Holyrood: Majority Rules?
Holyrood wasn’t built for winner-takes-all politics. So why are we pretending it is? This week, IndyPodcasters Fiona and Marlene dig into the idea of political mandates at Holyrood.
With SNP leader John Swinney arguing that a majority of SNP MSPs would – in itself – justify another independence referendum, we ask: does that really stack up in a system designed to avoid majority rule? And if a bigger, cross-party majority backs independence, shouldn’t that count too? Indeed shouldn’t it count even more strongly?
We’ve included some clips from recent Holyrood Constitutional Affairs Committee discussions. Find out if they agreed with the First Minister about what constitutes a mandate.
Key Moments
- 03:25 John Swinney explains how the UK Union fails Scotland
- 06:49 SNP majority equals a binding mandate?
- 09:20 Walking into his own trap?
- 13:52 Rachel Reeves is stuck in a rut
- 16:55 Once in a generation just campaign rhetoric
- 18:43 Edinburgh Agreement not a precedent
- 20:17 David Cameron’s decision not binding
- 24:21 Is a majority the magic wand?
- 28:03 Angus Robertson has a different view
- 34:09 Our quick poll
- Watch the video on our YouTube channel: Holyrood Majority Rules Video
- More episodes dealing with the runup to the Holyrood Election 2026
Best ways to support Scottish Independence Podcasts …
We are passionate supporters of Scottish independence – that’s why we give our time for free. If you enjoy what we do, and you would like to buy us the occasional coffee, you’ll be helping us cover more Indy events and bringing you even more great content.
And nominate us as your good cause on Easyfundraising
Subscribe to our podcast feeds. Our team produces a NEW podcast episode every Friday. Search for Scottish Independence Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, YouTube Music, Podbean, Amazon and many more. If you’ve enjoyed a podcast please share it and tag us in.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel @IndyPodExtra for more of our video footage and clips
Follow us on Social Media. It all helps to extend our reach and be visible to more people. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok and Instagram. Just click on the buttons and join our on-line community.
You’re asking John Swinney to answer a question everyone should have been asking Westminster since 2015 – why isn’t an indy majority enough?
Instead of looking at this as something the SNP has to solve why not focus on democratic mandates and manifesto promises? That turns the focus onto what the Scottish people want and I think makes John’s suggestion totally understandable. Within the UK it seems the coalition type government is not yet respected, possibly because it is easy to chip away at any coalition agreement as happened with the Bute House agreement. An SNP majority however gives the SNP the mandate they want to act on the wishes of the majority of Scots, it has a precedent from 2011 and could be seen as representing the settled will of the people.
Why are we making it harder by constantly picking away at any suggestion for solving the constitutional issue, tying ourselves in knots and sending mixed messages to our political reps? If voters think a coalition mandate will work this time maybe they should be asked to explain why and set out their pitch. I believe the SNP majority route is clearer and stronger in our existing political climate – smaller indy party supporters will of course disagree but present no viable alternative beyond piling more unrealistic expectations on a party they don’t support, they regularly criticise and they don’t respect.
Hi, thanks for your comment. We agree with you pretty much. There’s more about relative usefulness and/or legitimacy of a one party majority compared to a parliamentary majority in our podcast this week. Be interested in what you think of the issues in it. It’s called “Unbinding the Union – the Law of Leaving”
Here’s Partick Harvie and Angus Robertson discussing what constitutes a mandate… https://www.tiktok.com/@scotindypodcasters/video/7606017651181161730?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7492442637535544854