The results of the recent general election dealt a devastating blow to the Scottish National Party (SNP), reducing their representation in the House of Commons from 48 out of 57 Scottish seats to a mere nine.
The drastic reduction in the number of SNP MPs not only signifies a loss of political influence for the party, but is also a substantial financial setback, translating into an annual financial loss of around £942k.
This income was previously attained through the system of ‘short money’, by which parties receive money based on their number of votes and Westminster seats.
Now, however, the party faces a shortfall equivalent to approximately 40 percent of its income from sources other than membership subscriptions.
This will significantly weaken the SNP, just as it is looking towards defending its place in government at the 2026 Scottish parliamentary elections – only 22 months away.
The hole in the party’s budget is only the latest symptom of the SNP’s deepening crisis. After over a decade in power, the SNP’s formerly strong position and anti-establishment image has given way to mass disillusionment.
The party has failed to show a way forward for the cause of Scottish independence, and has implemented undisguised austerity cuts to public services. Now the chickens are coming home to roost.
Sharp decline
The SNP’s financial health has been deteriorating for a while due to a sharply declining membership.
Once boasting a truly mass membership – recorded at 125,000 in 2019, 2% of the Scottish population – the SNP’s numbers had plummeted to just under 70,000 by the end of last year.
This collapse was on full display at the general election, when barely dozens of activists could be mobilised to fight in battleground constituencies.
The signs were also there at the Rutherglen by-election last year, when the party was caught hiring agency workers on zero-hours contracts to deliver leaflets.
Donations and other sources of income from supporters have also dropped off significantly, leaving an £800,000 hole in the SNP budget.
This financial strain is exacerbated by the police investigation into the party’s finances.
This investigation led to the humiliating embezzlement charges against Peter Murrell, former party chief executive and husband of ex-leader Nicola Sturgeon. Records show the SNP still owes tens of thousands of pounds to Mr Murrell.
The immediate consequence of the financial shortfall will be felt at Westminster, where – after losing 39 MPs – job losses among the SNP’s advisory, communications, and research staff are anticipated, greatly weakening their ability to represent Scottish interests in Westminster.
Lack of confidence
Back in Edinburgh, the SNP was hit by yet more bad news this month, as the results of the influential Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSAS) revealed a stunning drop in trust and confidence felt towards the Holyrood government.
Mirroring the SNP’s turnaround in fortunes, the survey states that the number of people who feel the Scottish government listens to the people fell from a high of 59 percent in 2015, to 35 percent in 2023.
Satisfaction towards NHS Scotland, meanwhile, has collapsed from 64 percent in 2019 to 23 percent. The survey also reveals clear discontent with the state of education and the economy.
Labour is already mounting a campaign to end the SNP’s 17-year rule in the Scottish Parliament.
The SNP’s grip on Holyrood has been on extremely shaky ground ever since the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens collapsed in April this year. The figures listed in the 2023 SSAS will likely have only gotten worse since then.
Paint Scotland red!
Though faith in the SNP has been broken by a decade of disappointment and betrayal, there is no love for Starmer’s ‘Red Tory’ Labour in Scotland either.
There is a desire for fundamental change. And the door is increasingly opening for revolutionary politics.
So help us build the Revolutionary Communist Party in Scotland, as a genuine alternative to all these opportunists, puppets, and swindlers!
Join the RCP Scottish conference this weekend, on Saturday 27 July in Edinburgh, to help us in our campaign to paint Scotland red.
Click here to see the full timetable and to register your place.
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