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As I said, Sturgeon did her part by her claims about what she intended to do to England and her hopes of the SNP forming a coalition with Labour to be in government. All the Conseratives had to do was sit back and watch her knowing the other countries would not tolerate the SNP in a UK government: as the votes reflected.

So no, even if the Scots had voted all Labour seats they still would not have got in, but Sturgeon was unwittingly doing the damage. Sturgeon was an asset to the Conservatives.

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Yes, if follows on from Sturgeon's various claims during the election that she was going to shake up Westminster. She has, but not in the way she hoped for.

There is a protocol in Parliament and the SNP MPs either seem to think this doesn't apply to them or they haven't done their research. This is not the only story on their poor behaviour in the house and the SNP MPs have now been told to behave like adults.

They really aren't doing Scotland any favours either because the SNP is a very minor party in Parliament just as the LibDems were. She needs to form an alliance with one of the two big parties if she wants a little bit of power in parliament. Instead they have arrived in Westminster and sat on the opposition benches (I accept this wasn't what Sturgeon had hoped for) in the seats that are for the second largest party; the main opposition; when they should be seated in the opposition seats for the minor parties. An ego thing for Sturgeon, or perhaps a tantrum? She must realise by now that her election claims only played to the Conservatives advantage.

not2old

how do you figure the SNP would muster the support & from where, given Labour are now likely to support the Cons, with the Lib Dems in tow?

Labour to back EU referendum bill, says Harman - BBC News

I'm looking forward to an early YES outcome to an all UK vote to the EU referendum

Scotland can sit on the sidelines, for it would appear the power lies within the hands of the rest of the country even if all the Scottish votes say nay!

As for a IndyRef2, the chances are looking slimmer by the day IMO

holly_1948

YES stay in or YES leave?

not2old

a 'YES' for ASAP to an early EU referendum vote, why wait till 2017. If it was doable, before the Scottish elections on 5th May 2016.

My vote would be for the UK to leave EU

Holly, how would you vote on an EU referendum?

Hazelnut

As in so many other things the SNP are sending very mixed messages as they seem to think that saying what they want to happen means it will even when evidence is totally against them. They are pro being in Europe but they're also pro Scottish independence from the UK which would mean automatic expulsion and having to reapply to the EU.

The SNP said Scotland would automatically be in the EU or would have an automatic and immediate readmittance. Most other people in power and many international, legal authorities said that wouldn't be the case.

As a direct result of SNP policies my home has been greatly devalued and both MrH's job and mine are under threat. We ar slowly losing everything we have spent our whole working lives working for. We were praying for the Westminster vote not to be such a landslide of minority votes allowing majority representation but we were sadly diappointed.

I wish they'd hurry up and remove the Scottish MPs rights to debate or vote on any matter that aplies to rest of the UK only. I don't understand why they are allowed to interact in anything that's a devolved Scottish matter.

holly_1948

We can't know that either way. It is a purely political decision so the law will be twisted and perverted as necessary to suit whichever way the political wind is blowing at the time. And the future is very hard to foresee given the likely demise of the Eurozone.

Any feelings I might have on IN or OUT would be based on things as they are - but we are not prescient and stability and predictability are not in our future.

not2old

like all two faced politicians & political parties, the left doesn't know what the right is doing - even the media is confused & twisted

SNP's incoherent position on staying in Europe | Herald Scotland

not2old

is Sturgeon losing it already - how can she make a promise like this one?

Nicola Sturgeon has said the Scottish Government will make a "strong and positive" case for the UK to remain in the EU to prevent Scotland being forced out against its will.

Sturgeon: Scotland will fight to stay in the EU | Herald Scotland

As a person living in England I would be upset that the 'Barnett formula' still exists, its just not right. Westminster should remove it & make the money per head equal across all of the UK.

What is the Barnett formula? - Telegraph

AllenSmith81

If thats true then this is just another reason why Scotland needs to go its own way. SNP would have been a good strong voice in support of progressive change in Westminster which would have benefited the entire UK. If the rest of the people of the UK are that afraid of us Scots having our say in a democratic structure within the UK then I think that says it all.

AllenSmith81

In view of the fact the proposed question would mean "Yes" would be to stay in the EU. I am also hoping for a "Yes" vote, although I think that was not what you meant.

As for IndyRef2 - time will tell.

AllenSmith81

Its funny how much propaganda gets punted about. There has been as many independent experts who say that Scotland could leave the UK without leaving the EU as there have been who say it would need to reapply for EU membership. What does that tell me? If there were a political will in the EU to keep Scotland in the EU then it would be made to happen.

The irony is there are very few, if any, decisions made in Westminster that do not impact Scotland in some way or another. For example the continued privatising of the NHS in England is an English matter by definition because NHS in Scotland is devolved.However if privatising the NHS in England results in reducing public spending on the NHS in England then that consequentially reduces the block grant allocated to the devolved administrations of GB and Northern Ireland. Rhetoric such as this "English votes for English laws" only serve to further undermine the structure of the UK and will ultimately lead to the end of the UK.

AllenSmith81

The media are always confused and twisted - Do not trust any of the UK media anymore.. I wish you could see just how distorted our media actually is.

not2old

of course & folks should always use their own judgement or at least use any media information as such - simply information, simply because its all 'a pack of lies' what the politicians or the media spout is a conspiracy!

The 'inequality of across the UK public spending' or the living wage issue'

Scots benefited last year by almost �1600 a head more public spending than in England, Commons research shows | Herald Scotland

Only seven MSPs are registered living wage employers, it emerges, as Sturgeon urges firms to back the scheme | Herald Scotland

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The removal of Scottish MPs powers to vote on English and Welsh only matters, is coming soon when Scotland are getting the powers they want to run their own country.

The SNP will have to do decide if they want to finance the building of a highspeed train service to London from their budget. English, Northern Irish and Welsh taxpayers won't be forced to finance that. There doesn't seem to be a business need for it and SNP MPs will have to keep flying down to London.
SNP fury as HS2 finds 'no business case' for taking fast train service to Scotland - UK Politics - UK - The Independent