Ms 2.4% – and Proud
Well, there it is.
I stood for Holyrood and got a vote share of 2.4%.
Not exactly the sort of result that has podcast pundits reaching for the mic. In fact, if social media is anything to go by, it’s the sort of result some people think should be a source of embarrassment.
The thing is, it isn’t.
I’m proud of every single one of those votes.
I’m proud that people in Fife North East walked into a polling station, picked up a pencil and put a cross next to Scottish Labour.
I knew, when I put my name forward, that this was not a seat I was expected to win. Nobody was planning the victory party. The odds were what they were.
But that’s never been the point.
I stood because I believe voters deserve a choice. Scottish Labour should be on the ballot paper in every part of Scotland because Labour voters are in every part of Scotland.
I stood because I believe we need more women standing for election – I was the only woman on the ballot.
And I stood because Fife North East is my home.
I don’t think those things matter any less simply because victory looks unlikely.
The easiest thing in politics is to stay on the sidelines.
The easiest thing is to criticise those who put themselves forward, pick apart their results and offer running commentary from behind a keyboard.
Standing is harder.
You put your name on a ballot paper. You knock on doors. You have conversations with people who agree with you and people who don’t. You make your case and then you accept the verdict of the voters.
That’s democracy.
And despite what social media sometimes suggests, most of those conversations were thoughtful, respectful and often surprisingly friendly. I met people concerned about the cost of living, NHS waiting times, housing, transport and women’s health. I met people who had never voted Labour, people who always had and people who disagreed with me completely but were happy to have a conversation anyway. Sometimes they were my favourite conversations!
That’s one of the things I love about campaigning. Real life is usually far kinder and more nuanced than the internet would have us believe.
Take the response after the result was announced – I received messages from people across the political spectrum simply congratulating me for standing. People I didn’t know stopped me in the street.
That mattered because it reminded me of something we often forget in modern politics.
Politics works best when we remember that opponents are not enemies and that democracy depends on people being willing to step forward, even when success is far from guaranteed.
Of course, there will always be those who see a number like 2.4% and think it’s something to laugh at.
They’re welcome to.
I see something different.
I see people who wanted a Labour voice on their ballot paper, friends and neighbours who encouraged me to stand because they wanted someone local they could support, conversations that would never have happened if nobody had put themselves forward.
Most of all I see a campaign that was worth every minute of the effort.
Because the final vote share was down just 0.2% on the previous election in 2021. Whatever else people may read into the result, that’s a remarkably stable share of the vote.
The result was disappointing. I’m not pretending otherwise.
But democracy is not just about winning – it’s about showing up and making the case for what you believe in and it’s about giving voters a choice.
So yes, I’m Ms 2.4%.
And proud.
(Many congratulations to returning MSP Willie Rennie and to my fellow candidates, John Beare, Edward Sheasby and William Docherty)
