View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Friday 6 May 2016

Election 2016 - the outcome

Scottish Parliamentary elections have yielded an interesting outcome. The Scottish National Party increased their share of the votes, but decreased the number of seats in the chamber. That is due to the vagaries of the system of first-past-the-post and proportional representation which rule here. This means the SNP will rule as a minority administration, with support from other parties. As a result, the likelihood of another independence referendum has receded. Fortunately, that is my opinion. The Labour party, once the strongest party in the land, was relegated to third place by the Conservatives, who once were very impopular, in the wake of Margaret Thatcher's reign in the 1980s.

Here in the Western Isles, the SNP's Alasdair Allan retained his seat, but with a decreased majority.

Next: the EU referendum on June 23rd.