Fear of - and hostility towards - the SNP are the main responses from politicians in north-east England to the likely redrawing of the political map of Scotland.

In a recent interview in the Newcastle Journal, Nick Brown MP (and a former Labour Minister for the North East) left readers in no doubt where he stood on the SNP: "They don't care about people here. I hate nationalism and nationalist politics."

Such barely concealed loathing of Scottish nationalism in the north east of England is nothing new. As far back as 1978, Northern Labour MP's help scupper the devolution referendum by supporting an amendment that at least 40 per cent had to vote Yes. Similarly, in the run-up to last year's independence referendum, the Scottish Government's overtures to their "close cousins" across the Border fell on deaf ears as the majority of north-east MPs were genuinely fearful that that their region's economic recovery would stall if Scotland had greater fiscal and economic powers.

Developments since the referendum have done little to ease fears in the north east. The implications of the Smith Commission's proposals for more Scottish devolution (particularly how reductions in Air Passenger Duty north of the Border would affect Newcastle airport) went down like a lead balloon; as did Nicola Sturgeon's recent rallying call that the north east should not be scared of the SNP as a more powerful SNP group at Westminster would back north-east plans for greater investment in road and rail infrastructure (including investing in high-speed rail between Glasgow, Edinburgh and the North of England).

There's also undoubted anger that the Conservatives have been able to use such overtures to raise the spectre of the SNP propping up an Ed Miliband-led Labour Government as leading, amongst other things, to the decommissioning of Britain's nuclear deterrent and the granting of another independence referendum in the near future.

Above all, there is a genuine fear of what a wipe-out of Labour north of the Border might mean for traditional allegiances in Labour's other remaining heartland, the north east of England. A major concern is that the move away from Labour (particularly in the older industrial areas of the West of Scotland) is less about pro-independence sentiments and more a rejection of the "austerity" agenda and an acceptance that Labour no longer provide a clear vision of the more equal society that Scots wish to live in.

But there are less hostile and more practical responses to political developments north of the Border. For council leaders such as Newcastle City's Nick Forbes, the granting of more powers to Scotland highlights the urgency of devolving real powers to local authorities in England and can be used as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with the UK Government. In this context, a more powerful SNP group in Westminster could aid the north east by pushing the issue of English devolution further up the political agenda of any new UK government.

Some also see opportunities to utilise the Anglo-Scottish Border more as a bridge rather than as a barrier. Finding common causes and collaborative opportunities has been the impetus behind the Borderlands Initiative, where council leaders in the five local authorities adjacent to the Border, an area of 10 per cent of the UK and more than one million people, are working to create a partnership to ensure greater cross-Border economic collaboration and a more effective case for "DevoBorders".

While the outcome of today's vote remains uncertain, the SNP will have a large number of new MPs and be in a powerful bargaining position. At the national level, the Labour Party have ruled out any formal collaboration with the SNP (although an informal, vote-by-vote approach could still be worked out). But, as a Labour-dominated area, where hostility to nationalism and nationalists is strong, would even this be a bridge too far for some north-east politicians?

Finally, is there a danger that their politicians' hostile response to the SNP will heighten the resentment of north easterners against the Scots and undermine the common bonds and shared traditions that unite us? This is of great concern to those in the region who feel that the north east has spent generations looking "south" for support and encouragement, and that it's now time to look "north".

Keith Shaw is Professor of Politics at the University of Northumbria.