Night Of The Long Knives

With David Cameron's out of the blue election win, the crushing of Scottish Labour, and the immediate resignation of Ed Milliband, Nigel Farage, and Nick Clegg as leaders of their respective parties, it could be that we have seen the nearest we have ever had to a Night Of The Long Knives in domestic politics. And talking of 'respect' .... another leader was also lost when George Galloway of the 'Respect Party' had his ass kicked by an Asian female Labour candidate Naz Shah, who said she was glad to see him gone. She thanked all her opponents  ... "with the exception of one" ... "To Mr Galloway I say that your campaign demeaned our democracy but personal attacks on me have not worked. The people of Bradford West have seen through this and you have been sent on your way.” 

Whether it was his ex 'wives', or Naz Shah and her friends, George was taking no chances!

So what other conclusions can we draw from the last nights events?

Well, obviously the fact that England and Scotland are now different politically forever ... Scotland will now fight over which brand of left-wing Socialist government they want at future elections .... While the Labour Party in England will have to go to the centre ground again. So we will probably split and thus it seems inevitably break the union.

For the Scottish Labour Party .... Wipe Out isn't just a TV game, it's now a real fact which will scar it for decades ... the joke 'We have more Panda's in Scotland than Labour MP's' which used to be said about Scottish Tories, rings terribly hollow now.

For the Liberals everywhere, it could be much the same comment .... but also that it was far harder making steps up the ladder of opposition, than it has turned out to be in losing those hard won gains. Next time (and that may be decades away), be more careful what you wish for. Places in government come with a big price ... as we saw last night on the right and left of politics. On the Right, "a bigger party swallowed its junior partner whole", and on the Left, "a smaller party bit a huge, painful chunk from its larger rival".

For the Conservatives, Surprise! But remember what came after John Major's minority government ... disaster, so discipline and even more discipline, or this could be a false dawn.

For UKIP, well they may have to rally around their one main issue and try to ensure that the Conservative party offers the EU referendum it's promised, because that breakthrough didn't come.

But most of all, for the Labour Party .... they created their own electoral nemesis with their own overweening hubris in Scotland. The decision to needlessly open up devolution in Scotland, taken purely to squeeze 3 or 4 more seats up north, has proved to be the worst political miscalculation in British political history.

It may prove to be the death knell for traditional Labour in England outside of becoming an ethnic minority party.