Trouble afoot

So the main Scottish story of the weekend before Thursday's election is so far a bunch of Scotland's more prominent scientists who would rather stay in the union. Fair play to them, I've not even checked their reasons but these stories regarding footballers, businessmen and scientists preferring the UK over an independent Scotland are really getting very tired. I'm sure if this was a referendum on the issue they would be cutting deep but unless they're supporting Labour for reasons x, y or z then it's all water off a duck's back really.

The SNP have shaped their campaign in such a way that these hopeful bodyblows from Labour are missing the target by the proverbial country mile. Parking the independence question for 3 years, making council tax the big issue and having a significant number of businessmen back them, several of extremely high stature, has ensured that it is a devolved Scotland that they have in their sights. For now anyway...

A lot of people question whether a referendum will even happen in the next 4 years and a large swathe of voters, particularly the delightfully titled 'floating voter', will be voting SNP without wishing for independence. Labour will have to dramatically and quickly change tack if they want to push these landing voters back into the sky, and have them settle into the Labour camps (sounds scary doesn't it!).


Maybe I've not been paying enough attention (no laughing at the back) but I've not really heard of a single eye-catching policy from Labour that they plan to implement in the next 4 years. Tinkering with council tax bands and a plea to make education a top priority, it's not quite enough somehow.

But the trouble that is brewing is from the chief union tub-thumper, soon-to-be Prime Minister, psychologically-flawed Gordon Brown. He has treated the Nationalists with barely-disguised disdain, even bordering on good old-fashioned hatred at times. One can only hope that this is electoral posturing and once the ballots have been counted that (assuming an SNP victory of course) he and First Minister Alex Salmond can rub shoulders like the Scottish brothers that they are.

With Alex's cheeky grin, focussed vision for Scotland and irreverent outlook, Gordon's well publicised control freakery and his probable embarrassment of losing an election in his own "backyard" to a party he detests, well, where could the next 4 years possibly go wrong...