Ashcroft's poll shows that a Labour-SNP coalition is by far the most popular outcome from the election
“Bad news for Scottish Labour but great news for the Tories.”
That’s Scottish Labour Leader Jim Murphy’s frank and honest assessment of Lord Aschcroft’s latest round of constituency polling, which includes eight constituencies in Scotland.
Whatever way we look at it, no gloss can be put on the fact that with two months until polling day Labour have been unable, so far, to fend off the SNP bandwagon that’s been rolling since the independence referendum in September.
Last month, Ashcroft released polling from 16 constituencies in Scotland, showing the SNP ahead in all but one seat, Glasgow North East.
Yesterday, he released details of yet more polling in an additional eight seats north of the border.
It shows, dramatically, the SNP continuing to be on course to take a swathe of Labour seats, including Gordon Brown’s seat of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath; Charles Kennedy’s seat of Ross, Skye and Lochaber; and Edinburgh South, constituency of the leader of the Better Together Campaign, Alistair Darling.
The one chink of light is that Jim Murphy seems on course to retain his seat of East Renfrewshire – although with a lead of just one percentage point, it is well within any margin of error.
Whilst Labour has persistently warned Scotland that a vote for the SNP only serves to help the Conservatives, it could now be time to reassess the scare tactics.
Firstly, Scotland voted in droves for Labour in 2010 and yet David Cameron still found himself in Downing Street.
But more importantly still, across the eight seats polled, by far the most popular outcome from the election is a coalition involving Labour and the SNP.
In a bleak assessment for Labour, Professor John Curtice and Strathclyde University conclude on the ‘Scotland Thinks’ blog:
“Doubtless, with its spring conference due to take place this weekend, Labour will try to redouble its efforts to turn the position around. But today’s polling also reveals two problems that could well undermine its hopes of doing so.
“First, the SNP, with its recently heavily inflated membership, is more visible on the ground. In each of the five Labour held seats covered by today’s polling, more people say they have been contacted by the SNP than by Labour, in some cases as much as by a factor of two to one.
“Second, the message that voters need to vote Labour to get rid of Cameron looks cuts little ice with many SNP voters. Even though only 12 per cent of SNP supporters in the eight seats covered by today’s polling say they are satisfied with Mr Cameron’s performance as Prime Minister, only 38 per cent would prefer to see Mr Miliband in his place.
“As many as 33 per cent of SNP supporters say that while they are dissatisfied with Mr Cameron’s performance they would still prefer him to Mr Miliband. Invoking dislike of Mr Cameron does not look as though it will be enough to enable Labour to turn the position around.”
Ed Jacobs is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter
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19 Responses to “Even Murphy knows the latest poll is bad news for Scottish Labour”
Leon Wolfeson
So a major step up from the current run of MP’s then.
robertcp
It is looking like the SNP will get a majority of the seats in Scotland, which would mean that Labour cannot govern without the support of the SNP and probably the Lib Dems. I wonder if in the future there will be a new left of centre but non-nationalist party in Scotland, which would replace both Labour and the SNP.
Tamas Marcuis
Murphy knows if he loses his seat he will be out of politics.
Unable to supply favours or hand out jobs. Somehow the London bosses were fooled by his referendum stunts that he might be useful. But he is despised even by many of the rump thats left of Labour in Scotland. He will become another Galloway an oddity amusing to the press.
Still he may still yet hold his seat, even if, as Jim is happy to do, he sacrifices every other Labour seat.
With Murphy its all about Jim.
So prepare to see East Renfrew the entire focus of Labour Party (scotland) to the exclusion of all else.
Tamas Marcuis
There’s no room for recovery. These polls only show that the voting pattern in Scotland for Hollyrood is now also for Westminster. SNP voters are no longer willing to lend votes to Labour at general elections. It is amazing that anybody is surprised. Labour spent two years viciously insulting SNP supporter then expect them to ever vote for them again.
This whole situation is as predictable as Labour is foolish.
The link has been broken and can never be restored. There will be no great restoration of past glories.
Kevin
How dare Murphy call my switch from Labour to SNP as part of a Bandwagon
I am never voting Labour again, he said the same thing over and over again. They all rehearsed the lines and sound like each other. No vision only scare tactics, im honestly fed up with Labour.