YESTERDAY saw the publication of three polls which broadly agree on the main story of this election. The Tories are gubbed, and deservedly so.
The only remaining question as far as the Tories are concerned is the extent to which they are gubbed, it's a toss-up between totally gubbed and utterly and irredeemably gubbed.
If the results of one poll out yesterday are replicated on polling day, the Tories would be left with just 53 seats in the Commons and would be vying with the Lib Dems as the official opposition to Keir Starmer's government with a crushing majority so large that there would not be enough room for Labour's MPs on the government's benches in the Commons.
There are just two weeks to go before polling day, but the broad picture is clear, the Conservatives are doing as badly in this campaign as they have been in government, their campaign has been chaotic, confused, and clueless.
READ MORE: Three polls predict General Election winner in every UK constituency
In Scotland, the picture from the polls is considerably less clear. It seems certain that Labour is going to make gains at the expense of the SNP; however, it is far less certain how many seats the Labour Party will take.
This is because many of the seats in question are contested by very tight margins and UK-wide polls, even MRP mega polls, simply don’t provide the necessary resolution to provide a clear answer.
It will all come down to which of the parties can motivate its supporters to turn out and vote.
Labour is assisted by the British media and the overwhelming desire to be rid of the disgraceful Tories.
Too many voters in SNP-Labour marginals mistakenly believe that by voting Labour instead of SNP they are helping to get rid of the Tories, a belief which Labour and the anti-independence press in Scotland are happy to encourage.
On the other hand, there is little enthusiasm for Keir Starmer, a 21st-century Tony Blair minus the charisma, and his centre-right Labour Party which will continue Tory austerity and Brexit.
However, the SNP's pitch of vote for us so we can ask yet again for a referendum is highly unlikely to enthuse independence supporters to turn out and vote for them.
The SNP needs to be more aggressive and assertive in its attacks on the lies and U-turns of Starmer and to ensure that voters on the doorstep understand that Starmer's promise of 'change' is simply yet another of his many lies.
The only change that Starmer (below) really represents is changing one lying Brexit supporter for another.
We'll get the same cruel and nasty Tory policies, just delivered with a sadder face. Real change in Scotland is only possible through independence. Starmer has set his face against anything which might bring about real change in the UK.
There will be no meaningful reform of the Westminster parliament, the House of Lords will not be abolished. The unfair first-past-the-post-voting system will be left intact.
We face a Labour government which wins an overwhelming and crushing majority even though it will only win a minority of votes cast. That suits Starmer just fine. He's not going to change a system that benefits him.
READ MORE: SNP manifesto is 'what many wanted Labour to deliver' – NHS doctor
Looming in the shadows is the grinning face of Nigel Farage, he's not going to win this election, but depending on the extent of the Tory defeat, he could be very well placed to engineer a takeover of a battered and much reduced Tory party.
He’s positioning his brand of hard-right English nationalist populist nastiness to contest the Labour Party for power at the general election after this one, by which time Starmer will be deeply unpopular indeed. His is a shtick which can only work in opposition, he will be quickly exposed as a charlatan once he takes power.
If you thought the Tories were nasty and vile, just wait to see what nasty Nigel has coming down the line.
It's a sign of how unmoored the Conservative campaign has become that on the day we discover that many people associated with the Tory party are being investigated for questionable gambling by placing bets on the date of the general election - allegedly with insider information - someone at Conservative Campaign HQ thought a betting-themed campaign video was a good idea.
"If you bet on Labour you can never win," according to the campaign video, but if you are a member of the inner circle with privileged access you can always win with the Tories.
Tony Lee, the Tories' director of campaigning, has been forced to take a leave of absence from his post in the middle of a general election campaign which is going very badly for the party after his wife Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West, allegedly placed a bet relating to the timing of the general election.
Tory MP Craig Williams (below), a senior aide to the Prime Minister, who is standing for re-election as the MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr in Mid Wales, also reportedly bet £100 on the date of the election just before it was called.
Williams has admitted to placing the bet, calling it an error of judgment, saying: "I put a flutter on the General Election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine inquiries and I confirm I will fully co-operate with these. I don't want it to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought through how it looks."
Additionally, a member of Sunak's police protection squad is also being investigated by the Gambling Commission and has stepped down from operational duties.
That's the Tories all over, levering privileged access for personal profit. We've heard that sordid story before, when lining their pockets and those of their cronies with lucrative covid contracts via the "VIP lane", the Tories appear to consider public service as nothing more than a means of self-enrichment.
This piece is an extract from today’s REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.
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