DRUMLANRIG

SURELY only the hardest of hearts could have failed to be moved by the emergence of pro-independence Yes Scotland’s latest campaign group, Florists for Yes (no laughing at the back).

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Picture: PA

While the referendum debate was dominated by Chancellor George Osborne’s decision to rule out a currency union, the Yes campaign marked Valentine’s Day with the exciting announcement of the organisation’s formation.

So far there are two members, including Nicola Sinclair, who hopes Florists for Yes can help the campaign “continue to blossom”.

Exciting stuff, to be sure, though perhaps Deputy Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw MSP – no shrinking violet himself – wasn’t entirely serious when he said: “With the launch of this group of florists, it’s clear that Yes Scotland is firing all its biggest guns.”

Soor plooms will never keep Scots children sweet

LABOUR’S shadow education secretary Kezia Dugdale spent much of the past week of Holyrood recess in Finland, where she hoped to learn lessons that might be applied to Scotland’s schools.

As well as sundry meetings with politicians and educationalists and (if her Twitter feed was anything to go by) the consumption of so much coffee that she might not sleep until 2015, Dugdale caught up with Finnish teenagers.

On the day of their meeting, these pupils were celebrating the end of exams by throwing sweets on to the streets.

That’s one tradition that’ll never catch on, here. Scottish kids throwing sweeties away? The very idea.

Star turn Sturgeon puts everybody in the picture

DEPUTY First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was love-bombing the UK capital, this week, delivering a speech at University College London in which she spoke of her affection for the city.

Sturgeon’s address to students, academics and politics nerds was judged a success by those in attendance and many insisted she stay afterwards to discuss things further.

But while some were keen to get down to details, others were more interested in having their photos taken with her.

So Sturgeon’s departure was further delayed as she patiently posed for what young people call “selfies” beside star-struck fan after star-struck fan.

Currency confidence faces the university challenge

WHILE Alex Salmond was insistent this week that George Osborne’s rejection of currency union was a bluff, not all of his SNP colleagues are so sure.

The First Minister repeatedly claimed that once a Yes vote had been comfortably secured, the Westminster government would capitulate and negotiate his preferred (and, seemingly, only) option of sharing sterling.

But as one elected nationalist pointed out, such a deal would have implications for MPs south of the Border.

“Do we really expect English voters to accept that we’ll charge their kids to come to a Scottish university while expecting their taxes to bail out our banks in the event of another crisis?” he asked.

Not an unreasonable question.