Still struggling to catch up (only up to yesterday morning 
) but thought I should post my rambling thoughts to date, before they get even more out of date
Re Tartan Tories: even Jim Callaghan acknowledges that the real architects of the downfall of his government - and the ushering in of Thatcherism - were not the SNP 11 who withdrew their propping up support of the Labour Government but the 30 odd Labour MPs (only 4 of whom represented Scottish constituencies 
) who, along with the Conservatives, voted through an amendment requiring a threshold of those registered to vote (not just a threshold of those who voted) in support of the devolution vote. These included Dennis Skinner and Tam Dalyell. Callaghan even considered trying to keep the Scotland Act on the statute book but not implement it yet - which might have assuaged the SNP - but realised he couldn't get it past his own rebel backbenchers
So while it is useful to "blame" the SNP for bringing in 18 years of Conservative rule, it is a convenient distraction from the fact that it was Labour rebels who initiated. So just who were the Tartan Tories?
Re LGBT MPs - you can add my MP Stewart McDonald to that list. It's one of the topics he's campaigned on at WM. And contrary to the perception promulgated by Labour and Tory alike, the SNP don't spend their time there chuntering on about independence. He did a research in Hansard after yet another statement from Scottish Labour about this and this was his result from 2 years at Westminster. He's been particularly active about Job Centre closures - 2 out of 3 in the constituency.
Stewart McDonald MP @StewartMcDonald
Quick search of Hansard
Scotland - 43
Jobcentre closures - 15
Human rights - 12
Brexit - 9
Emissions - 9
LGBT issues - 9
Independence - 5
9:13 pm · 28 May 2017
Alison Thewliss, my neighbouring MP has been campaigning vociferously against the rape clause/family cap (as well as the Job Centre closures). They have been doing their "day jobs" - representing their constituents and campaigning for wider non devolved UK issues - like welfare and Brexit 
And don't get me started on ruthless smiley Ruth 
She defended the rape clause and then had the temerity to suggest that it shouldn't matter to Scots because "the Scottish Government can mitigate it" . Quite apart from the logistics of it (as it is part of Universal Credit which is not devolved), if it's wrong in Scotland, it's wrong in the UK yes, I do mean to shout - and as WM MPs, the SNP were quite right to be pointing this out. So I will state again that Ruth has proven herself not just to be immoral (in defending the indefensible) but also hypocritical, in adopting a "Well it doesn't affect the Scots so who cares?" approach.
Following on from the Grenfell disaster and May's inadequate response, Sqoosh's quote from the Times yesterday that May "is a good and moral person who wants the best for the country" was unintentionally ironically juxtaposed with the New Statement article where it points out how the poor have been "othered" and that austerity/trickle down economics can only work if they work at all by discounting the poor and vulnerable as you make the rich richer. I personally think that May's version of "best for the country" is "best for the Conservative Party" and she doesn't have a clue what the country needs. The Conservative Party has moved so far from "One Nation Conservatives" as to be unrecognisable. Ken Clarke is probably the last one left - although there are a couple (like Sarah Wollaston) who are maybe coming back to that viewpoint I have a suspicion she'll end up crossing the floor
From Painintheear's @guitarmoog thread "Negotiation is not, contrary to popular belief, about barging in, thumping the table and demanding you get everything you want." ....
....this brought back immediate memories of when I joined the NHS in the early 90s at the time of the Purchaser/Provider split on a special accelerated promotion pilot scheme bringing in people from industry and exposing them/us to the best in Health Service management thinking. We (all previously successful managers from the private sector who believed in the NHS interestingly even though this was in Yorkshire/Trent, we were all Scottish or Scottish Uni educated ) were horrified that both the DoH and the Trusts/Health Authorities thought that negotiation consisted of going into a room and thumping a table and saying "this is what we want and we must have it". We even wrote an article for the NHS Journal asking the question "Are Partnership and Competition Incompatible?" (Answer: No - but many in the NHS and DoH thought they were. You need to work together to find mutually compatible outcomes - especially when ultimately, you both supposedly care for the health of people. In the current scenario, read economy for health)
In 1997 dh expressed concern - despite having wanted Labour to win - on the night when Brian Wilson in his victory speech said something along the lines of "we're the masters now". As a result, he said from the start that Labour would (and did) let power go to their head. I thought he was catastrophising exaggerating at the time - but there again, that was before WMD, the dodgy dossier and the Iraq War 
Dh also predicted - so Bore and Hester you are not alone - on 24 June that Brexit would never actually happen. He went to a Business Breakfast a few weeks later where all the attendees felt the same (including the guy who'd presented on the benefits of Brexit 
). Admittedly, we're in Scotland so have a different perhaps wishful thinking perspective.
That's probably enough for now
Now I'll get back to trying to catch up 