Salmond's experience of minority government has shown him how he can influence budgets and legislation at Westminster. In the event of a hung parliament, the SNP would challenge the government’s financial resolutions. He told Sky News (link unavailable as yet) that he sees a hung Parliament as an opportunity to promote an exclusively Scottish interest. Salmond has pledged spending increases, partly funded by scrapping Trident but predominantly afforded through tax increases – you can see where this is going. Adam Boulton asked: shouldn't Holyrood raise the cash? Salmond’s response was that raising taxes would endanger economic recovery, though apparently not in England. This is a call to get voters to vote SNP in a general election; if the SNP sustain their recent electoral success and the Conservatives do not secure a working majority, it is plausible that Salmond will have a bargaining chip of say 20 MPs with which to assert influence. Even another 5 years of Gordon Brown would be preferable than dancing to Salmond's Scottish tune.