Could it be that this message is not aimed at the Scottish electorate at all? The Nats are badly behind in the polls and all of their flagship policies have floundered, primarily because their MSPs have failed to make the case for them in Holyrood and win the necessary consensus. Putting independence at the heart of their 2011 campaign is a guaranteed vote loser in times of such uncertainty. Might the interpretation of the SNP campaign theme be a little more straightforward than is implied? The Nat leadership don't expect to win next year. Arguably, they don't really want to win because they will be found wanting again if they do and, like Labour, a period on the sidelines would be easier. The campaign tune is not for the wider electorate, but merely for their own ranks, who are surely wondering what, if anything, they have achieved by being in "government" for four years. The strange coalition of interests that is the SNP is who Alex Salmond is focused on keeping together. The tune is for themselves, not for us at all. Victor Clements, Aberfeldy