Drumlanrig: Rising blood pressure for the First Minister

Published on 25/03/2012 00:00

ALEX Salmond was said to have suffered a Gordon Brown-esque fit of apoplectic fury last week after Labour ambushed him at First Minister’s Questions over the lack of blankets in hospitals.

Labour’s team are hoping to keep the FM’s blood temperature at boiling point. One aide notes: “The first question at FMQs next week will be, ‘To ask the First Minister when he next plans to meet his anger management therapist and what issues he plans to discuss?’ ”

Political complications straight out of left Field

Not that Lamont’s side isn’t also prone to the odd bout of rage. Frank Field, Labour MP for Birkenhead, writes in his latest Liverpool Echo column about the strange goings-on that accompanied his appearance on Question Time two weeks ago when it was filmed in St Andrews. The QT people asked Field to go along because of his campaign for an English parliament. “I wondered whether the powers that be in the Labour party would try and block my appearance. They did, or at least they tried,” writes Field. “The line was that I could not possibly understand complicated Scottish politics.”

A key masterstroke in Nats’ cyberwar

Further evidence of the slick organisation at the SNP. On Friday, Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson unveiled her campaign to keep the UK, to be known as “Friends of the Union”. Unfortunately, someone appears to have forgotten to get the internet domain name sorted. Not so at Nat towers. Key in www.friendsoftheunion.com now and you get directed straight to the SNP’s own website. The cyberwar begins.

The SNP MSP famed for his jet black barnet Chic “Elvis” Brodie made a bizarre attempt to storm the Scottish Tory conference. His attempt to get through security at Troon Concert Hall failed because he did not have a conference pass. Chic said that as constituency MSP he was entitled to attend. It was an interesting argument given that as a list MSP he doesn’t actually have a constituency. Elvis did not enter the building.

Brown memorial leads Tories up garden path

The presence of a Gordon Brown Memorial Garden opposite the Scottish Tory conference hall looked a trifle incongruous given the political leanings of those attending. That was until one remembered that the conference was being held in Troon, home of the late, lamented Scottish rugby player Gordon Brown.