Whither Scotland? Well, apart from Labour regaining the two seats it lost in by-elections not a single seat changed hands north of the border. Indeed there was a swing to Labour and I suspect that Brown and Jim Murphy won votes when they warned that a vote for anyone else was a de facto vote for the Conservatives. Such is life and it’s remarkable how these ancient ghosts still retain the ability to spook the populace.
So why should Cameron speak to Salmond? Well, because he should be able to get the SNP to at least abstain on a putative Tory budget. Cameron has already said that the Scottish government’s grant will not be addressed this year (because the budget has already been agreed and passed) and that’s a decent starting point for talks.
Just as importantly, Cameron can call Salmond’s bluff: the SNP leader is already talking, foolishly, about how a new Tory ministry won’t have any kind of mandate in Scotland.
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