Is Jim McGovern toast?

While Iain Macwhirter's critique of Professor Tom Gallagher's 'blood and soil' thesis on Scottish nationalism is rebutted with a letter from the latter in this morning's Herald, it seems unlikely that the opposing concept of 'civic nationalism' holds much sway with Labour's Dundee West MP Jim McGovern.

Responding to last week's controversial appearance by British National Party leader Nick Griffin on the BBC's Question Time, the Courier reports that Mr McGovern has played down the possibility of a rise in BNP support in Dundee. He's quoted as saying:

I don't think there is a great deal of appetite for nationalism - either Scottish or British - in Dundee.

I'm always minded of a quote from Charles de Gaulle. He said, "Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first."

Leaving aside the alluded conflation of BNP and SNP nationalism, Mr McGovern seems to have forgotten that Dundee's recent appetite for the latter has seen Stewart Hosie take the Dundee East Westminster seat from Labour in 2005, the election of SNP MSPs in both the city's constituencies in the 2007 Holyrood elections and the advent of an SNP-controlled city council administration earlier this year. So much for a lack of appetite.

Indeed, presumably Mr McGovern is a little worried that this hunger for Scottish Nationalism will result in him losing his seat in the forthcoming Westminster contest - the blogosphere's resident psephologists certainly seem to rate the SNP's chances in Dundee West highly.

And on the subject of appetites, Mr McGovern has come in for some stick locally over his expenses claim at Westminster, having disputed auditor Sir Thomas Legg's order to repay £5,224, but with eyebrows particularly raised over the MP's claim for the purchase of a £106 toaster. A correspondent to the Evening Telegraph asks:

But how would one grace such toast? Butter made from unicorn milk? Scrambled dodo eggs? Or maybe just humble old caviar.

Clearly Jim McGovern doesn't make it into the uber-trougher league, but could his breakfast time culinary excess mean the difference between holding Dundee West and ending up toast?