'Record' a key peg in the SNP's 'big tent'

Now that my dissertation is finished I've got a little bit more time on my hands. That's meant a flurry of blogging, but it's also given me time to explore in a little more detail some interesting recent polling and survey numbers.

The first example is this weekend's Mori poll (the one which gave the SNP a record 49% support for the Scottish Parliament and a significant lead in voting intentions for Westminster and which showed, in yesterday's Times, two-thirds of Scots backing new job creating powers for the Scottish Parliament). I've been to trying to get a better understanding of some of the factors underpinning the findings. One element stands out, the fact that the SNP topped the poll, not only on the headline figures, but also for respondents born outside Scotland (that is voters from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the rest of the EU and elsewhere). The SNP has double the support among this group as the nearest challenger for Holyrood (the Labour Party) at 44% to 22%. Even for Westminster the SNP has almost 1/3rd more support among this group than Labour.

This shows the extent of the SNP's big tent - or big bothy as some have called it. The lazy assumption might be that the Scottish National Party would only appeal to people born here in Scotland, but that is clearly not the case. That is part of the 'narrow nationalists' misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the SNP that plagues the opposition parties - they believe their own propaganda and don't see us for who we really are.

But clearly new Scots can see the reality. These poll findings provide important new evidence of the breadth of the SNP's appeal. But what is the explanation?

Ultimately voters will judge the SNP, not on what others say about us, but on what we actually do. I believe the primary factor is the party's ongoing focus on the issues that matter to people (regardless of their country of origin). The Council Tax freeze, for example, shows we understand the current, significant pressures on family budgets.

But perhaps most important is the SNP's focus on the economy and creating and protecting jobs. That has to be the number 1 priority for any Scottish Government and, indeed, it is the driving passion of the First Minister at the moment. It is why, even on the constitution, our immediate focus is getting job-creating powers for the parliament.

Jobs and delivering new opportunities for young Scots were at the heart of this week's Programme for Government. On Wednesday, the First Minister had plenty to say about the steps we can and should take to help young Scots, in particular, into training and work, including a new guarantee on learning and training places for young Scots: 'Opportunities for All'. This will mean an offer of a place to every 16-19 year old if they aren't already in a job, modern apprenticeship or education.

People want a Scottish Government that is working hard for jobs and is doing what it can to protect family budgets and generally make Scotland a better place to live. These are the issues that speak to voters no matter where they come from. And that is what the people of Scotland see, and like. This is the reality of the SNP - a party for all of the people of Scotland - rather than the crude caricatures presented by the opposition.

And this brings me to the second set of numbers, the recent Scottish Household Survey, published a few weeks ago. This set of figures provides additional explanation for the scale of the SNP victory in the recent Scottish election.

In 2010 93.5% thought their neighbourhood was a fairly or very good place to live - up since 2007. The number who thought their local area had a problem with anti-social behaviour had fallen from 16.6% when the SNP took office to just 11.3%. 97% felt safe in their homes.

91% of parents were satisfied with the education provided to their kids and 86.4% of people were satisfied with their local health services (up from 81.3% in 2007).

This is how people perceived Scotland in the months running up to the election. They were, it seems, content with the devolved services delivered by the Scottish Government, and indeed thought key aspects of quality of life were improving. Is it any wonder the opposition parties' messages of calamity, failure and disaster had so little impact?

But, while both these sets of survey figures are encouraging, they are only the start for the SNP. We know we have to keep working hard to earn the trust and support of all Scots.

There is no sense of entitlement to govern, instead a clear understanding that we are only as good as our last decision. There must be a process of continuous improvement and a relentless ambition to make Scotland more successful. I believe our Parliament has used its powers well - and the people seem to agree. I also believe that to achieve even more, we need new tools. If people think we are delivering improving local health services and are satisfied with the education their kids or grandkids are getting, they are more likely to believe we will do just as well with responsibility for policies currently in the hands of the Tories in Westminster.

We never forget that the people of Scotland - no matter where they were born - are our only bosses. They will judge us on our record and that record will be an important part of their calculation when we ask them to trust us with more powers in the independence referendum.