Socialist vote surges

SSP now on 9 per cent

A System 3 poll for The Herald this month shows that the Scottish Socialist Party now has 9 per cent in the second vote for the Scottish Parliament.

Support for the party has continued to grow steadily since taking 2 per cent in 1999.

With the Greens at 6 per cent and 'others' at 4, this takes support for smaller parties and independents up to an unprecedented 19 per cent.
It shows that a large section of Scottish people no longer intend to give up their vote to the big parties.

The tradition of a two or three horse race on election day could come to an end as political affiliations fragment.

Another aspect to the poll is that 44 per cent back parties that are committed to Scottish independence, leaving the Union on increasingly unsteady ground.

This is further underlined by 59 per cent in favour of Holyrood having tax raising powers, with 61 per cent of Labour voters going against their party's policy of keeping these powers in Westminster.

Support for the Scottish Socialist Party is consistent across all age groups and regions.

However, there is a peak of 12 per cent in the 18-24 age group, showing more and more young people are becoming attracted to radical politics.

Taken from Scottish Socialist Voice