As elections to the Scottish Parliament take place today, Dr Alexander Smith of the Department of Sociology comments on the key issues that he sees for voters:

Dr Alexander Smith said: "Independence will be the central question of this year’s election but it will divide voters along political lines that have been buffeted and transformed by both Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I predict that the election in Scotland will produce another big majority for pro-independence political parties, even if the SNP fall short of an overall majority in their own right.

"While the SNP should dominate in First Part The Post constituency elections, the Greens tend to do well in the Proportional Vote for the regional lists vote and I would be surprised if a couple of candidates from Alex Salmond’s new Alba Party did not also win through via Proportional Representation.

"The main beneficiaries of anti-independence sentiment will no doubt be the Conservatives but it is hard to imagine there being real enthusiasm for a Tory majority in the Scottish Parliament given the Johnson government’s poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic (notwithstanding the success of the vaccine rollout) and the stench of corruption and sleaze that now surrounds Number 10.

"Scottish Labour continues to fight for relevance and survival while the Liberal Democrats barely register on the political radar.

"After 14 years in office, Nicola Sturgeon and her SNP Government face questions about their legislative record but they continue to provide sober, reliable government during a time of crisis – on Covid-19 and Brexit especially – that should deliver them a further term in power."

6 May 2021

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Peter Thorley
Media Relations Manager (Warwick Medical School and Department of Physics)

Email: peter.thorley@warwick.ac.uk

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