Scottish election 2021: Five unknowns which could decide the race

[Thomas]

. Tactical voting meant the SNP gained only 3 seats.

...but thats not a negative , thats a positive.

Salmond romped home as we know in 2011 because there was no tactical voting.

This time , despite (for me anyway) the personal dissappointment of Alba and the inability of the yes side to vote tactical en masse , unionists threw everything including the sink at the yes side and the snp still romped home.

What was it that irishman once famously said?

"they came on in the same old way , and we sent them back in the same old way"

[morayloon]

Scottish election 2021: Five unknowns which could decide the race

How could turnout, the pandemic, smaller parties and key constituency races affect the Holyrood result?

Source: Scottish election 2021: Five unknowns which could decide the race

Turnout: the largest ever for a Scottish GE. 69% and above SNP won 5  from 9. Of the 5 seats on 68%, the SNP only lost one.
The pandemic didn't affect turnout in the way it was suggested it would, Turnout was expected to be low. None of the smaller parties came good so they did not have much effect.
The key constituencies: The highest turnout was in Eastwood where the Tories fought off the SNP. The Labour vote collapsed but was shared between the Blue brigade and the SNP. Strathkelvin & Bearsden had the 2nd biggest turnout. It was an SNP stronghold. Two Edinburgh seats came next. Southern was won by Labour whose increase in votes came at the expense of a massive drop in Tory support. The same phenomenon happened in Western but this time Liberal support increased while the Tories dropped 8% and Labour lost 4% from 2016. The Unionists were tactically voting for the party seen to be in the best position to defeat the SNP. Tactical voting meant the SNP gained only 3 seats.

[GBNews]

Scottish election 2021: Five unknowns which could decide the race

How could turnout, the pandemic, smaller parties and key constituency races affect the Holyrood result?

Source: Scottish election 2021: Five unknowns which could decide the race