This piece by SSP National Co-Spokesperson Colin Fox originally appeared in the National Newspaper, 17/03/2026
AMID the media coverage of the demise of the Alba Party and the loss of momentum suffered by Your Party, it seems the opportunity to vote for the Scottish Socialist Party in pursuit of independence has not gained enough attention. Let me put that right.
We will be fielding candidates in all eight Scottish regions on May 7, providing the entire electorate with the opportunity to cast both a socialist vote and a list vote for independence to maximise both voices at Holyrood.
I understand why the SNP do not call on people to give their second vote to other independence supporting parties – they are afraid. Afraid that the idea of not always voting for them when afforded the chance to do so might set a precedent.
Labour have the same fear. Once you infer that it is on occasion ok to vote for someone else, they figure, it is the thin end of the wedge – people get used to the idea.
Yet the SNP’s case for “both votes” on May 7 is a poor one and they know it. They know, as indeed we all do, that if, as the polls repeatedly suggest, they win most of the first-past-the-post constituencies, the 500,000 or so votes they accrue on the regional lists simply go in the bin, as it were.
That can’t do the independence movement any good. Worse, it helps elect Unionist MSP’s – most likely Reform UK ones as things stand.
SNP supporters with long memories will recall the devolution referendum of 1979 when Labour introduced the Cunningham amendment, stipulating that a simple majority was not enough to secure more powers for Scotland.
They insisted 40% of the electorate had to vote Yes, meaning non-voters, including dead people, counted in the No side. The bitterness that ensued lasted a very long time.
SNP supporters would do well to reflect on how the wider independence movement will feel if another golden opportunity is allowed to go to waste on our shared journey toward self-determination for Scotland. Do we really think our Unionist opponents would miss such an open goal if the boot was on the other foot? No, nor do I.
The SNP will find themselves in poor standing with their independence allies after the election if they do not help to seize this clear opportunity to advance the cause.
That said, I appreciate the responsibility falls on the Scottish Socialist Party to make our case for the list vote in every region. And it is to that case that I now turn.
The First Minister reminded voters last week that it is approaching 15 years since NHS prescription charges were abolished in Scotland. He rightly highlighted the pride we are entitled to share in that achievement.
This “tax on the sick”, as I called it when I was an MSP between 2003-07, is unfortunately still in place in England. My in-laws in Sheffield, for instance, must pay £9.90 per item.
The abolition of charges is both a cause for progressive celebration and one of the foremost achievements of Holyrood in my opinion, alongside tuition fees and personal care charges – all still applicable south of the Border.
I am entitled to modestly point out that it was my bill, as a Scottish Socialist Party MSP for the Lothians, which paved the way for the abolition, as the First Minister is well aware.
I was grateful for the support SNP MSPs such as him, the Greens and others provided. Unfortunately, it was voted down via the collaboration of Labour and Tory members, which meant the charges remained until Alex Salmond’s administration scrapped them in 2011.
I congratulated the government at the time and in return they SNP were generous enough to acknowledge the work the Scottish Socialist Party had done in pioneering the issue. It was an example of the mutual benefits joint working toward a shared ambition can bring.
And that is my point now. The Scottish Socialist Party worked with Alex Neil and John McAllion on the bill, which in 2000 abolished the hated debt recovery scheme known as pendings and warrant sales.
We also helped to extend the reach of free school meals in Scotland and to advance the case for free public transport. The Scottish Socialist Party’s election campaign of 2026 will also highlight the constructive part we played in the 2014 independence referendum campaign.
We will make the case for an independent socialist Scotland, a modern democratic republic. And I’m sure I do not need to explain the attractions in that goal to either this audience or the wider electorate sickened by the conduct of Andrew Mountbatten, who is still eighth in line to the House of Windsor throne.
This election provides a remarkable opportunity to rebuild and re-orbit the independence movement. And I use the latter term advisedly. For ours is a movement, not a single party.
For all their achievements and history, the SNP cannot secure independence on their own. They need allies in the struggle, those they can trust to work together with them when the opportunity arises and ones who will hold differences honestly and openly.
The SNP need to appreciate the role such allies can play in crucial situations and respond intelligently and courageously.
