Drumlanrig: Catholic distaste but is Aunty Stalinist?

Former SNP candidate and BBC producer David Kerr re-emerged last week in an interview on the Catholic EWTN channel.

Kerr, a devout Catholic, works for its Vaticano channel and spent part of the interview raising the issue of anti-Christian bias at Aunty.

The Beeb – widely praised for its coverage of the papal visit two years ago – simply doesn’t “understand” the religious mindset, averred Kerr, because it is full of “radically secular and socially liberal” people who think they’re neutral when they’re actually being anti-religious.

He then compared matters now to the Soviet Union when “opponents of the dominant ideology were either labelled mad or bad”. Cripes. Certainly, Pacific Quay doesn’t look like the kind of place where you’d find too many members of Opus Dei. But Stalinists?

Dressing down for nice chap Kevin

Kevin Pringle is leaving his post as Alex Salmond’s chief special adviser (Spad), to become the SNP’s “strategic communications” boss, a job which will allow him to become the second most powerful man in Edinburgh.

The task for the low-profile, genuinely nice chap will be to focus on the independence campaign and deliver the 2014 vote. His departure prompted a few yarns to emerge on Twitter, including this one from former SNP MSP Andrew Wilson.

“Recall the day Kev and I got into costume fancy dress at Eden Court conference and burst into HQ room just as bad story breaking.” We demand photographic evidence.

Heuchter Teuchters’ Holyrood hangout

Beating the referendum bill as the most exciting thing on the agenda when term begins at Holyrood tomorrow is the opening of a second bar in parliament. MSPs are in frantic discussions about what it should be called.

The existing bar in the Members’ Restaurant is known as the White Heather Club in homage to a dismissive reference made by Labour grandee Brian Wilson about Holyrood. In another nod to kitsch tartan TV, Margo MacDonald has suggested the new boozer be called Heuchter Teuchters, a couthy phrase often heard on STV’s late lamented Thingummyjig programme.

Readers of a certain age will remember host Jack McLaughlin (aka, the Laird O’ Coocaddens) urging country dancers to “grab a granny” and “waggle their wallies”. Margo is hoping McLaughlin can be persuaded to open the new bar. “Right Chinas! Greetings to our heuchter teuchter friends of single ends and but ’n’ bens, welcome to our sunny dunny and a new edition of Thingummyjig.”