I am uncomfortably aware that we have been here before.


In the dark and cruel days of Thatcherism, in 1987 Scotland voted in 50 Labour MPs and woke up to another Tory government. I well remember the reaction of one Labour veteran, contemplating yet another term of office in the political wilderness.


“Labour’s job now,” he said flatly, “is to lower the expectations of the Scotish people.” He was not making a biter political joke. He was serious. The era of the Feeble Fiſty was well and truly under way.


In the event the “one more push” tactics, which Scotland unswervingly followed at the behest of Labour, failed to unseat Mrs Thatcher. It was the Tories, themselves, who flung her out.


And even then we had a further stint of Conservatism under John Major before Tony Blair and New Labour were swept into power in May, 1997, aſter 18 long years in the wilderness.


Oddly enough, in that election Scotland returned 56 Labour MPs. Does that sound a familiar figure? However, that was then and this is now.


I suppose what I am saying is that David Cameron – not regarded as a particularly skilled tactician – will be no push-over. By his own admission, he is in his final term, which allows him the freedom to say No to Scotland on a much more frequent basis. Politically, we have nothing that he needs.


Any further major developments for the country are likely to be linked to the pace of change for Wales and Northern Ireland – not to mention the question of English votes on English legislation at Westminster.


Therein lies danger for the SNP. A convoy sails only as fast as its slowest ship. If we are not careful we will find ourselves boxed in to a long drawn out constitutional commission;


24 June 2015


Now the fairytale is drawing to an end and realpolitik – where the currency is raw power - is beginning.


Northern Ireland and Wales are travelling at a much slower speed than Scotland.


Whether we like it or not – and we don’t – Scotland is now a peripheral issue for the Tories. The tail is not going to be allowed to wag the dog.


The main concern of David Cameron’s second term is Europe. His emissaries are already hotfooting it to the continent to try and stitch up some sort of accommodation with Angela Merkel on a new EU deal for the UK. It is practically impossible for it to contain anything of genuine substance.


Nevertheless, the atempt has to be made prior to the “in out” referendum planned for 2017. All his energies are being devoted to this because the issue has the capacity to split the Tory party from stem to stern.


The SNP has positioned itself on the EU referendum by suggesting that, rather than a UK- wide referendum, its constituent parts – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – have their votes counted as separate entities.


Thus, if England votes to leave and the rest vote to stay, they will be able to remain within the EU.


But that “have your cake and eat it” approach simply isn’t feasible. It would be one almighty guddle. As we found out for ourselves during the independence referendum, EU membership is a more complex mater than most of us thought and is a hostage to other member states’ agendas.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100