IT would be ironic yet entirely predictable if Bitter Together have inadvertently guaranteed Tory power - in or out of government.

Gordon Brown swung the No vote by promising Scotland extra powers in double-quick time.

He's proposed a new draft Scotland bill by January 25 (what would Rabbie make of this "parcel of rogues" on Burns Night?) and a Commons vote in March.

But he can promise what he likes because he can't deliver, and not just because there is not enough Parliamentary time before next May's general election.

The Bitter Together alliance has crumbled. Alistair Darling and Danny Alexander have been ambushed by one-time bedfellow David Cameron's pledge to listen to "millions of voices in England" and ban Scottish MPs from voting on English-only laws.

The West Lothian Question - allowing 59 Scottish MPs to vote on English issues while English MPs cannot vote on matters devolved to Scotland - has understandably stuck in English craws for years.

Is that not the reason almost half of us voted Yes, to have Scots governed by Scots?

Tory MPs, angered by the last-ditch funding bribe to Scotland, are adamant they won't honour any promises until the question is settled.

That's set a lethal election trap for Labour, outflanked Nigel Farage, and cast doubt over new Scottish powers.

Not supporting such a campaign would be electoral suicide for Labour in England, but backing it would be equally terminal, since in government Labour needs the votes of their 40-odd Scots MPs to implement any Commons legislation.

Ed Miliband has promised to "move with utmost speed" to give Scotland new powers if Labour takes No.10.

He'll repeat that promise at his party conference in Manchester this week but in private he'll be told: "You won't, not if it's coupled with 'English votes for English laws'."

Surprise, surprise, Westminster suddenly is no longer hurrying to appease the Scots, which is why Cameron has William Hague planning his devolved power to England. Hague quits Parliament at the election, so he's merely a ball boy.

After that, all bets are off.

Cameron, Clegg and Miliband agreed that vow, but will they still be the main players?

Boris Johnson, who wants Cameron's job, heads a second Tory rebellion over the PM's pledge to maintain the Barnett formula, which calculates how much money Scotland gets.

The London Mayor says we already get too much power and too much money so we know what life will be like under another No10 Thatcherite.

NEW leaders and a new Parliament will feel no obligation to honour the pledges of the old, and the Scottish government and Yes supporters can turn as incandescent as they like.

Of course, if unionists break their promises, or if Westminster votes to leave the EU, then Scots have every right to reappraise Alex Salmond's view that this was a once-in-a-lifetime referendum.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, just remember that Sir Alec Douglas Home, a Scottish Tory PM, promised more devolution if we voted No in the 1979 referendum.

We voted No and got 18 years of Maggie Thatcher. Why did so many believe them this time?

Westminster at their peril will mess with this new passionate political awareness that has gripped Scotland, prompting a magnificent record 84.6% referendum turnout.

The majority up to the age of 55 already back independence.

They will eventually replace today's pensioners and won't be frightened by empty threats to pensions or hoodwinked by big business or Westminster double-talk.

If promises are broken there will be huge backing for Tommy Sheridan's call to pro-indy supporters to vote SNP in the UK election.

First they need to elect Nicola Sturgeon as leader after Salmond's decision to go.

He is Mr Marmite to many, but who else but the canniest operator in British politics could have delivered a vote on our nation's independence?

Unfortunately, the SNP hijacked a totally disorganised Yes Scotland campaign and failed to harness the expertise of non-SNP indy supporters.

Despite that, there were many positives for Yes, and not just in their remarkable 45% vote.

Glaswegians backed independence after finally turning on Labour, and with any luck such sense will prevail in the election.

And don't believe the nonsense being spouted in English media about division and radicalisation marring what was a unique and memorable display of democracy.

We've had only a handful of arrests of the usual headbangers, whereas English cities have suffered rioting and looting when considerably less was at stake.

At least our daughter-in-law Ashley delivered the perfect result for the Stirlings on Friday, presenting our Thomas with a beautiful son, Nathan Flynn Stirling, our first grandchild.

The superb care they all received at the Southern General Maternity merely confirmed that protecting our NHS from Tory cuts is a battle we must win.