Drumlanrig

Snippets from the past week in the political sphere...

Sorry, but we need to talk about Kevin

The day of Alex Salmond’s apology for misleading the Scottish Parliament by misquoting the distinguished academic Professor Matt Qvortrup was the most exciting at Holyrood for some time.

Hacks were beside themselves at the thought that the First Minister would actually be forced into saying sorry – not his favourite word. Salmond, as he should have, took full responsibility for his remarks. But some journalists couldn’t help but observe that the man who had concocted the offending quotes was Salmond’s chief spinner Kevin Pringle, the very person first to complain if he feels the SNP has been given a raw deal by quotations that, he thinks, have been taken out of context by the press.

Time and tide wait for no man, Murdo

Murdo Fraser’s supporters were heartened to see the Scottish Conservative leadership challenger getting a lot of coverage on the news bulletins following Alex Salmond’s apology. After all, it was the First Minister’s response to a Fraser question that resulted in parliament being misled.

Friends of Fraser acknowledged it was Salmond’s mistake rather than their man’s forensic questioning that resulted in the media interest.

Nevertheless they were grateful for the publicity. But with the announcement of the new leader expected on Friday and most of the Conservative members’ votes already cast, one Fraser supporter was heard to remark: “It’s just a shame this didn’t happen a couple of weeks ago.”

Forget pumpkins, ya tumpshie heids

Well done to Christine Grahame, that well-known aficionado of all things ghostly and ghoulish, who has put down a motion bemoaning the “Americanisation” of good old Scottish Hallowe’en customs. As the SNP MSP notes, “guising has become a commercialised trick or treat event with pumpkins”. She then goes on to urge the Scottish Government to take steps to bring back the “tumshie”.

Despite the invasion of pumpkins, Grahame quite rightly feels there is no need to explain to her fellow MSPs that a “tumshie” is a turnip.

Fighting fund talk hits wall of silence

On the subject of parliamentary motions there were a few eyebrows raised among the opposition parties by one tabled by James Dornan, the new SNP MSP for Glasgow Cathcart.

Dornan’s motion recognised the “magnificent contribution” to Scottish culture made by the late poet Edwin Morgan.

More controversially, the motion asked MSPs to sign up to Dornan’s belief that the “parliament” is “extremely grateful” for Morgan’s legacy of £900,000, which the SNP has promised to use as a referendum fighting fund. No surprise then that not a single MSP from the pro-Union parties has signed up.