Bob Piper has been a Labour councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for eight years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
There seems to be a suggestion here that there is a possibility of the Scottish Nationalists (the key word here is 'nationalists') would be prepared to enter into a coalition with the Conservative and Unionist Party (I'll leave you to work out the key word there).
I'm not sure who should be most worried. Is it Labour, who would not only lose a lot of seats in Scotland to the Nats, but could, if this scenario is correct also see Salmond's lot prop up a minority Tory Government? Or would an alliance with the Tories, for whom many Scots have a deeply ingrained hatred Tories spell disaster for the SNP? Oh, and what about that steady stream of Tories who spit out endless bile against the Scots?
As I have said on these pages previously I am very much against coalitions done behind the backs of the electorate in darkened rooms after the results are announced, (and I would deeply resent Labour forming ANY sort of coalition) so perhaps Alex Salmond would care to share his thoughts about doing a deal with the Tories in advance of an election.
Tory / SNP animosity has always been a little misunderstood and certainly needs revision post-devolution.
It might seem like a big 'if' but, if you disregard the unionist moniker (a throwback almost a century old to the Home Rule issue) then Tory & SNP interests are quite convergent. The Tories are unlikely ever to land many seats in Scotland (so in Westminster Labour treats Scotland like a golf handicap that gives them an extra 50+ seats) and the Nats know increased English resentment strengthens their cause.
I'm not at all surprised at this - disappointed and a little queasy but not surprised....
Talking of coalations here in South Wales the leading lights of our local Nats are bemoaning thier coalition and wishing that they had joined up with the tories.
The Tories are being their usual hypocritical selves. They never shut up about how "th union" was in danger, when they thought they could use it as a stick to beat progressives with. They kept on about how "patriotic" they were (always a lie), but then they realised that Scotland (rightly) hates them and ditched the union as if it were used toilet paper.
The SNP position is already clear: no parliamentary coalitions with the Tories. At Holyrood or Westminster. It's in the Party Constitution, and any changes to that position are not likely: members re-affirmed their opposition to deals with Tories at Holyrood or Westminster at National Council in December.
Anything Alex Salmond says will just be a repetition of that.
I don`t think you can govern England on a minority UK Labour Party held up by the Scot Nats ,not with Holyrood. I really don`t think that post devolution you can govern England without a majority in it either .
This is why the Liberals and left are suddenly concerned about Constituional chnage by which they mean cheating.
I agree Bob .The system is fine . We vote , we decide and then we get on with it , the rest is all nonsense.
March 18, 2008 12:42 PM | permalink
Tory / SNP animosity has always been a little misunderstood and certainly needs revision post-devolution.
It might seem like a big 'if' but, if you disregard the unionist moniker (a throwback almost a century old to the Home Rule issue) then Tory & SNP interests are quite convergent. The Tories are unlikely ever to land many seats in Scotland (so in Westminster Labour treats Scotland like a golf handicap that gives them an extra 50+ seats) and the Nats know increased English resentment strengthens their cause.
I'm not at all surprised at this - disappointed and a little queasy but not surprised....