Articles by David Griffiths

4 articles

The Biggest Losers

The Biggest Losers

As we head towards a UK General Election, where a resurgent Labour is expected to form the next government by a wide margin, thoughts turn to those hapless SNP MPs who will likely lose their seats. As Warren Buffett said, 'Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.' And in the upcoming election, the electoral tide is going to go so far out against the SNP, it will leave the majority of its MPs metaphorically naked, out in the cold and wondering where their yellow swimsuits went.

The Lie That Won't Die

The Lie That Won't Die

Two weeks ago, Reverend Stu Campbell of Bath, aka Wings Over Scotland, proudly revealed an anniversary. It was 12 years, he breathlessly announced in a post called The Longest Lie, since he first debunked the notion that Scottish votes influence the outcome of UK General Elections. The last time it happened was 1964, he told his adoring followers.

Quite a statistic. But is it true?

Not even remotely. As in, not only is it misleading, it is demonstrably false. In every sense. It contains not a scintilla of truth. Unfortunately, it has now entered the post-modernist Scottish political lexicon along with similar myths, such as the Nationalist whine that Scotland never gets the Westminster Government it votes for. Presumably, they mean apart from the 11 occasions post-WW2 when Scotland voted for the party that won the General Election and formed the Government?

Three reasons Reform UK Scotland will fail

Three reasons Reform UK Scotland will fail

The launch of a new political party can be explosive. When viewed with hindsight, such events can be seen to have defined a political era. The 1981 launch of the SDP, for example, represents a time when the UK electorate sought a halfway house between merciless Thatcherite market reform and stubborn, electorally toxic hard-left Labour ideology.

That said, the launch this week of Reform UK Scotland is unlikely to take up more than a couple of lines in the annals of Scotland’s political history. Its leader, former Conservative MSP for the South Scotland region Michelle Ballantyne, is altogether more interesting than her new party.

My Journey to Alliance For Unity

My Journey to Alliance For Unity

Did you hear the one about the lifelong Rangers fan who spoke to George Galloway and decided to work with him to help redefine the Scottish political landscape?

It’s not a joke, it’s exactly what happened to me two weeks ago.

Until this time, I had never interacted with George Galloway and had never felt any wish to do so. From nowhere, a series of tweets appeared from the former MP, urging pro-UK political parties to form an alliance to defeat the SNP. Intrigued, I contacted Mr Galloway, not expecting a response.