Bench across Britain: Will Scotland turn to Labour?

Wild swimmers in the sculpted gardens of Jupiter Artland near Livingston, a free spirited Hardy bunch. And the politics among the women we spoke to here leaned towards Scottish independence. Oh it's lovely. I'm just back like many Scots from 2 weeks in Germany watching the football and what struck me really clearly there was that there are so many small countries in Europe the same size as Scotland are even smaller. Doing really well. And Scotland should be running itself after independence. There is no need for the Scottish Nationalist Party, it's done its job to get independence and then we can vote Liberal, Green, Conservative, any other variety of because the whole point is for Scotland to be able to manage its own political affairs. But the director of this outdoor sculpture world thinks only Labour could bring the change she wants to the political landscape. We've had SNP in Scotland for the last 12 years and we've had the Tories in Westminster and I know that the arts are on their knees in a way that they've never been before. The SNP has been sinking in the polls since the departure of leader Nicola Sturgeon, then Humza Yousaf following his broken alliance with the Greens. The nationalist dominance in Holy Rood is less formidable and that will be reflected in this election. There's 57 seats up for grabs in Scotland and in the last election Labour got just one of them, the SNP 48. For long time the prospect of Labour becoming the largest party in Scotland seemed about as likely as someone hauling this parliamentary bench to the top of Edinburgh's highest hill. But a more fractured SNP makes their goal of breaking up the Union seem more distant and Labour's ambitions of re conquering Scotland more plausible. Like the Scottish students carrying our bench up Arthur's Seat or the hikers we met on our trail above Edinburgh, people here have other priorities looking for party or leader that best represents my views. Reducing taxes, especially with the cost of living crisis at the moment, as well as helping, you know, my sort of generation get on the property ladder. I wouldn't say I'm struggling but I know a lot of people are and that is why I tend to vote Labour because it's not Even so much for the position I'm in, but a lot of the population. You think they help people out more? Yeah. With Labour having a real chance of beating the Conservatives, Scots are more likely to vote for them whether they want an independent Scotland or not. For the first time in my life, I'm voting for Labour. Just look to the to your whatever left. Yeah. And you can see what's happened in Scotland not having Labour in power. It's a filthy, filthy weather, filthy politics. You're pointing at Holy rood, you're pointing at the Scottish Parliament. I'm pointing at the Scottish Parliament. And why? Why? What's what's filthy about it? If we were in America, we'd be shouting Drain the swamp. Like Scotland's unpredictable climate, the political weather here seems to be changing and now anything is possible.