IT’S an understatement to say the campaign has yet to electrify Scotland, with less than two weeks until the Holyrood election.
It pains me to say that, not least because it’s been my job for many years now to get people to tune into politics.
Chris Musson says the campaign has yet to electrify Scotland, with less than two weeks until the Holyrood election Credit: Getty
He said he can ‘see why folk seem largely disinterested’ Credit: Andrew Barr
But I can see why folk seem largely disinterested.
It’s not just because of the never-ending Mandelson saga hoovering up people’s attention, or the fact that it’s often looked like we’re on the brink of World War Three in recent months.
Let’s face it, a Russian invasion would certainly put a devolved parliament ballot into some perspective.
There are myriad reasons for voter apathy, the blame for which cannot be shirked by pointing elsewhere.
Devolution in 1999 was meant to bring politics closer to the people, but we now have a growing problem with Scots switching off.
Pollsters expect turnout next week to be significantly lower than in 2021, when 63.5 per cent of the electorate voted — hardly a stellar number itself.
It would not surprise me to see 50 per cent or less vote on May 7.
In the wake of the so-called IndyRef — where the turnout was almost 85 per cent — there was an air of smugness and complacency from the political classes about levels of “engagement”. But little more than a decade later, things feel flat.
I don’t know about you, but the people I speak to tend not to be gripped by discussions about what the parties are, say, offering up in their manifestos.
They are not chatting on the buses or in the pubs about the televised leaders’ debates which are now a turn-off — literally, given the dismal viewing figures.
A lot of people don’t even know who the party chiefs in Scotland are, as underlined by a reporter from this very newspaper trudging the streets last week and holding up photos of various leading lights in front of unsuspecting passers-by.
A Meh Factor is engulfing the nation, and there is more than one reason why this malaise has set in.
Firstly, there’s the overexposure to elections. Devolution and those two big referendums may have empowered people, but they’ve also tired them out.
General Elections used to be a novelty every four or five years, but devolution — and the past decade of instability — has seen elections fly in.
We’ve had nine trips to the ballot box for national votes since 2014 alone, if you include the indy and Brexit referendum. And that’s not including the multiple council or Euro elections.
Secondly, there is also an air of defeatism, even cynicism, among many people.
‘We now have a growing problem with Scots switching off to politics’ Credit: Getty
Parties of government have been squabbling, ousting leaders, and embroiled in scandal Credit: Getty
We have been in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis ever since the tail end of the pandemic and the energy bills crisis, and not only is there no end in sight, but things could be about to get a whole lot worse.
In the meantime, we’ve seen incessant psychodrama at both Westminster and Holyrood, with parties of government squabbling, ousting leaders, and embroiled in scandal.
It’s wholly understandable that people look at what’s going on and think our leaders have their priorities all wrong.
Thirdly, the lack of any detailed, persuasive and realistic offer of meaningful change from any party has been a crushing disappointment.
Labour may be deploying that word again, as they did at the 2024 General Election, but their Holyrood manifesto is anything but daring.
A fourth reason people are turned off from this election — and there may be more — is the way the parties have been carrying on.
This has hardly been a melting pot of big ideas and positive visions.
It’s been the same old sleight of hand from the SNP with their red herrings and freebies, chiefly a supermarket “price cap” gimmick which they know they won’t be able to implement and is designed to provoke a scrap.
Meanwhile, the Nats and pretty much all of their rivals have been issuing daily press releases with accusations about who’s going to do a deal with who, should there end up being a hung parliament.
SCOTTISH Tory boss Russell Findlay may be regretting having a pint of lager during his interview with celeb wrestler Grado.
Findlay was maybe a bit too relaxed, at one point joking: “There’s people in the Borders who probably don’t have tellies.”
Presumably he forgot the Scottish Borders are among the Tories’ few heartlands in Scotland.
Or maybe he did remember – as the words left his mouth – given he turned to someone off camera and said: “Can I say that?!”
Findlay also told Grado that the food in the Scottish Parliament canteen is “dreadful”.
I hope he’s looking forward to being served some cold soup on his first day back if he’s re-elected.
This is, frankly, boring — and wilfully ignores the reality of the electoral maths. If it comes down to it, and there is no overall majority, of course deals will have to be done.
That’s how the Scottish Parliament was set up to work. The electoral system — partly proportional representation — may be head-scratcher at times, was intended to make it very, very hard to get a majority.
It turns out the parties of the devolution area, who said they’d be different, don’t actually want to be different after all, having spent the past few weeks decrying the idea of working with each other.
The big irony of the high levels of disinterest is that most people ARE interested in politics — even if not the kind that’s being played out by our leaders.
People are fed up with the cost of living. Fed up struggling to get hospital or GP or dental appointments. Fed up with the state of the roads, or the lack of bin collections.
Fed up with the growing rules and regulations and charges making life more difficult for them.
The solutions to these issues lie in politics.
Parties should be pushing at an open door to engage voters.
Unfortunately, they seem to be doing their utmost to make people tune out.
We’ve seen incessant psychodrama at both Westminster and Holyrood Credit: Getty