Readers' Letters: Holyrood election turnout shows need for significant change

A reader says it’s clear many Scots believe their voice no longer mattersThe dramatic fall-off in voter turnout at last week’s Holyrood election tells us something. This was the lowest participation rate in a decade. Leading commentators and pollsters suggest three main reasons.Firstly, dual disillusionment: unlike previous years where voters might punish an incumbent by supporting their rival, 2026 saw a notable decline in voter trust across the board.Second, shifting voter priorities: the “constitutional question” appeared to lose motivating power for the first time since the 2014 Referendum. Cost of living and public service delivery were more important voter concerns – compounded by “stay-at-home” SNP voters. This saw the SNP vote-share fall by nearly 10 per cent.Holyrood election ballot papers are counted at Dewars Centre in Perth (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Last, the deprivation gap: Official numbers have still to be released, but provisional figures indicate 21 of the 73 constituencies saw voter turnout fall below the 50 per cent threshold, some falling as low as 43 per cent.The latter is particularly important. Why so? 1.25 million people live in “sub-50” constituencies. These are heavily concentrated in urban and post-industrial communities, characterised by high levels of deprivation, low incomes, high levels of economic inactivity, poor housing etc.Moreover, this pattern is shockingly consistent with many constituencies appearing in the “bottom tier” in nearly every election since 1999. The people there are also three times more likely to stay at home than those in the least deprived areas.Plainly, many of our fellow citizens feel their voice no longer matters because nothing changes. This remains a shameful indictment of our politicians. Must do better no longer cuts it. Significant change is needed with economic and social policies that are better designed, better focused, better integrated, and mutually reinforcing – at both the national and local level – and delivered through stable and effective partnership. The future health of our democracy depends on it.Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns, East RenfrewshireGame onFifty-five years ago my father, John (he was an honest John), took me to my first football match at Tynecastle: Hearts v Celtic in a Scottish Cup replay. I was a Celtic fan as I had watched the European Cup Final in 1967 with my father, who wanted me to see a Scottish team on the ultimate stage. He was a Hearts fan all his life.Fast forward to 1986. I was at the game in Paisley when the league was decided on 3 May. My dad passed away on 25 May, the aniversary of the game which made me choose my team.After Wednesday night’s results, I thought of my dad, and wondered what he would be thinking. Straight away, his words on that night 55 years ago came back to me: “No matter the result, a Millar will win.”This Saturday I will not wish my team to lose – but I, for the first time in my life, will not be upset should the trophy head to Gorgie. After all, once again, a Millar will be victorious. I’m a football fanatic first and a Celtic fanatic second.David Millar, Lauder, Scottish BordersExtra timeVerily, the forces of darkness bestride our fair land once more! A penalty for Celtic in the 98th minute? Aye, right.Heed my words, ye Jambos, and tremble. If Celtic are not winning after 90 minutes the joust will go on. And on and on. If extra time gets to double figures the ref might chicken out and blow for time. Maybe.Graham M McLeod, KinrossKick out VARI’m an Aberdeen fan so no lover of Hearts but if they do not win the league today it will be the biggest travesty in the history of our game and should mean the end of VAR in our league.Lewis Finnie, EdinburghEnglish refsIn the light of the recent refereeing controversy, I suggest the SFA employs English refereed for today’s matches?Fiona Garwood, EdinburghMigration mattersEdward Balfour (Letters, 14 May) asks: “Isn’t it time we made the British people hear our voices?” Mr Balfour considers that the Scottish government should have a greater say in deciding our immigration levels. He makes a valid point about Scotland’s low birth rate and “outflow” of talent elsewhere. It can be argued, however, that the latter is a consequence of SNP tax policy penalising higher earners.May I remind Mr Balfour that the British people, he refers to as being made to hear his and like-minded people’s views, have made high immigration levels a priority issue, as have Scots, hence Reform’s huge rise in popularity. They have clearly made up their minds.Scotland’s population since the millennium has risen at its fastest rate since the 1940s post-war baby boom, from 5.1 million to 5.5 million. In Edinburgh alone from 450,000 to 560,000 over the same period, all driven by net inward migration, given the falling birth rate. Some of this population growth is to be welcomed given the lack of essential skills, but much of it is from the economically inactive or the low-skilled and has come when local services have been decimated.A much more carefully considered skills-based immigration policy is surely required rather than simply increasing levels further. Only by doing so can we avert the social and economic consequences to which Mr Balfour refers.Neil Anderson, EdinburghNot so welcomingI have to disagree with Edward Balfour when he claims that Scotland has long been known as a friendly and progressive country.Going back to the 1920s, and large Irish immigration, some very nasty things were said, sometimes by prominent people. This helped fuel sectarianism which is still alive today. Also, from time to time, some anti-English comments emerge. All in all, Scotland is not always so welcoming!William Ballantine, Bo’ness, West LothianProtest evidenceEdward Balfour says that Scotland “has been long known as a friendly and progressive country, not prone to anti-immigrant sentiment". So why pray have there have been anti-migrant demonstrations in Falkirk, Perth, Aberdeen and other areas?Yes there have been demonstrations in favour of migrants so it would be ideal if these pro-migrant demonstrators, and Mr Balfour, each took in, at their own expense, several of these asylum seekers until their claims are processed. Now that would show solidarity.Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West LothianHistory makerFollowing Kimberly Nath’s article on the Declaration of American Independence (Perspective, 14 May), it may be of interest to know about one of the seated signatories in the published picture.He was the Rev John Witherspoon, born in Yester in 1723 and educated at Haddington Grammar and Edinburgh University, with an honorary degree from St Andrew’s University. He was subsequently a Church of Scotland minister in Beith and also for ten years at the Laigh Kirk in Paisley, where there stands a statue in his honour. He had an amazing life thereafter and one that should be remembered on the anniversary of American Independence.Elizabeth Hamilton, EdinburghFur fliesSo Larry the Cat is now on his sixth PM and perhaps looking forward to his seventh. With that in mind I’m beginning to wonder if he's actually a jinx on the incumbents of 10 Downing Street. Perhaps he should have a wee break from Whitehall and come up to Edinburgh and ply his trade in and around Bute House?John Barrett, Gifford, East Lothian Biggest by-electionMuch play has been made of the significance of the Makerfield by-election in which the "King of the North”, Andy Burnham, is hoping to stand en route, as his supporters see it, to the premiership.Some commentators have described it as the most consequential by-election in post-war Britain.However, of greater significance, the November 1963 by-election in Kinross and West Perthshire was unique among by-elections since 1918 in that one of the candidates was the leader of the Conservatives and, more importantly, the sitting prime minister, Alec Douglas-Home.As the Earl of Home, sitting in the House of Lords, his appointment as prime minister in October 1963 led to a sudden requirement to find him a seat in the House of Commons, as it had become generally considered unacceptable for a prime minister to sit in the upper chamber.Renouncing his peerage, the new session of Parliament was delayed, awaiting the outcome of the by-election.Ultimately, Home won with just under 60 per cent of the vote, but had he lost, he would have resigned, creating significant turmoil.Alex Orr, EdinburghHoover up votesSo Wes Streeting resigns as Health Minister because he thinks the country has fallen into a vacuum.If this is a bid for the leadership of the Labour Party it seems somewhat novel to advertise yourself to the electorate as some sort of political vacuum cleaner. Voters will now have to make up their minds as to whether he is a blowhard or a sucker.Robert Menzies, FalkirkWrite to The ScotsmanWe welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won’t print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, and in the body of the email – no attachments – and avoid ‘Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters’ or similar in your subject line. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading. No poems.