New Scotland Party currently has no plans to stand candidates at the 2026 Holyrood election. We will only ever stand candidates when and where we are persuaded that doing so will serve Scotland's cause.
I am dubious about any scheme to game the electoral system. It always seemed daft to me to condemn a political party for advocating a voting strategy that best suited them. It's what political parties do. Alba, for example, recommended the voting strategy that best suited them. The odd thing was Alba expecting the SNP to promote the strategy that helped another party. Madness!
Another thought provoking article Peter. You use the UK voting system of the 5 years between elections in your example.
In Scotland the problem is almost as you say, but with one difference the electoral system gives you two votes and two choices and this can make a significant difference, particularly for a new party to get established.
The SNP leadership tried, with some success to make the Scottish electoral system a carbon copy of the UK one by insisting the SNP supporters should use both votes to vote SNP. Anyone with a brain can see that this must lead to throwing away one of your votes and allowing the Unionist parties to get more seats than they would be entitled to if everybody used there two votes wisely and cast them for different independent parties.
If the New Scotland Party is to get off the ground at the next Election they are only likely to do that by standing for Regional Seats and being part of a combination of votes which independence supporting voters can use.
I my case I always use my constituency vote for the SNP and will likely do so next time, but I always use my secont vote against the Unionists by selecting an independence party other than the SNP.
I will do the same this time and if the NSP is standing in my Region, and if they look like the indy party best place to win a Regional seat I will vote for them.
My preferrence however is to give voters in Scotland more democratic choice and power, is to force the SNP Scottish Government to incorporate the UN ICCPR into Scottish law, because this will give Scottish voters the chance to use Direct Democracy and not to wait 4 years to have a say on important issues. They could then have a referendum on matters of importance whenever there are a significant number of Scots who want and issue put to the vote.
My information is that the ICCPR ploy is dead. Killed, as I feared, by the competence issue.
New Scotland Party currently has no plans to stand candidates at the 2026 Holyrood election. We will only ever stand candidates when and where we are persuaded that doing so will serve Scotland's cause.
I am dubious about any scheme to game the electoral system. It always seemed daft to me to condemn a political party for advocating a voting strategy that best suited them. It's what political parties do. Alba, for example, recommended the voting strategy that best suited them. The odd thing was Alba expecting the SNP to promote the strategy that helped another party. Madness!
Another thought provoking article Peter. You use the UK voting system of the 5 years between elections in your example.
In Scotland the problem is almost as you say, but with one difference the electoral system gives you two votes and two choices and this can make a significant difference, particularly for a new party to get established.
The SNP leadership tried, with some success to make the Scottish electoral system a carbon copy of the UK one by insisting the SNP supporters should use both votes to vote SNP. Anyone with a brain can see that this must lead to throwing away one of your votes and allowing the Unionist parties to get more seats than they would be entitled to if everybody used there two votes wisely and cast them for different independent parties.
If the New Scotland Party is to get off the ground at the next Election they are only likely to do that by standing for Regional Seats and being part of a combination of votes which independence supporting voters can use.
I my case I always use my constituency vote for the SNP and will likely do so next time, but I always use my secont vote against the Unionists by selecting an independence party other than the SNP.
I will do the same this time and if the NSP is standing in my Region, and if they look like the indy party best place to win a Regional seat I will vote for them.
My preferrence however is to give voters in Scotland more democratic choice and power, is to force the SNP Scottish Government to incorporate the UN ICCPR into Scottish law, because this will give Scottish voters the chance to use Direct Democracy and not to wait 4 years to have a say on important issues. They could then have a referendum on matters of importance whenever there are a significant number of Scots who want and issue put to the vote.