Heard The Joke about the Scotsman, The Scotsman and the Scotsman?

There's lots in Scotland on Sunday today about the demise of Labour in Scotland and how far they've fallen behind the SNP. So far behind that if Joke Macdonall manages to pull of a comeback it will make Lazarus look like a sideshow. There's already speculation that the front runners are Andy Kerr and Wendy Alexander to take over when Joke resigns after his election defeat. I posted on another blog about ten days ago that I thought Wendy would be back (She's Broon's babe). Of course Labour in Scotland are already saying that they are suffering from a lack of love for the Westminster Labour party and that voters will defect as some kind of protest. They kid themselves. The ineffectual leadership displayed by Joke is their overriding problem in Holyrood. He looks like he doesn't take the job seriously, he has no charisma and he's a small man in every sense of the word.

What's going to be interesting is if, as I suspect, the SNP will be the biggest party, but won't have a majority what will happen then? The best thing, in my view, would be for the SNP to form a minority government and seek to win Holyrood votes on an issue by issue basis. Perhaps then we would have a more sensible form of government rather than the daft horse-trading we've been stuck with while Labour and the Lib Dems have been basking in their glory.

UPDATE

Just watched Andrew Marr's BBC TV show which was live from Edinburgh. Ian Rankin, who was reviewing the papers, talked the most sense of anyone - he was honest, opinionated and it was devoid of spin. The Salmon was on and looked a tad smug about the lead the SNP had in the poles and he presented the usual arguments in the usual way.

One thought struck me. In a separate Scotland what happens to the levels of public sector employment. If we have all these departments to run, purely for Scotland, then surely the already scandalously high levels of public sector workers will rise. Critical mass is what in certain circumstances creates efficiencies. I see this as perhaps the biggest hurdle if independence happens.

Wendy Alexander's brother, Douglas, the Scottish Secretary was also on. In contrast to the Salmon he had the look of a man on the back foot. However, he was very thoughtful, articulate but also represented what we've got tired of - that slightly upthemselves New Labour approach to all things. They really need to look at how they deliver their message. I know it shouldn't matter but it does.