Salmond takes the reins

SNP leader Alex Salmond has been elected First Minister in Scotland. He will lead a minority SNP - Green coalition, though is likely to have support on most issues from the Lib Dems. Unfortunately, this won't include independence - the Lib Dem's chief point of difference is support for the Union - but the government benches are a bully pulpit, and Salmond should be able to use them effectively to push for his cause (primarily by picking fights with Westminister, which will at least be entertaining).

This is Tony Blair's domestic legacy: losing on the left on Labour's safest ground. And if Brown continues down the same path as Blair, he is unlikely to do any better.