by C.C Hamilton

1. If someone had offered the SNP 35 seats from a previous total of 6 in 2015, I think they would have been delighted. Last night, of course was a disappointment but it is still a BIG result. 3^rd largest party at Westminster on the back of wins in the council elections and Holyrood elections is still very good after 10 years in Government in Scotland and against a brutally hostile media.
2. That said it was a real blow to lose people like Angus Robertson, Eilidh Whiteford and Alex Salmond. However, it is now up to the Tories who suggested they can protect the North East (fishing in particular) to come through. They won’t.
3. Never underestimate the power of the Sectarian vote in Central Scotland, especially when it tactically votes and in some places they got it right this time. When that tacks enmasse to any party’s base support it will do well. Good luck to them but I suggest in places like Rutherglen, where they lost the hardest working MP in Westminster, they cut off their nose to spite their face. In my constituency we only got postal stuff from the other candidates, the Tory nowhere to be seen, didn’t even turn up for some of the hustings but only narrowly lost with 32% of the vote. The Tory vote in Scotland has next to nothing to do with policy, because they don’t really have any.
4. Labour vote share going up slightly had nothing to do with the Scottish Labour leadership and everything to do with Corbyn. Hell I would have voted Labour myself in England, but I never want to hear anyone in Scottish Labour go unchallenged if they use the “Tartan Tories” shite again. The Scottish Labour Leader suggested the Tories were better placed to beat the SNP in some places and news reports suggested they were working with the Tories to unseat the SNP candidate. Disgusting. As those 12 seats staying SNP could have led to a progressive alliance and Labour running the country. Kezia Dugdale should be hanging her head in shame today. All she had to say was “Vote Labour, and if you can’t vote Labour, vote anyone but the Fucking Tories!”
5. Nicola Sturgeon completely fucked up with her attack on Kezia on Monday, I appreciate Kezia has attacked her all campaign and I get the impression Nicola was hurt at being attacked by someone she once regarded as a friend, but to do so as she did on Monday brought the debate level down even further and let RapeClauseRuth of the NoSurrender Party off the hook. Apologise Nicola and move on please.
6. I dearly wanted some kind of alliance between LibDems, Labour and SNP but that seems to be unlikely with the Tories keen to work with the DUP to secure a slim majority. This is terrible news for progressives in the UK and has particular consequences for our friends in Northern Ireland I would suggest.
7. Will Saint Theresa resign? early indications are no but she is weakened.
8. Will Nicola Sturgeon resign? No but again she is weakened. A poor campaign, the result aside, where she spent most of it on the defensive. There seemed to be little or no strategy but I think she is still the outstanding political mind in Scotland. There has been a complacency around the party, though, and that has to change. Forget referendums for now, the Scottish Parliament has a mandate anyway, and get back amongst the people and engage again.
9. Again Scotland, Sillars was right. We must face the paradox, what happens when Scotland votes one way and England another (paraphrasing) 2/3rd of us voted against the Tories and here we are again. A Tory Government but not just that this time. A Tory Government propped up by the DUP. And Ruth the Mooth thinks the yes movement is divisive. What a fuckin joke.