Visit inews.co.uk for a range of opinions, including the Editor's Letter, the regular Columnists and the views of the readers.
At the same, the Conservatives, in power at Westminster, were also thoroughly rebuffed. The party’s share of the votetheir worst by-election performance in Scotland in 30 years. The result underlined the message of the polls that Scots Tories have ceded to Labour the role of principal opposition to the SNP.. Labour’s invitation to the voters of Rutherglen that they should show their dissatisfaction with their two governments appears to have been accepted.
But if many voters in Rutherglen were casting a protest vote, would they necessarily vote the same way when who is in office for the next five years is at stake? Certainly, by-elections often record much larger swings against the government than eventually transpire at the subsequent general election.Indeed, it is a fair bet that the swing from the SNP to Labour would not be on the scale that happened in Rutherglen. But this is to miss the point.
First, the result is consistent with the message of the polls that Labour are now posing the most significant challenge since 2015 to the SNP’s dominance of Scotland’s representation. At 11 per cent, the average swing from Labour to the SNP in the polls is little more than half that in Rutherglen.
John Curtice is professor of politics, Strathclyde University and senior research fellow, National Centre for Social Research and The UK in a Changing Europe. He is also co-host of the Trendy podcast.John Curtice
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
American family plan to visit Scotland in one day amid 'mad' 7-day holiday in UKThe mum was ridiculed after revealing her ambitious holiday plans, which includes day trips to Scotland and London from Cumbria, on Reddit.
Read more »
The NBC logo: a historyTom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon 1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.
Read more »
Iain Henderson ready for Scotland 'surge' in crucial World Cup clashIt's do or die for Ireland at the weekend when they take on Scotland in Paris
Read more »
Met Office issues 'danger to life' amber alert in Scotland for heavy rainMore wet weather is on the way and Scots should brace for severe conditions this weekend.
Read more »
Police Scotland postpones intake of recruits amid funding woesitemprop=description content=Police Scotland has announced it is postponing an intake of 200 probationary officers in January amid funding pressures.
Read more »
James Lowe insists Ireland are far from ‘invincible’ ahead of Scotland showdownitemprop=description content=Ireland are on the cusp of the quarter-finals in France but could still be on an early flight home.
Read more »