No matter whether you are pro or anti SNP, or whether you love her or hate her, in a somewhat long winded and lacklustre election campaign Nicola Sturgeon is the outstanding star who has come to dominate beyond any other party leader. This is especially remarkable since she herself is not standing for election to Westminster. Cameron and Milliband have to spend more time talking about her party than any of their other opponents. In Milliband’s case this makes sense because he faces a massacre, if the polls are right, on May 7th, north of the border. That will preclude a Labour majority government. But there is more. It is this. Sturgeon has a whole lot of admirers among Labour candidates for Westminster south of the border, who will lean on Milliband to listen to her. And she won’t even be there.
Her man in Westminster could very well be Alex Salmond. No wonder the Westminster establishment is in a tizz. But then again, think on this. There are loads of English voters who privately think that is a very good prospect. And a good deal less divisive and crude than Farage. Cameron needs to stop and think before he speaks. Constantly going on about the risk of SNP influence could backfire even more spectacularly than the disaster of the programme to ridicule Milliband.