Re when I was talking about working on a case by case basis I was not meaning electoral pacts or not standing in seats etc. Scottish politicians are well used to now running with minority gvts. The SNP have never been in a coalition. There is some talk that there might be one shortly in Holyrood but that would be the first time. They generally seek support from other parties on an issue by issue basis. If they haven't got the votes to get a measure through then so be it. Sturgeon said several times she had no interest in going into a Westminster coalition with Labour but would look to work with them on a case by case basis. Hence Scottish SNP MPs are not a major barrier to a Labour gvt.

As to 1979. Heavens that was 42 years ago and a different time with different leaders and different issues and quite frankly a completely different SNP. It was before they swung to the left and those advocating a swing to the left (the 79 Group) were soon afterwards expelled from the party and that included Salmond. Yes along with the Lib Dems they brought down Labour but that was on the back of them viewing Labour as betraying the Scottish elecorate in regard to the devolution referendum. However to compare what Gordon Wilson chose to do in 1979 with what Sturgeon would likely do now is nonsense. She has repeatedly said she would never keep a UK Tory gvt in power.

Likwise the idea that Thatcher benefited because of Scottish voters turning to the SNP is just plain and simply not true in the least. The SNP's share of the vote in 1979 (Thatcher's first election victory) dropped by 13% from 1974 and they only returned 2 MPs as opposed to Labour's 44 Scottish MPs. In 1983 it dropped by a further 5.5% though they retained their 2 seats as opposed to Labour's 41 MPs. In 1987 their vote recovered slightly but still only gave them 3 seats as opposed to Labour's 50 Scottish MPs. 1992 saw them get 21.5% of the vote which was up on 1979s 17.3% but still well below the 1974 number but they were still left with only 3 seats compared with Labour's 49. Labour was by far the dominant party in Scotland throughout the Thatcher years and beyond.