Alex Salmond.

[Workingman]

Where does this man get off?

He is, allegedly, no longer the supreme leader of the SNP yet he keeps telling us what it will do if 'this' happens or 'that' happens. He is not even an MP and yet he is telling us what the group of SNP MPs, if and when elected, will do in Westminster as though he will automatically be their leader.

His latest threat is that if the Tory's do not win an outright majority the SNP and Labour will vote down the Queen's Speech with the possibility of forcing a Labour/SNP vote-on-vote coalition upon us. Can anybody imagine what that horrific scenario would do to the country?

With a bit of luck his threat will backfire. If I lived in a marginal seat and was thinking of a protest vote I would change my mind and vote Conservative in order to avoid giving Salmond any chance of a say in the running of the UK.

I know that Labour have rubbished his statement, but can they be trusted? The lure of power might be too much for them to resist no matter what they say at present.

[cromwell]

It's all going to add to Scottish / English bad feeling, which is a massive shame.

The truth is that no one knows how the election will pan out, Alex Salmond included.

[Kaz]

He's a dreadful little man

[KateLMead]

He's a dreadful little man

A nasty piece of work as is his successor.

[TheOstrich]

He's the Ultimate Bogeyman - a role which I suspect he is very comfortable in and enjoying playing ...... I'm not sure I entirely blame him, actually!

[Workingman]

He's the Ultimate Bogeyman - a role which I suspect he is very comfortable in and enjoying playing ...... I'm not sure I entirely blame him, actually!

I do not get that, Ossie. He is wanting the whole of the UK to fold to his, and his apparent 1.6mn supporters in Scotland, ransom demands.

Wanting to be a bogeyman is one thing; attempting to impose the wishes of a small minority of the overall electorate to get its way against the wishes of a majority who have absolutely no interest, is entirely another.

[Suff]

Where does this man get off? ....

His latest threat is that if the Tory's do not win an outright majority the SNP and Labour will vote down the Queen's Speech with the possibility of forcing a Labour/SNP vote-on-vote coalition upon us. Can anybody imagine what that horrific scenario would do to the country?

Yes I remember it well. It will be very similar to the 1970's with Labour having only one or two seats majority and everyone gunning for them. With the Unions threatening to force a vote of confidence and then forcing Labour out of power if they did not get their pay rises.

With a bit of luck his threat will backfire. If I lived in a marginal seat and was thinking of a protest vote I would change my mind and vote Conservative in order to avoid giving Salmond any chance of a say in the running of the UK.

Yes but he's not going for an English marginal seat is he. They're not going to vote for the Tories in his seat, the Lib Dems are his target and he want's to remind those voters that a lot can be done for Scotland when the balance of power is held by the SNP. He has almost nothing to lose by making these statements and everything to gain. You have to stop looking at it from an English perspective. He already has my Son's vote and I can assure you that nothing he has said so far will change that but what he has said may actually bring him more votes where it matters.

I know that Labour have rubbished his statement, but can they be trusted? The lure of power might be too much for them to resist no matter what they say at present.

They're drooling already. They'll bend over and do anything Salmond wants to get their hands back on power. Then they will blame the SNP for the mess when their bungled attempt to buy their way into a majority government screws the country all over again.

Salmond is a creep. But he's an effective creep and he belongs to the Scots. Better to look at it that way. He's run a minority government and won the next election. He is well aware what he is talking about.

[Workingman]

But, Suff, he is aiming his remarks at English marginals.

Most Scottish seats will not vote Tory, and there are few, if any, Tory marginals in Scotland. What he is trying to do is muddy the waters in English marginals, and that is where his arrogance might backfire.

If you are in an English marginal there are few real choices - Lab, LibDem, or Con. UKIP and Greens are not standing in all seats.

If the fear is of a Lab/SNP vote-on-vote government the people might just vote on old party lines, or even vote Tory to keep the SNP influence to a minimum.

[Suff]

There's the whole problem.

That is how the press is pushing it. However he doesn't care about English marginals. For his sake he wants them to go Tory in just enough cases to make Labour fail to get a majority.

I see this message as one to his Scottish seats where the Labour vote may be wavering in the case where they say that Labour needs to stay in to keep the Tories out.

Which is an entirely different message.