Raggytrash you are absolutely right in that Scottish votes perviously aided getting Labour gvts - and that not having a huge Labour block of Scottih MPs makes it more difficult to get a 'majority' Labour gvt.

But again it does not actually make it more difficult to outvote the Tories as the bulk of the Scottish members would vote with Labour.

Plus yes they have historically aided Labour victories but they have not on the whole been necessary for Labour victories. That has happened on the odd occasion when there has been a very tight result but in most cases Labour has had a majority without taking the Scottish members into account.

In truth the thing that is maybe keeping the Tories seem unassailable in England at the moment is for the most part the first past the post voting system which Labour has never been that keen to change either.