An historic first step

Well, after an amazing election campaign all of the votes have been counted (well, those votes that made it through the disastrous electronic counting system) and we have an SNP victory! Yes, the SNP has won the Scottish Parliament election!

It has been a roller coaster couple of days. I was very disappointed that Cumbernauld and Kilsyth was not among the first past the post victories this time round. We fought a great campaign, and the reception on the doorsteps and the streets of this constituency was overwhelmingly positive towards the SNP. We had people stopping us in the street to wish us well and a real sense of warmth towards us. The result certainly did not reflect our experience on the ground.

We'll get it next time!!!

The most encouraging part of the campaign, for me, was the response of traditional Labour voters. I spoke to countless lifelong Labour voters who were voting SNP for the first time at this election. The misplaced loyalty that so many people have placed in Labour for so long is finally ebbing away, and I am confident that it will erode further in the coming years - as citizens across Scotland benefit from SNP representation in the Scottish Parliament and our local authorities.

This election result is not just a victory for the SNP, but - more importantly - an historic first step in building a more successful Scotland.