Scot Nats Cause Panic In England.

Kenneth Baker thinks there may have to be what the Germans call a grand coalition including both Labour and Conservatives, in order to combat a large contingent of Scottish nationalists elected to Westminster in May. Both are unionist parties and they campaigned together for No in the Scottish referendum. He fears a Labour/Scot Nat coalition would mean conceding further devolved powers north of the border. Meanwhile Milliband is to tell the Scots that if they vote for the nationalists they will end up with Cameron remaining in 10 Downing Street.

Both of these approaches are misguided and do not any longer have a sufficient resonance with voters to swing many of them to change their minds. The days when people were happy to vote against parties by voting for someone they did not actually support in order to keep the one they hated from winning have largely past. Modern voters are fed up with the old system and determined to vote for something they want, admire, trust or believe in. They are willing to include smaller parties in their list of possibilities. The reason that there in such an unprecedented surge in support for the Scottish Nationalists is that the majority of Scots now believe Salmond and co will fight Scotland’s corner in Westminster in a way no other party can or will. In other words they are voting for Scotland, a big idea a good deal larger than Cameron, Milliband, Clegg et al.