To not want the SNP to form part of teh next government.

[AICM]

I have nothing against the SNP but they have (obviously) got their own agenda.

I want the next government to put the UK first not Scotland.

YANBU. I think it's absolutely wrong that Scottish MPs elected explicitly on a platform of separating from the UK should be able to vote on matters concerning the rest of the UK. As for the thought of Sturgeon having Miliband by the short and curlies in a confidence and supply arrangement, it makes my blood run cold.

I would far rather have a federal UK or an independent Scotland than this increasingly absurd situation.

TBH though I'm English by birth and live in the SE I can kind of see the logic of Scotland's position. I want the UK out of the EU because I object to the imposition of laws from a remote governing centre that is not aligned with political interests local to me. The exact same argument is put forward for Scotland's secession from the UK, and if I'm for Brexit I can't argue in the same breath that Scotland must not be allowed to leave the Union.

The bit I really don't get is why in God's name Scotland would want to ditch government from Westminster but retain membership of the EU. If the whole point is to get rid of a remote and unaccountable government then 'ever closer union' within the EU is far worse than membership of the United Kingdom. I truly don't get it. The EU is a failed neoliberal experiment (witness events in Greece, Spain etc) and given Scotland's purported socialist leanings it would be mad to have anything to do with it.

The thought of an SNP/Labour coalition makes me shudder! Would be about 5 minutes before the country was bankrupt. I have no time for UKIP either. Thinly disguised racists imho.

They have been in Westminster since the 70s.

Ah you're right Andrew, I was thinking of the later anti-Provo Fitt.

That's twice that Maguire had a big effect on politics in the UK then; his death precipitated the by-election which Sands won in 1981.

*Nothing in life became him like the leaving of it^ and the same applies to Parliament too!

Scotland blah blah blah, England blah blah blah, England blah blah blah Scotland blah blah blah, Scotland blah blah blah, England blah blah blah, Scotland blah blah blah.

Like two bald men fighting over a comb and each claiming his hairstyle is best.

Oh and Wales blah blah blah. Only once, because Welsh people don't seem to be making so much noise about national rights etc etc.

N Ireland is different so I'll leave them alone.

There are far more important things in the UK that need fixing, and all this nationalistic griping is a terrible distraction.

If the SNP pushes for policies that benefit Scotland, they may well benefit the rest of the UK as well (if they are not around devolved powers/possible more moves to independence).

Maybe if Ms Sturgeon were deputy PM of the UK she might be less inclined to break it up? Lets face it, the SNP exists because it feels Scotland is ignored in the union and could make its way better on its own. They may feel differently about an SNP member in charge of the whole of the UK.

I certainly favour a Labour/SNP coalition over a Tory/UKIP one despite thinking Milliband is a prat (I'd rather have Cameron or Clegg). I don't want any of the UKIP nutters anywhere near power and definitely don't want to leave the EU.

As for the Tories only having one MP in Scotland, that's FPTP for you. They received 10% of the vote in Scotland at the last election (the same as UKIP last year!)

The SNP will want to push public spending Scotland's way which can only be at the expense of the rest of us - not just London and the SE.

Oh come on.

Are we Better Together or not then?

If enough people vote for a party, they have influence. That's seemingly OK when the English vote for the Tories and UKIP, but not when the Scots vote SNP?

Pish. And I say that as a committed NO voter, btw.

Exactly Lonny.

Better together does actually mean "together", which quite a few people seem to have forgotten about.

If the current system allows it, then so be it.

I think the figures make interesting reading. At the last GE, slightly less than 491,000 people voted SNP in Scotland. (and the Conservative vote in Scotland was 412,000 but it was much more spread out over the whole country so resulted in only 1 seat, as opposed to 6).

Even if the SNP treble their vote, if there was a coalition of Labour and SNP, that would effectively mean the future of the UK being dependant on the intentions of only 1.5 million voters.

Whats the total population of the UK again?

That's not that uncommon though Chandler. There were only something like 1.5 million votes between Labour and Conservative last time round. Granted, the Lib Dems brought many more votes with them, but (I sincerely hope) their vote is likely to collapse this time round, so, you know, it could be 1.5 million of any voters that swing it.

Gah, pressed too soon.

Although I absolutely take your point on numbers of Conservative voters in Scotland and spent what seemed like years of my life last year explaining why a vote for independence didn't, actually, mean voting the Tories out of Scotland as half a million people voted for them

Well we've just had a Tory government that 13% of Scottish electorate voted for, yet when there's a chance of the boot being on the other foot suddenly it's unfair.

Oh ffs, ReallyTired, no one in Scotland is personally holding your 6 year old daughter responsible for anything! That is the most ridiculous post I have ever read.

And OP, YABU. If the SNP are elected then they have every right to form part of the government. If you don't like it, start lobbying to change first past the post.

I'm being generous in saying the SNP might treble their vote in Scotland though. I think its more than likely they might nearly, but not quite, double it.

Compos I've lived in Scotland most of my life, and it was nearly always Labour voting, at national and local elections. Very intolerant Labour support at that - even admitting to voting Conservative was likely to get you lynched in some places and I suffered an assault because of it once. I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said that to some, voting Labour at one time was almost a religion.

Now its swung towards the SNP. But one thing that remains constant is the intolerance for opposing views.

To listen to the rhetoric, you would think there were no Conservative voters in Scotland at the last election, whereas the numbers show they were actually quite significant, especially in comparison to the SNP.

Chandler I've lived in Scotland for the majority of my adult life too and would disagree that there is intolerance for opposing views, the referendum aside from a few idiots on either side passed off peacefully and it was a privilege to be part of the process and a national debate.

To listen to the rhetoric, you would think there were no Conservative voters in Scotland at the last election, whereas the numbers show they were actually quite significant, especially in comparison to the SNP.

They finished fourth in Scotland (behind the SNP) and got one MP. I predict after the election the SNP will outnumber Tory MPs at least 40 to 1.

It's just as well we have democracy then, isn't it because a significant proportion of Scotttish adults do want the SNP to speak for them in the UK parliament? I'm in NE England and will be voting for a local guy who has local interests at heart. Do you not want him in either, because he doesn't specifically have the interests of someone in Tunbridge Wells at heart?

I think it would be great to have a better representation of Scotland in Westminster - isn't that what everyone wants?

Snp are not putting scotland before england, they want scoyland to have a voice in goverment as current leaders put England before scotland. As someone who lives in scotland, i must admit i feel the whole 'better together' campaign from libs and tories was just a farse for the refetendum and scotland have yet to have any say about how our lives are run.

I think what most people are ignoring is thethe fact that Scots can vote Tory, most just choose not to. Most people in the UK can't vote SNP. How is it right that they should be governed by a party, they can't vote for. Madness!

DamnBamboo I think what most people are ignoring is thethe fact that Scots can vote Tory, most just choose not to

Most Scots don't vote SNP either!

I've listened to Alex Salmond on the subject of the poor of England. His is a Scotland first approach.

Most Scots don't vote SNP either!

And your point is?

All opinion polls suggest that significantly more Scottish votes will go to the SNP than any other single party and they'll take the lions share of the seats.

A winning party hasn't got over 50% of the vote since 1931. Labour got a landslide in 1997 on 40% and the Tories the same with around 40% of the vote.

It is Fundamentally wrong that a party that the vast majority of the UK CAN'T vote for, could have such power. That is not a democracy - at all. Tens of millions of people being governed by a party they can't vote for! How can anyone think this is a good thing, and progressive politics. Reverse this and put a party in charge of the UK that Scots can't (not one they choose not to) for and all hell would break lose.