SNP has been sent a message: it must listen
It was not the by-election which attracted the most attention this week.
But leaving aside the future occupant of Number 10 for a minute, the thumping Tory victory in Aberdeen South tells its own story.
There are, as Stephen Flynn suggested, tough questions for the SNP. There is also an easy answer.
This was the oil and gas by-election, and the message from voters has come back loud and clear.
The Tories had the clearest message which cut through in the communities which rely on the industry, and while responsibility ultimately lies with Labour at Westminster, there is little doubt the SNP’s confused messaging was not helpful.
This was the Conservatives’ first by-election victory in Scotland since 1967. While many had expected the contest – sparked after former SNP Westminster leader Flynn switched to Holyrood – to be tight, Tory Douglas Lumsden won by more than 6,000 votes in the end.
Mr Lumsden said he hoped his “seismic victory” would force Labour – who came in fourth place – to “change course on oil and gas”, and do more to support the industry.
It must do more than that. It must at last lead to proper intergovernmental work to set out a clear course for the North-east.
Tens of thousands of jobs cannot be thrown on the scrapheap. Vast resources in North Sea should not go untapped.
Highly skilled workers will simply end up relocating abroad, their expertise which could be vital for the industry of the future lost forever.
Pursuing a switch to renewables and taking advantage of the huge opportunities which exist is not incompatible with supporting the oil and gas industry. In fact it is the only way to do it sensibly.
Killing one industry without a clear plan of how exactly to create another is nothing short of economic vandalism.
The voters have spoken, and government’s north and south of the border must pay attention.