Latest poll shows Greens in contention for government
For immediate release 27 February 2011
The Scottish Greens today published a YouGov Holyrood poll which shows a significant boost to the Greens and Labour at the expense of the SNP and the Lib Dems. The Scotland Votes predictor indicates that if this result was repeated in May it would see the Greens treble their representation at Holyrood and the SNP lose a dozen seats, while the Lib Dems would lose almost half their current MSPs.
Patrick Harvie MSP said:
"Today's poll is a clear message to the SNP and the Lib Dems. If you claim to be centre-left and then do the Tories' dirty work, you will pay the price. And the message to Labour voters is that if you want a Parliament prepared to stand up to the Tories rather than suck up to them, you should second vote Green in May.
"This is a crucial election for Scotland, and the country needs a Government prepared to tackle the Tory cuts agenda. The Lib Dems are delivering those cuts in London, the SNP worked with the coalition parties to slash services in Scotland, and Labour have yet to set out a coherent response. The Greens will offer the only alternative in May, a programme of investment in vital public services based on taxing the better off and big business.
"If this poll is right, a Labour-led Scottish Government would be the most likely outcome. We have our differences with them, including on roads, energy, and justice. But there is common ground too, and if this situation arises we would certainly not rule out meeting to explore the options, just as we did with the SNP in 2007. I would hope Labour are prepared to join us in challenging the Tory/SNP cuts agenda. Scotland deserves better."
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,258 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21st - 22nd February 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+). Full tables here.
Constituency voting intention (comparison with 2007 in brackets):
Labour: 41% (+8.8%)
SNP: 32% (-0.9%)
Conservative: 15% (-1.6%)
Lib Dem: 8% (-8.2%)
Others: 4% (+1.9%)
Regional voting intention (comparison with 2007 in brackets):
Labour: 40% (+10.8%)
SNP: 26% (-5%)
Conservative: 15% (+1.1%)
Lib Dem: 7% (-3.3%)
Green: 6% (+2%)
Others: 5% (-5.6%)
If these vote shares were repeated in a Scottish election, Weber Shandwick's Scotland Votes site predicts the following result.
Lab: 59 (+13)
SNP: 35 (-12)
Con: 19 (+2)
Lib: 9 (-7)
Green: 6 (+4)
Ind: 1 (n/c)