Is Salmond the real threat for Labour?

I just bumped into John Mason, the glorious victor of Glasgow East, nemesis of the once mighty Scottish Labour and trigger of Gordon Brown’s leadership woes. He hardly said a word, being shown around with the demeanor of an awe-struck schoolboy who’s escaped from the pages of the Beano. I have said before that he was, in my view, the weakest of all the candidates, which just underlines the power of the SNP machine. Scottish Labour remains decapitated, without purpose or direction. Whilst the Scottish Tories are wrapped up in cutting deals with the SNP. Unionist parties in Scotland have never been weaker.

Should England care? Yes, and not for any love of the union. The apocalypse scenario for Labour, outlined to me by a former Cabinet member for tomorrow’s cover piece, has Alex Salmond at its heart. An English Toff gets into No10, helps Salmond win his independence referendum, Westminster loses its 59 scottish MPs and Labour never wins again.