Who won the debate?

[TykeMerc]

For example, the SNP wanted something in the budget. Labour said no and raised an amendment to the bill. SNP agreed and changed the bill to have the amendment and when it came to the vote Labour abstained.

That's one example of how democracy is such a sham in this country, a group votes along party lines rather than what they feel is good for their constituents. Party politics is a deeply negative thing.

[Zero Liability]

With the greatest of respect, that is completely untrue.

If you have a look at the time the SNP spent as a minority government, their spending plans were voted through by the support of the Conservatives, under opposition from Labour.

I don't think it's completely untrue at all. As Batcher mentioned, what you're referring to is political horse trading. The two parties of the left don't get along, but it does not mean they're not cut of the same cloth ideologically. What you mention won't prevent things from heading in the other direction this time.

[mudskipper]

This wee girl is spot on.

[Flashman]

MigrationWatchUK | The SNP and Immigration ? An open door to England?

Labour concessions to the SNP on immigration would destroy any effective immigration control for England - that is the conclusion of a Migration Watch UK report released today. With opinion polls pointing to a landslide victory for the SNP in Scotland but a hung Parliament nationally, the SNP’s leaders are already boasting about the concessions they plan to extract from a minority Labour government. One of their long standing desires is a more open immigration system for Scotland and they may very well seek to use a hung Parliament to bring this about. They have already made it clear that they would like to see current rules relaxed across every major category of migration - work, study, family and asylum - despite polls showing that 64% of Scots want immigration reduced and only 5% want it increased

It just gets worse

[AlfredJPruffock]

I would suggest that the SNP will poll considerably less than the polls project in Scotland - as many voters in Scotland did when they rejected the referendum and thus will confound the polls voting for the interests of Britain rather than those short sighted and self serving Nationalists who have no sense of the historical and vital importance of Britain as an indipsensible force for good in the International Arena.

United we stand - Divided we fall.

PS I am one of those people who like Scotland so much - I actually live there.

[zemoxyl]

United we stand - Divided we fall.

I totally agree with that. That's why an independent Scotland should remain part of the EU. I genuinely wish UKIP (in England) every success in the forthcoming election.

[TykeMerc]

I totally agree with that. That's why an independent Scotland should remain part of the EU. I genuinely wish UKIP (in England) every success in the forthcoming election.

An independent Scotland would have to APPLY for EU membership and there are a few existing EU member states that may well take a very dim view of admitting a breakaway state as they have their own regions keen to split away.

[zemoxyl]

An independent Scotland would have to APPLY for EU membership and there are a few existing EU member states that may well take a very dim view of admitting a breakaway state as they have their own regions keen to split away.

Even simpler than that. Scotland will carry on with the membership that England will discard in the 2017 referendum.