Scotland’s Independence Referendum Party has asked the SNP to join with the SIRP in a ‘progressive alliance’ to maximise the Scottish Independence vote.
SIRP leader Mark R. Whittet has written to his SNP counterpart, Nicola Sturgeon, with proposals for both parties to collaborate in both the forthcoming British general election and also the next Holyrood general election.
This is because of the thousands of ‘wasted’ SNP second preference votes in the proportional representation system used to elect MSPs to Scotland’s Parliament.
As a result of the SNP’s dominant lead in the first-preference vote, the party won most of the constituency seats in Holyrood in 2015. But at the same time, virtually all of the thousands of SNP-second preference votes were then dis-regarded and went to waste, with staunchly Unionist political parties picking up ‘list-seats’ on the second votes.
And because of the particular circumstances relating to the Edinburgh West general election seat – the SNP (which won the seat from the Liberals in 2015) is now a ‘toxic political brand’ as a result of the ex-SNP MP Michelle Thomson being reported to prosecutors after a police investigation into allegations of mortgage fraud.
Mark R. Whittet, Leader of Scotland’s Independence Referendum Party – who is standing as prospective SIRP parliamentary candidate in Edinburgh West – said:
“As a result of these sleazy allegations, the SNP ‘brand’ is entirely contaminated in Edinburgh West and voters traditionally shun parties and/or candidates with such baggage as soon as they get the chance.
“Edinburgh West is a highly marginal Westminster seat which the SNP won from the Liberals with a majority of less than 6% in the 2015 general election Scottish independence tsunami.
“The SNP majority took Edinburgh West with a 39% share of the vote. The Liberals were second with 33% and the Tories were in third place with 12.3%
“With a toxic sitting MP (Michelle Thomson) and a contaminated brand, the SNP can only lose Edinburgh West at the next election – especially as the Tories are urging voters to support the best placed pro-Unionist candidate ( including those from the Labour and Liberal parties) to defeat SNP candidates.
“If a pro-Unionist candidate wins Edinburgh West – the SNP rivals will use such a result to repeat their claims that this proves there is no need, nor demand for, a second Scottish Independence Referendum.
“And with the Tories odds-on favourites for a 100-seat Westminster majority, – and with the SNP forecast to lose other marginal seats – the Conservatives under Prime Minister May will continue to block Sturgeon’s demands for a Scottish Independence Referendum until after both Brexit and the next Holyrood election.
“Scotland’s Independence Referendum Party is already planning to put up candidates in every seat in the Scottish Parliament at the next Holyrood elections so as to give every SNP voter the chance to cast their ‘second preference vote in favour of Scottish Independence by voting for the SIRP instead of ‘wasted’ votes for Unionist candidates.”