My first vote was for Harold Wilson's govt. (a clue to my age) .. In all that time, all those votes went to Labour then SNP.
Despite Scotland striking oil..masses of it! Poverty was rife in Scotland under Labour..the oil revenues disappeared with no obvioys benefit to Scots1/2

Then came Thatcher. As Denis Healy pointed out in his memoirs, she was the one who benefitted from those revenues, but instead of using them to level up the whole of uk, never mind Scotland, she chose to make London the epicentre of commerce. 2/3

Great buildings + infrastructure took place...in London. Oligarchs arrived, money was made, homes were now investments. London became THE place for business..all backed up by oil revenues. 3/4

Meanwhile in the real world most of us live in, she was creating hell. Selling off the "family silver" demolishing Ravenscraig (which still had orders)and other places that employed thousands...with no thought for the workers and their families.4/5

Turning Britain from being largely self sufficient to being dependent on China for its steel. Instead of manufacturing here, creating things, we imported them. 5/6

The Tories used to be viewed as prudent, carefull, "the party of business". They are the opposite. Tbey are the party of self interest.. Greed, tax avoidance and short term politics. 6/7

What of other parties? Labour has become a dismal, unimaginative party with no ambition, that talks of socialism while shying away from anything approaching socialism, that sends MPs to the Lords while bleating about privilege.
A party unable to be an effective opposition 7/8

As it dithers between infighting and compliance with Tories while igoring the voices of those it purports to represent. It does not listen..Whether in Scotland ir England it does not listen.8/9

We are seeing more homelessness and poverty and corruption with this Tory government than I have ever seen.
A Labour government should have romped home at the last election...but did not listen. They were too busy fighting each other to fight the Tories.9/10

What of SNP? The party I joined after being dissolusioned with Labour.. They will get the votes, they will get in. In Scotland they will ameliorate some of tbe worst Tory excesses..but how long can they keep doing that? 10/11

They will run out of steam..using energy that could be fighting for and gaining Independence.
They also got enmeshed in other issues and infighting. Issues which, if they are not careful will put them in the same position as Labour.11/12

They have the day to day responsibilities of a Government, but must remember their Raison d'etre. Independence. 12/13

The Scottish Greens have, in my opinion disappeared up a Cul de Sac and the recent Andy Wightman letter revealed a rather disturbing side to them.13/14