Membership of the SNP has hit 80,000 today – as the incredible legacy of democratic engagement from the referendum shows no sign of stopping.
With this growth in membership the SNP is in an extremely strong position to hold the Westminster parties to account on their vow of substantial more powers for Scotland – as by far the third biggest party in the UK as a whole, and with more and more support in traditional Labour heartlands.
The surge in SNP membership comes as the latest poll shows the SNP enjoying a lead over Labour on both Holyrood and Westminster voting intentions – with the party 15 points ahead of Labour in the Scottish Parliament constituency vote.
Commenting, SNP Business Convener Derek Mackay MSP said:
“This week has seen many SNP branches meeting for the first time since the referendum – with standing room only in places long considered Labour heartlands like Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and Inverclyde. Johann Lamont and the Labour party’s position in Scotland is growing increasingly precarious.
“With this extraordinary surge in membership it’s clear that it is the SNP which people trust to stand up for Scotland’s best interests – and to hold the Westminster establishment to account on their ‘Vow’ of substantial new powers.
“The referendum unleashed a new spirit of democratic engagement and participation amongst the people of Scotland– and these people simply won’t accept the same old politics as usual from Westminster.
“The No campaign parties now simply must deliver the real powers we need to make Scotland a fairer, more prosperous country for everyone who lives here. Failure to do so would be completely unacceptable.”
