THIS has been an election campaign like no other. Conducted as the country takes small steps out of a lockdown that has changed lives and prepares to move into a period of economic uncertainty as the full impact of the pandemic and lockdown hits home. The health service has transformed to cope with the pandemic and staff adapted and performed heroically as the numbers of people in hospital with the virus rocketed.
READ MORE: The NHS will now face the task of getting back to normal and dealing with a backlog of cases of other illnesses and operations that were cancelled.
Paisley man fighting for life after stabbing near polling station as arrest made thesun.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thesun.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On Thursday, Scotland goes to the ballot box for the latest Holyrood elections. Many topics have led the debate in the run up to the vote - including the pandemic recovery, climate change and the constitutional question. On Sunday, an exclusive poll for The Herald showed a dramatic split on the independence question, with both Yes and No at 50 per cent, once undecideds are removed. Our poll by BMG Research also suggests the SNP is set to win 68 seats - a majority for Nicola Sturgeon s party. With the Scottish Election this Thursday May 6, do you think if there is a Yes majority there should there be another independence referendum?
As the UK government has stated “now is not the time” for another referendum to be held, we could see an informal or “wildcat” referendum being held, or a potential legal challenge. Either way, we face five years of constitutional debate and instability, at precisely the time when the focus needs to be on rebuilding our economy and public services in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
There are clearly those with an interest in destabilising the United Kingdom. According to a report published on Monday by the Henry Jackson Society think tank, Iran is using social media disinformation to influence the election in favour of pro-independence parties. The hostile regime is utilising fake accounts to pose as Scottish residents sympathetic to independence, and share online material promoting parties backing separation.
SNP majority ‘hangs in the balance’ as final polls paint inconsistent picture
Pollsters have said an SNP majority ‘hangs in the balance’ on Thursday (Russell Cheyne/PA)
The SNP is on course for an overall majority, a new poll suggests, as another claims it could lose up to six seats.
The final survey by Ipsos Mori for STV News projects Nicola Sturgeon’s party could take 68 seats, a majority of three, picking up 50% of the vote in constituencies and 39% in the regional list.
But 12% of the 1,502 people asked said they could still change their vote ahead of polls opening on Thursday.