WESTMINSTER is "an alien concept", one of the new breed of SNP MPs asserted matter-of-factly.

It should perhaps come as no surprise that some among the happy band of Nationalist parliamentarians believe they are now working in a foreign land.

It will certainly take time for the newcomers to get used to the strange practices as well as the byzantine surroundings of the Gothic palace by the Thames and Angus Robertson's tartan army got off to an interesting start.

Not surprisingly, certain elements of Her Majesty's Press sought to focus heavily, let's say, on what they regarded as the less positive aspects of the new influx: the selfies in the chamber; the commandeering of the re-dubbed, McRovers Return bar; the fight over seats in the Battle of Buttockburn and the unconventional applauding of their leader from the green benches.

The urbane Sir Gerald Kaufmann, Father of the House, even branded the Nationalists "goons" for their disrespectful attempts to oust Dennis Skinner and the Labour rebels from their usual place on the neighbouring Opposition front bench.

While the musical chairs episode was a playground spectacle, the SNP leadership had a point about the third party having the right to sit in a block. Now the octogenarian Beast of Bolsover has secured his spot, let's hope the row has been resolved and it is not where MPs sit but what they say that matters.

Indeed, the Speaker, having urged the Nationalist battalion to "show respect" for the arcane convention of not applauding, the next day praised it for its "spirit of solidarity" as virtually all 56 SNP MPs turned out for each of their colleagues' contributions in the chamber.

The five maiden speeches of new Scottish Members (and there are 45 more to come) gave hope that the new Nationalist intake will be a breath of fresh air to the chamber.

Brenda O'Hara, the party's new defence spokesman, spoke of a "spirit of mutual respect and co-operation", echoed by Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins. Ian Blackford from Skye and Tommy Sheppard from Edinburgh East empahsised how they wanted to be "constructive" voices at Westminster.

Mr Sheppard was keen to stress how some, no names mentioned, had wrongly likened the rise of the SNP to that of racist and xenophobic groups on the continent; Scottish nationalism, he insisted, was an "inclusive civic nationalism".

Joanna Cherry, the new home affairs spokeswoman, had earlier raised English eyebrows by insisting Scottish nationalism was outward-looking and, after eloquently speaking of her concerns about the Government's plan to scrap the Human Rights Act, even managed to quote Mary Queen of Scots, noting how the "theatre of the whole world is wider than the kingdom of England".

It was interesting to note how the most Tory of Tories, Jacob Rees-Mogg - who once stood as a candidate in Scotland and had an impressive total of nine per cent of the vote - was gushing in his praise for the white rose horde.

The pin-striped parliamentarian purred about the SNP MPs' good manners, their presence in great numbers and even noted how "they have come here more smartly dressed than the Conservatives". Now that really is a compliment. The (rhetorical) question is: will the love-in last?