SNP - One Trick Too Many

I've just received my postal ballot papers. I was originally going to be in Berlin this week, leaving yesterday, so my ballot papers would have arrived too late - the trip was cancelled.

I am staggered by the way the form is laid out. The myriad choices of who to vote in the regional election is headed by a party called 'Alex Salmond For First Minister'. This is of course the SNP, but because of some bizarre ruling, I assume it is anyway; they don't have to call themselves the SNP. I wouldn't mind if I were voting specifically for a First Minister, but of course I'm not. The list of potential MSPs on the notice of names of candidates for Southern Scotland are the people we are voting for. While this is clearly OK under whatever laws govern such things it is hardly the way a political party should be behaving, is it?

Then again with the Salmon's pronouncements over the last few days he's clearly not above double standards. Clever it might be, clever he may be, but last time Alex Salmond was at Holyrood trying to rationalise the radical leftist views of his party with the irrational right wing conservative element he gave up and headed to Westminster. Perhaps that is why he's not resigned his Westminster seat, just in case it all starts going horribly wrong.

I've always suspected that the SNP are a bit of a one trick party, with Nicola as an able, feisty support act. This kind of brings home the point even more. The next six months will be fascinating