Originally Posted by
57vintage
It's a valid viewpoint. Anyone who thinks that a now-established establishment party like the SNP will fragment according to the current left-right political spectrum must have their head zipped up the back. In the event of Scotland becoming independent, they would lose a few hundred members, but hardly any MPs, MSPs, or wannabes.
Like other establishment parties, the individual rewards of political patronage and outright power would see the SNP continue pretty much as it is, a party on a permanent election footing, talking the talk of the 'centre-left', whilst being no more radical than New Labour (whose manifesto they replicated in 2007) or the Lib-Dems.
There is a substantial queue at the ticket office to ride aboard the biscuit-wheeled gravy train, and I have been party to candidates being selected on the basis of 'it's his/her turn' rather than the best, most experienced candidate for the role.
Then you have the legal establishment, the educational establishment, the religious establishment, the Scottish CBI etc etc who will ensure that constitutional change will mean no change.
The market will prevail, as will the SNP and its propping-up of it.