OK: two disclaimers:
- Malcolm is back from a bibulous weekend in Dublin; and is working up to speed.
- Local government results are notoriously misleading, dependent on all varieties of microclimatic conditions.
That said, he had to think when he came across this on the LibDem Councillors’ website (it’s one of the few places that have an understanding of how these things are done):
The first thought, obviously, is no great change except the accretion of LibDem votes to the Tories. That’s all pretty notional anyway: Michael McCann took over the parliamentary seat for Labour with an absolute plurality.
What is marginally interesting is what happens at the 4th and 5th stage counts:
- Scottish Labour: 892 +81 973
- SNP: 641 +120 761
- Tory: 455 eliminated.
In other words, Scottish Tories (at least the ones who understand the alternative vote), despite the devolution issue, prefer the nationalist party to the unionist one by a margin of two-to-one.
If that’s not visceral prejudice, what is it?
