Shona Robison and Joe Fitzpatrick celebrate with the wider SNP team in Dundee.
While parties traded seats across Scotland, the two Dundee City counts were a procession for the SNP.
Party heavyweights Shona Robison and Joe Fitzpatrick were simply waiting to be crowned and everyone present knew it.
The duo counselled caution publicly, but behind the scenes there was little of the tension that traditionally accompanies an election.
From the moment the first ballot boxes arrived it was clear that SNP confidence was well placed and Labour candidates conceded early, faces glum from the moment votes began to be counted.
Though the real stories were elsewhere, the Conservatives nonetheless doubled their vote in Dundee City East, slashing second-placed Labour’s advantage from more than 3,000 to just 632 and echoing a national resurgence for the party.
All parties reported a warm welcome on doorsteps, but Scotland’s “Yes City” may not have been quite as enthused by the election as some made out.
Maybe election burnout was to blame or maybe it was the campaign itself – felt by many to be more than a little tedious – but turnout dropped by 20% compared to May 2015’s general election.
