Drumlanrig: Chips no longer down (or out) for Sturgeon

Published on 21/10/2012 00:00

NICOLA Sturgeon was in good form at the SNP conference media reception, telling the assembled hacks that she was glad she was no longer health secretary.

“I can now eat pie and chips and have the odd glass of red wine,” she announced. Her successor Alex Neil, she felt, had a bit of work to do now that he was the one who had to set a good example.

His exercise programme, for example, was not going brilliantly. “His personal best for the 100 metres is five and a half metres,” Sturgeon quipped.

Ssh, mum’s the word for David Mundell

Sturgeon was also revealing about the intense negotiations that led to the Edinburgh Agreement being signed by Alex Salmond and David Cameron last week.

As one of the key negotiators, she first dealt with Scotland Office minister David Mundell (right) before moving on to the Scottish Secretary Michael Moore. She would not say who was easier to deal with, but at least Moore’s mother did not follow Mundell’s mater’s example and ring him up during the talks to ask him “how he was getting on”.

A most agreeable day (disagreements aside)

Talking of the Edinburgh Agreement, sources tell us that the BBC despatched 59 – yes that’s 59 – staffers to the big event: journalists, producers, technicians, camera operators etc. But at least it wasn’t a BBC journalist who found himself involved in an unseemly row with the police when he thought he wasn’t going to get into the big event.

Thankfully, a kind-hearted journalist took pity on the reporter in question and helped him gain entry despite his late arrival.

Three-tongued welcome by illustrious leader

In the SNP conference programme, Alex Salmond shows that he is a master of three languages – English, Gaelic and Scots. His mastery of the Mither Tongue is revealed in his written welcome, which says: “It’s bin a braw year for the pairtie, forbye. For the first time in oor history as a pairtie, we wun the cooncil elections baith I votes and saets, biggin on the fordel we made at the Holyrood elections an gie-in-mair strenth til oor poseition as the national partie o Scotland.” Och, aye the noo.