United we stand

Nicola Sturgeon has said that despite some members supporting Alex Salmond's Alba party, the SNP remains “the most united of all the parties in Scotland”. Ms Sturgeon said that the SNP has a “growing membership” and that support for the party “has never been higher”.

It is good too see the Firstminister has a sense of humour, and it is a sad world if she can't have a laugh at her own expense, and that of the SNP. Who said the Scots were dour?

Anna Mosspaul

Personally I find that as convincing as the idea that there is a well costed and thought out plan for independence. I also find it as convincing as the strength of our case for early and favourable joining of the EU.

Robert Ramsay

No “prominent” people have moved to Salmond's party. Just a few on the sidelines.

Patricia Anderson

I think she is confusing unity with autocracy.

Callum Macmillan

It will be a hoot to revisit these comments on 7 May after a significant section of SNP voters split their votes on the list ballot between Greens and Alba, taking a whole clutch of Tory and Labour seats.

Joe Rockss

Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t even want independence, She is just stringing you all along and keeping her councillors, MSPS and MPS in nice cushy jobs as long as they put their hands up at the right time.

Chick Macdonald

She’s actually so obsessed with independence that she doesn’t do the job she’s being paid to do.

Gillian Dowling It is not really relevant whether SNP politicians join Alba or not, look at what happened to the MPS in

Scotsman.com & @Thescotsmannewspaper

Your comments on some of the most popular stories of the day taken from The Scotsman website and Facebook page

Westminister who left their parties at the next general election. What is important is who the voter chooses to vote for.

Lynne Gillard It really dosent matter, they are still the best option for Scotland.

Craig Hollywood All fighting for the same cause in the end.

Dave Joyce Why does she always tell the most outrageous lies? It seems that she looks at what the truth is and then says the opposite. Whilst senior SNP members are jumping ship to go to a party run by a former colleague, her party is the most united in Scotland…

The longer she carries on, the more it seems as though she is living inside a Monty Python sketch.

Alastair Browne