At the Scottish Socialist Party's "after the election" meeting in Glasgow, in mid-May, the message was that the SSP vote held up well in the general election compared with the Holyrood elections of 2007.
In fact the SSP's vote is down to about one-tenth of what it was at its peak. It got 3.36% of the total vote in Scotland in 2001, and 0.3% in 2010. In 2001, it got over 6% in eight of Glasgow's constituencies; this time, the SSP's average vote where it stood was 0.7%.
But the claim at the meeting was that the SSP vote held up very well, bearing in mind the Labour Party's scare tactics ("Vote for us, or the Tories get in"). There was lots more support for SSP policies than there were actual votes cast. Tommy Sheridan's vote was a personal disaster for him. Everywhere apart from where Sheridan stood, the SSP got a higher vote than TUSC (so SSP speakers claimed, but it is not actually true.)
Now, the SSP speakers said, the issue is fighting the cuts and the national question.
Isn't that two issues?
Not in the political universe of the SSP it isn't - fighting the cuts is the same issue as campaigning for independence for Scotland. The slogan of the moment is: "The Tories have no mandate to rule and ruin Scotland - Defy the Tory cuts!"
In fact, in the popular vote, the Tories and Lib Dems got a higher percentage in Scotland in the general election that then SNP did in the Holyrood elections of 2007. The SSP doesn't raise the slogan that the SNP has no mandate to rule Scotland.
Beyond that, the call was to hold public meetings, street stalls, occupations, and publicity stunts to maximise support for the SSP.
Someone made the point that the Tories are isolated not just in Scotland but also in Wales and the north east and north west of England. SSP leading member Alan McCombes responded that Scotland is different because only Scotland has a government with the power and the political ability to defy the cuts.
I'm not sure if he was talking about the current (SNP) government, or the institution of the Scottish government as such.