With a whopping 56 MPs, I bet the SNP didn’t expect to reach the giddy heights of becoming the third-largest party in the whole of the UK, yet face a game of musical chairs in the House of Commons.
However, this week they did, as seat wars broke out and SNP MPs found themselves literally standing up for Scotland.
According to Erskine May, the parliamentary code of practice, no MP can claim a specific seat but custom guides where parties sit.
On Monday, some Labour backbenchers, including the veteran Dennis Skinner dubbed the Beast of Bolsover refused to give up seats on the neighbouring front bench, which is meant for the third party in parliament and where the Liberal Democrats previously perched.
Despite the SNP group at Westminster having a good relationship with the affable Labour Chief Whip Rosie Winterton, an agreement has failed to be reached on seating. Agreeing to a meeting to discuss it would be a basic start. I do suspect Ms Winterton has a job on her hands with Labour’s awkward squad but where there is a will there is a way and more of a will needs to be shown.
One of the big reasons Labour are in trouble in Scotland is that they couldn’t come to terms with the SNP victory back in 2007. Now it seems UK Labour is repeating the same mistake by refusing to accept the SNP as the third party.
While Labour are getting hot under the collar about keeping their old seats, the SNP Westminster leader was telling the Tories at the first opportunity in the Commons chamber that they would challenge them at every turn on the next wave of damaging cuts as Scottish voters would expect of their elected representatives.
Enough already of this charade of musical chairs.
The SNP is the third-largest party and as a matter of respect and common courtesy, Labour should tune into its new reality and let the SNP have its place. The focus must be on the serious work to be done and standing up to the Tories, not parlour games.