SCOTTISH Labour is being routed in the online battle for votes.
With polls showing big swings towards the Scottish National party (SNP) and the transformation of previously safe Labour seats into knife-edge races, new research reveals the scale of online criticism and hostility vented towards Labour’s politicians north of the border.
With the election now less than two months away voters have taken to Twitter in large numbers to voice their views. They expose the scale of the task facing Labour in Scotland to see off the SNP challenge.
Two politicians dominate digital politics in Scotland: Jim Murphy, the Scottish Labour leader, and Pete Wishart, the SNP’s MP for Perth and North Perthshire.
But the online fortunes of these two key figures are polar opposites. Murphy is Scotland’s most unpopular politician on Twitter. He has endured a barrage of attacks, criticism and abuse, with 70% of tweets that express an opinion about him critical. Many use a series of popular anti-Murphy hashtags, such as #murphysins and #creepyjim.
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Only David Cameron is more unpopular than Murphy on Twitter nationally.
By contrast, Wishart is Scotland’s most popular MP on Twitter. He is a savvy digital operator and 68% of tweeted opinions about him are positive. There are even a series of tweeted promises to vote for him as parliamentary tweeter of the year.
Beyond Murphy and Wishart, a gulf in digital power and support has opened between Scottish Labour and the SNP.
Although the SNP lost the independence referendum, it built a following on social media that it is now exploiting. However, the referendum also brought out a virulent, abusive side to some nationalists who attacked public figures such as the author JK Rowling for supporting the union.
Of all tweets about SNP MPs, 76% are cheering them on, offering agreement, support or practical help. By contrast, the majority — 55% — of tweets about Scottish Labour politicians are a combination of criticism, scepticism or worse.
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Carl Miller is research director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos