically. For only the second time in my life I find myself in a constituency where every vote counts as it really could go either way. I really don’t see the other candidates as having a realistic chance of counteracting the hard-Labour vote in Govan, indeed a vote would undermine my specific focus of unseating the Labour candidate. It’s also going to be a two-horse race. A vote really is wasted: This is Labour vs the SNP, so to achieve my main goal of getting the Labour party out of power here, I can make a small difference by voting for the leading (by some way) opposition candidate.

I am also keen on some of the key policies the SNP are proposing, in particular the local income tax. It’s not a perfect solution (excluding dividend/savings income is mad, although it benefits me), but is much fairer for the majority of people. Encouraging local businesses and varying corporation tax powers is something the SNP would strive for. Scotland needs every encouragement to build small businesses and undo the dependency on the state that’s endemic up here.

As far as touchy-feely things are concerned, Nicola Sturgeon is the only candidate to have specifically asked me for my vote. Gordon Jackson seemed to rush by our house with a posse of student supporters that cut a rather aloof image. I was offered the chance to ask him questions, but would rather I didn’t have to ask. Sure he’s busy, but so was Nicola Sturgeon, who spent 5 minutes at our door, and even followed up with an e-mail. No other candidate has approached us other than to stick fliers through the door. They have run a very effective campaign, and hit the ground running. They just better be as prepared for government as they were for this campaign. I intend to be keeping a close eye on things.

There is of course the inevitable charge of “but you’re English how can you vote for the SNP!!!?”. Indeed, I’d would have raised that very challenge myself a few months back! But I justify it by looking at the overall range of policies, not specific ones. I doubt every Labour voter supported the invasion of Iraq, Public Private Partnerships funding, and don’t see why the SNP should be treated differently from that. I’m certainly still surprised by my own decision.

I do hate how parties, once elected, then use “justification by manifesto” given the small number of people involved in writing manifestos and the broad church of policy they represent. I certainly don’t agree with everything the SNP have to say, especially regarding independence, but I do expect them to hit the ground running and do something far more positive for Scotland with their four years. I expect they’ll struggle with support for a referendum (both getting it approved in parliament, and out on the streets). But as much as I know I’m opposed, I still think it’s far better to be open about it, and allow people the chance to debate it and get a view on it. At least it’ll put the issue to bed for a good few years, and give some solid figures for everybody, rather than trying to imply opinions from elections and opinion polls.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Glasgow, Politics, Scotland, Scottish elections, UK. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.