A DU Dream Parliament - The Scottish Parliament

[Screaming Lord Byron]

(as an addendum to the 'Most Left-Wing Democracy' thread in GD at the weekend, here's a close look at my nomination)

Five, count 'em five left of centre parties to one right-wing!

Composition of the Scottish Parliament (129 seats)

Conservative (right wing, forced closer to the centre by past humiliations) – 18
Liberal Democrat (slightly left of centre)– 17
Labour (left of centre) – 50
SNP (Social Democrat Nationalists, slightly left of Labour) – 27
SSP (Socialists and Nationalists (not Nationalist Socialists though, careful!) - 6
Green (Environmentalist Socialists, Nationalists) – 7
Independent (Two centrist, one social democrat nationalist, one socialist nationalist) – 4

111 left of centre to 18 right of centre!

N.B. Scotland has a long tradition of left-wing nationalists (going back to William Wallace, some might say!). These left-wing nats are civic-nationalists, a more inclusive brand than right-wing nationalists.

[Zero Gravitas]

1. Has any good EVER come from Nationalism?

[Loonman]

2. William Wallace for one

Shaka Zulu for another.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

3. Their Nationalism is considerably different. It's more in the vein

of the Irish, wanting to end the old British state. Definitely not a fuck-everyone-else brand.

[eileen_d]

4. I thought you meant these folks!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. That's my dream Parliament, damn!

[rogerashton]

6. Nationalism? We don't need no steenkin' nationalism.

Unless it is Hebridean nationalism. Why shouldn't the Hebrides regain their traditional independence from Edinburgh, that English town?

Bring back the Kingdom of the Isles!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. You know Somerled's dead, right?