Scot Free?

You know the type. Economically Rightish. Perhaps with a mild streak of social conservatism, but often not even that, and rarely very much of it these days. Pro-EU. Pro-NATO.

At least in their sympathies, people like that are pro-EU even in, say, Norway, and they are pro-NATO even in, say, Sweden and Finland, while they are both of those things even in, say, Switzerland. 

In Britain, in England and in Wales, they permanently control the Conservative Party. But in Scotland, they accrue to the SNP, which they ran throughout the long Leadership of Alex Salmond and his occasional understudies, electorally the most successful period in that party's history. 

They are not, however, the only significant force within the SNP. There is another, with deep roots on what was once the New Left, whence came New Labour at British level and in the other two parts of Great Britain. Under Nicola Sturgeon, who has lost Salmond's overall majority at Holyrood, that tendency has become dominant. Hence both the fact and the conduct of the campaign to take down Salmond.

Other things have been at play, of course. But they have not been unconnected. Salmond has gone a bit rogue by appearing on RT, attracting the attention of the Integrity Initiative and the 77th Brigade. But the New Left has always been a creature of that world. Look at how it governed under Tony Blair.

With both the Gramscians and the golf club bores in the SNP, only the Old Labour Right and a smattering on the Old Left, which has always had more of an existence separate from Labour in Scotland than it has had in England, remain in the remnant Scottish Labour Party, while only the Orangemen and the people who wear full Highland dress in ordinary daily life remain in the Sottish Conservative and Unionist Party. 

Yet that latter is the fourth largest party in the House of Commons, providing the Government's overall majority and reaping rich rewards for doing so, while the third largest party in the House of Commons is the SNP, which is in a state of civil war between the Eurocommunist identity politicians and the Europhile, Atlanticist, culturally semi-conservative Right.

Another hung Parliament is coming, however, and we need our people to hold the balance of power in it. It has become a local commonplace that I am on 30-30-30 with Labour and the Conservatives here at North West Durham, so that any one of us could be the First Past the Post. I will stand for this seat, if I can raise the £10,000 necessary to mount a serious campaign. Please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.