For the first time in generations, there is a serious possibility that there will be no Scottish MPs in the party of government. Three days ago Alex Salmond told the Scottish people that “Scotland stands on the brink of unparalleled influence at Westminster.”

In fact the opposite is true.  Scotland stands on the brink of having zero MPs in government and negligible influence at Westminster. If there are no Scottish MPS from the Conservative, Liberal Democrat or Labour parties, there will be no Scottish MPs in government.

To put that in context, since the turn of the twentieth century there have been thirteen English Prime Ministers, seven Scottish and one Welsh. That’s counting Cameron and MacMillan as English.

The current government has twelve MPs representing Scottish constituencies and two in the Cabinet.  It is unheard of for there to be no Scottish MPs in the Cabinet.  Though hard to believe, if Scotland returns a full sweep of SNP MPs, the Secretary of State for Scotland will be from an English or Welsh constituency.

Nor will there be another Scottish referendum. Salmond and Sturgeon have ruled it out in this parliament and it would be unlikely any government without a single Scottish voice would be likely to call one. Salmond’s words were half right, Scotland really does stand on the brink.

Although the media can’t get enough of Nicola Sturgeon she’s not even a candidate in the General Election, in two weeks time. Yes, you heard that right, she’s not standing, but Alex Salmond is and he will be the leader of the Scottish National Party’s Westminster MPs.  There will be about 50 or so of them if the polls are to be believed. “I’m the leader of the SNP, I’ll be in charge of any decisions and negotiations and anything that happens after May 7” says Sturgeon. But she won’t be in Westminster, so Salmond, who will, must inevitably play a key role after the vote. Why then have we heard nothing from him for weeks? Have they calculated that Sturgeon won’t provoke the ire of the media in the same way Salmond might?  Alex Salmond is one of the brightest and effective politicians that the UK has seen.  Whatever the reason for his absence from the stage, you can guarantee it’s no accident.