Having got the holyrood election a bit wrong (expecting a close run thing rather than a landslide) I now think the SNP will be in power to at least 2020.

Can’t see independence happening though, it is more likely Salmond goes for some extra powers fudge. If the SNP was serious about independence they would set up a non partisan convention on it, instead full blown independence would probably get hammered like the AV referendum.

Perhaps. But I think its now becomming clearer and clearer from a UK perspective that devolution is a really bad idea. Ironically, Labour supported Scottish devolution to kill Scottish nationalism. But if Scotland now goes independent in a couple of years (which I still believe strongly that it won’t by the way) it will be DIRECTLY the fault of the Labour party and the devolution they delivered.

On this, as on other constitutional reform, the lesson is that the left really ought to think their ideas through a bit more; and that doing nothing is ALWAYS better than introducing reform that might go wrong. The watch words for the future has surely got to be that ‘doing nothing is always an option’.

“using the same boundaries as Westminster seats and seperate seats for Orkney and Shetland”

Yes I think thats right. But whilst we’re on the subject, no doubt its been discussed before (and apologies if that is the case) but why exactly DO Orkney and Shetland have to have seperate seats? Is it suddenly impossible to represent them together after hundreds of years doing so? Surely if there is any anomoly that needs looking at in the scottish parliament constituencies it is this?

In the long term, it probably would have done the Scottish tories more good.

But I thought the origional Scotland Act 1978 proposed a Scottish Assembly with just 73 seats, using the same boundaries as Westminster seats and seperate seats for Orkney and Shetland.

Don’t know whether this would be 2 members elected in every constituency or the constituencies being split in two.

Assuming the latter being applied in 1981, the Conservatives would still have won Glasgow Cathcart that year because Glasgow Castlemilk would have been partitioned as a safe Labour seat.

By contrast, Labour would have won Glasgow Partick (partitioned from Glasgow Hillhead).

The partition of Stirlingshire West would have been interesting – Stirlingshire SW would be a very safe Labour seat and Stirlingshire NW would be a Tory.

Dunbartonshire West would have gone Tory with Dumbarton being partitioned off.

Dundee Broughty Ferry would have become an SNP/ Tory contest as it was divided from East Central Dundee.

The partition of Glasgow Pollok would have created a Tory marginal in Glasgow Pollokshields.

Edinburgh Pentlands would have become a safe Labour seat of Edinburgh Sighthill and a safe Tory seat of Edinburgh Colington.

I assume that in 1985 there would have been boundary changes following the 1983 westminster review.

If you use the 1986 Regional Council elections as a basis, may of the Conservative FPTP seats would have been lost in the mid 1980′s.

In Glasgow for example, Labour would have won Glasgow Pollokshields, Glasgow Cathcart and the SDP Glasgow Kelvinside.

We’ll asume the first election would have been in 1981 and the Scottish assembly would have had 73 members elected for fixed four year terms using FPTP on the same consitiuency boundaries as Westminster seats, with seperate seats for Orkney and Shetland.

I’m guessing Labour would have formed a majoirty administration from 1981 till 2009 when the SNP would have took over. The official opposition would have been the tories from 81-93, the Lib Dems from 93-05, and the SNP from 05-09. But that’s only educated guesswork.

And I can only assume Thatchers relationship with the Scottish executive would have been just as hostile as the relationship she had with the GLC.