"Our party is growing thanks to all of you..." read from the Scottish Libertarian Party's post election result statement but something doesn't look right...
Let's take a look at their results in much more detail:
It's important to note that in order to claim that a party is growing, we first need to understand where it has grown from. What were the previous election results to compare it to:
Year | Number of Candidates | Total Votes |
| | |
2017 | 22 | 776 |
2022 | 19 | 698 |
Difference | -3 | -78 |
So losing 3 candidates and losing 78 voters is "growing" the party? How does that work? Do they simply need to convince the rest of their candidates not to stand again and for people not to vote for them and they'll become the biggest party? Somehow I don't think so.
Where have these loses come from?
First, let us have a look at each individual ward:
Ward: | 2017 Result | 2022 Result | Difference |
Lower Deeside | 31 | 0 | -31 |
Torry Ferryhill | 0 | 27 | +27 |
Kincorth Nigg and Cove | 0 | 29 | +29 |
Westhill | 79 | 0 | -79 |
Strathbogie and Howe of Alford | 0 | 34 | +34 |
Dumbarton | 0 | 45 | +45 |
Almond | 99 | 0 | -99 |
Inverleith | 32 | 53 | +21 |
Sighthill/Georgie | 27 | 0 | -27 |
Fountainbridge / Craiglockhart | 0 | 41 | +41 |
City Centre (Edinburgh) | 43 | 0 | -43 |
Pentland Hills | 0 | 32 | +32 |
Morningside | 0 | 52 | +52 |
Drumbrae Gyle | 0 | 24 | +24 |
Midlothian South | 0 | 58 | +58 |
Stranraer and North Rhins | 95 | 0 | -95 |
Annandale South | 23 | 0 | -23 |
Annick | 7 | 0 | -7 |
Kilmarnock North | 41 | 0 | -41 |
Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse | 45 | 0 | -45 |
Kilmarnock East and Hurlford | 40 | 0 | -40 |
Kilmarnock South | 24 | 38 | +14 |
Irvine Valley | 14 | 0 | -14 |
Ballochmyle | 15 | 0 | -15 |
Cumnock and New Cumnock | 27 | 0 | -27 |
Doon Valley | 4 | 0 | -4 |
Giffnock and Thornliebank | 32 | 0 | -32 |
Rosyth | 0 | 23 | +23 |
Kirkcaldy Central | 16 | 0 | -16 |
North East | 0 | 28 | +28 |
Anderston City Yorkhill | 0 | 31 | +31 |
Hillhead | 26 | 0 | -26 |
Baillieston | 20 | 0 | -20 |
East Sutherland and Edderton | 36 | 53 | +17 |
Inverness Ness-side | 0 | 18 | +18 |
East Kilbride South | 0 | 31 | +31 |
Larkhall | 0 | 36 | +36 |
Paisley East and Central | 0 | 45 | +45 |
Totals: | 776 | 698 | -78 |
The biggest loss was in Almond in the City of Edinburgh Council election. A total loss of 99 votes. Another big loss came from Stranraer and North Rhins in the Dumfries and Galloway Council election where the party lost out on 95 votes.
How did each Council election fair in comparison then?
Aberdeen City | 31 | 56 | +25 |
Aberdeenshire | 79 | 34 | -45 |
City of Edinburgh | 201 | 202 | +1 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 118 | 0 | -118 |
East Ayrshire | 217 | 38 | -179 |
East Renfrewshire | 32 | 0 | -32 |
Fife | 16 | 23 | +7 |
Glasgow City | 46 | 59 | +13 |
Highland | 36 | 71 | +35 |
Midlothian | 0 | 58 | +58 |
Renfrewshire | 0 | 45 | +45 |
South Lanarkshire | 0 | 67 | +67 |
West Dunbartonshire | 0 | 45 | +45 |
Totals: | 776 | 698 | -78 |
When comparing results, it is important to consider whether the party had run in each area before. It's clear that the best result on paper was for South Lanarkshire with 67 total votes, but it did not have any candidates in 2017.
When comparing council areas where the SLP did stand candidates in 2017, the best performance came from the Highland Council area, where the number of candidates doubled sharing an overall increase of 35 votes.
The worst performing council areas were East Ayrshire, losing a massive 179 votes compared to 2017, and then Dumfries and Galloway, losing another wallop of 118 votes!
Aberdeenshire was third worst with an overall loss of 45 votes too.
It's not that difficult to see where these losses have come from, especially when the Party's very own leader publicly admits to purging candidates right before the election. Why on earth would he do this?
What does the Party Leader hope to gain from sabotaging candidate's election campaigns and the Party's electoral future?
Even in the Party Leader's own home council area, they stood one additional candidate in the City of Edinburgh election, yet only obtained a net gain of 1 extra vote overall? What strategy has this incompetent leader being running with?
More importantly, how does the Scottish Libertarian Party recover from this? How does the membership salvage what is left of this sunken mob of Pirates masquerading as politicians?
My suggestion would be to vote them out at this September's AGM.
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