Well the Scottish elections are over. Actually one of the more interesting thoughts came from my guy (well his namesake was a wobbly) over at Cedar Lounge. Even the big guy has added his thoughts here, and here. Though I think that off of the top of my head that Malcolm and I discussed it first (his will be the one to actually read when he posts it).

Okay lets cut through the shit. The big question is going to be the 2009 general election. Will Gordon Brown keep up with the utterly abysmal Britishness campaign and continue to fear monger about an independent Scotland? Or will he make enough changes to actually campaign on substance rather than Brownwellian British bullshit (I doubt he will but I want to be fair). The counter question is whether Cameron's bhoys will try resume their natural positions as defenders of the Union in a meaningful way or be content to simply posture and then launch into "an English Parliament for an English people". I mean love her or loathe her Margaret Thatcher believed the shit she spewed (I fall into the latter category BTW).

With Cameron I'm a little more hesitant, to call it. As Malcolm has commented (scroll down to Second Front...) , Cameron has promised a much needed revival with his appearance in a velvet suit open necked suit to Tory events. To his credit he has delivered massively at least locally. Obviously something similar happened last time out in the locals and did not translate into a massive gain in the general. Because other than playing on government fatigue (which could pay in the next election) and the general opposition cry of, "the government is making a mess of things" the Tories have had their electoral clothes stolen by Labor. While I'm sure that many a Tory are rejoicing from a Labor meltdown the fact is that it stems from a hawkish foreign policy and an unhealthy closeness to a Republican president (two traditional Tory mainstays). The "cash for Honors" was damaging but really, the Tories getting uppity about government corruption is like the Republicans getting uppity about pork barrel politics in the new Democratic controlled Congress.

Also in play is the formation of the NI Conservatives, again also covered by Malcolm (scroll down to Flash Forward). Not content with having their clothes stolen by Labor the NI Conservatives have been visiting the same tailor as Sinn Fein and declare that the Conservative Party, "is the only political party that contests elections in every part of the United Kingdom". Very original and inspiring. As if this wasn't enough the Tories have decided to beef up their NI political folio by adding on this man. Yeah that's going to gain you alot of credibility with the unionist constituency. Though with only half of a percent it's hard to see how they could do worse, oh wait maybe they could recruit this guy. Though to be fair the UKUP did garner over 10,000 votes.

Okay enough for now.

Oh one last thing. Prior to the election Mark Durkan pledged to seek an plebiscite on the border after the election. As Sinn Fein have a history of having SF controlled councils passing motions in favor of a UI I think they should be able to get them on board for this as well. Oh wait I forget the SDLP are only green before an election. Afterwords they develop a greyish hue and a stench of perpetual decay and rot.