Yet fast forward just a couple of months and instead what do we see. A nationalist party poised to hold the balance of power in Parliament...only its not UKIP, its the SNP.
This present huge challenges to the UK media reporting. After all, they are near unanimous in their hatred of UKIP - even the right-wing press wants to support the Tories and the left wing just paint a bogeyman.
However the SNP are signed up communists and red to the core. I dhave not see Nicola Sturgeon's recent performances but no doubt they are the same as ever, help the poor, tax the rich, hate the Tories and all will be well with the help of the
This is a message that always has a superficial appeal to many voters who are not troubled to think of how money and fortune are created nor of what the rewards for labour and fecklessness are in nature.
Together with the '45%' of voters in Scotland who voted for Independence, the SNP are well on course for 40-50 seats in Parliament. At that rate it is hard to see either a Tory or Labour majority as even possible. With 35 odd other seats going to the rest of the parties, this leaves only 575 for the two main partied to split - so around 285 each it would seem. With the Tory and Labour level pegging this is very much how the election is shaping up.
What will be fun is the Tories having slightly more votes and seats than Labour, but the SNP holding the balance and only working with Labour. An Ed Milliband minority Government with SNP support from Salmond and Sturgeon.
I can't see that lasting long and if so a second election will have an even freakier result for sure as English voters possibly plump for their own nationalist party to vote for.
What policies would a Labour-SNP coalition go for - surely there must be some real crazy stuff in their beyond a big extension of the mansion tax?
10 comments:
Adopt a Scot - every Englishman in the 40% tax rate bracket must write a cheque each month giving 10% of their months earning at the higher tax rate to their adopted Scotish person, to ensure stimulation of the Scottish economy thus creating more Scottish jobs.
(Obviously it wouldn't happen like this as it means the money bypasses government, this is just the efficent way of doing what will probably end up happening anyway....)
Well on Scots radio the other morning, there was a senior policewoman complaining about a 'loophole' that allowed supermarkets to deliver alcohol ordered before 10pm (when all off licence sales cease north of Berwick) up to midnight.
The thing is, there is no democratic mandate for Scotland to leave the UK at present. Even if there was a 'yes' vote it would be on the grounds of the SNP promising a currency union which might turn out to be a falsehood.
The SNP have played a blinder and will now press on with their plans for 'devo-max'. They may have to concede English vote for English issues to the tories to get this. But ultimately their leaders want to join the Euro anyway so one step at a time eh?
As for the 'magic money tree', the UK has been borrowing 10% of GDP a year to get 2% GDP growth (and that is largely based on immigration) for 15 years now. As long as Scotland uses sterling it is wedded to 'magic money tree' economics.
Like all marriages (read union) it never pays to promise the earth to the other partner and when they agree to stay - based on false promises - then proceed to abuse them.
Either you want the union or you do not. If the mandate says 50 SNP then you deal with it according to the FPTP democratic mandate.
Or divorce. I'm sure she'll find an nice European for the next union.
Methinks in the 30s for SNP.
Yesterday in my post titled Dance etc. I suggested one possible outcome of a Lab-SNP coalition might be to join the Euro group if financial markets get sticky. Then we cannot get out of it and then they can destroy the UK to create the new workers paradises.
Brilliant idea! Join the Euro and then it is safer to break up the UK! Ingenius!
Shit. They might actually have thought of this.
McJock
Marriage is like buying an expensive sofa on the never never. It looks great but once you've signed the paper, your not allowed to lie on it and your still paying for it long after it's gone.
UKIP sometimes polls more than the LibDems and SNP combined.
There is a democratic deficit.
"UKIP sometimes polls more than the LibDems and SNP combined. "
There have been 2 votes in this parliament - AV and Devolution. Both would have "solved" the issues. Both rejected.
If you think it is unfair then press for AV next time because despite your hopes, UKIP will get nowhere under FPTP.
Indeed, and I bet most people who count themselves as virulently UKIP voted against AV.
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