Sky News went to Edinburgh, Scotland on 12 June to ask the public what it thought of Labour Party leader Keir Starmer amid the general election. The broadcaster won’t be making that mistake again – as true to form, Scottish people told it like it is about the centre-right yoon.
Scotland: the latest polls are in
The latest general election polling in Scotland sees the SNP and Labour Party neck-a-neck, with the Conservative Party facing a wipeout – much like the rest of the UK. Ipsos Mori noted that:
Ipsos’ first Scotland poll since the General Election was called, taken 3rd to 9th June 2024, indicates a very close race between the SNP and Labour in Scotland when it comes to voting intention, with both parties on 36% of the vote.
However, what the survey also shows is that Keir Starmer is still unpopular. Ipsos Mori said:
The Scottish public remain lukewarm on Keir Starmer, who receives a net approval rating of -12: 37% are satisfied with him, while 49% are dissatisfied.
Moreover, it also shows support for Scottish independence taking a narrow lead. The pollster said:
The poll shows a small lead for Yes, down 2 percentage points compared with Ipsos’ previous poll in January. Among those likely to vote either Yes or No in an immediate referendum, 51% say they would vote Yes and 49% No.
So, with all this in mind Sky News ventured out to an Asda in Edinburgh – and probably wished it hadn’t.
Starmer: sending Scotland to sleep
Sky News’s roving reporter Connor Gillies asked one poor shopper ‘what he needed to hear’ from the Tory and Labour Party leaders. He said, clearly exasperated:
I’m fed up listening to them, actually. I’m hoping for Scotland going independent…. because it’s nothing but deception and fraud down south. This isn’t being addressed by the media at all…
Ouch. The guy attempted to defend former SNP leader and first minister Nicola Sturgeon – clearly a step too far, as the Gillies quickly cut him.
Undeterred, the Sky News journalist went after the woman with him. As one X user put it, the poor couple “only wanted something to buy for tonight’s tea” – but she was subjected to the same question. Her response was equally infuriated:
I’m fed up with lies. I’m fed up with Scotland being ignored… I’ve come to this from being a Unionist. No more!
Gillies clearly didn’t get the answer he wanted – as he pushed again on what the woman wanted to hear from Starmer and Rishi Sunak. Wrong move, fella:
I would like to know what’s in Starmer’s mind, I think he’s a hollow man.
Whoops. Clearly Ipsos Mori’s polling on Starmer’s approval rating in Scotland isn’t far off.
they only wanted to buy something for tonight's tea pic.twitter.com/sWKwbWI9Zs
— robert (@RobDunsmore) June 12, 2024
Our man at Sky News wasn’t giving up, though. Harassing another unwitting shopper, he asked what she needed to hear from the ‘Liebour’ leader. The woman summed up how many of us probably feel listening to establishment manager Starmer:
I’ll be going to my bed.
Two ladies doorstepped in an Edinburgh shop by Sky News and asked for their views on the Sunak v Starmer head-to-head. You really need to watch this. Brilliant. Share this folks. pic.twitter.com/57UTXxCIXC
— MSM Monitor (@msm_monitor) June 12, 2024
Gillies is nothing if not persistent, though – and off he went again, this time to the self checkouts. Another shopper told him:
I think it’s important to hear what they’re going to do about things. They keep telling you what the other party’s going to do.
Disenfranchised UK
The response of Asda shoppers in Edinburgh points to a number of things.
Firstly, if people do vote for Labour in Scotland it will be out of desperation over a) the realisation the Tories are self-serving criminals, and b) the SNP has been mired in chaos and controversy – not because the party is offering anything remotely worthwhile.
Secondly, Ipsos Mori’s polling probably isn’t far off regarding independence. But with Starmer and his branch office – sorry, ‘the Scottish Labour Party‘ – still flat-out rejecting a second indy ref, even if Labour increase their MPs in Scotland it’s unlikely to be an easy ride for them.
Thirdly, though, and the woman who was ‘going to her bed’, coupled with the man fed up of the “deception and fraud” summed up the biggest point. This general election is likely to see one of the lowest turnouts in history.
People have had it with the Tories (where have you been the past 14 years?), but moreover, they don’t trust Labour and Starmer either – or most other politicians for that matter. They know a vote for any other party won’t make a difference to the outcome. So, it’s likely more voters than ever – particularly poorer ones – will stay at home on 4 July.
That’s likely to be the real story of this year’s general election – and shoppers in an Asda in Edinburgh summed it up.
Featured image via the Canary
