Drumlanrig: Jean Urquhart | Ruth Wishart

The pair recently hooked up to go on holiday around the west coast of Scotland. Witnesses confirm that, for the entire duration, the ladies wore t-shirts emblazoned with the word “YES” on them, all the better to promote the cause of independence. This was certainly a noble effort by the two ladies, but whether this catches on among other indy supporters is a moot point. After all, such a t-shirt worn in certain bars and pubs around the country may elicit the question: “Yes – to what?”

Millionaire PM with tight wad alter ego

THE self-abasement of the political classes goes on. David Cameron has begun his annual summer holiday in the Algarve with the now customary attempt to demonstrate solidarity with Mr and Mrs Average. Not for him a private jet and a junket at some Italian prince’s gaff in Tuscany. First Dave put his family through the misery of a July EasyJet flight to Faro. Then he allowed himself to be pictured in a fish market wearing an off-the-shelf £20 shirt from Uniqlo and bargain shoes from Aldo. It’s hard to imagine Boris going to such effort …

Jokes invariably go from bad to Norse

ALEX Salmond’s search for a new gag writer goes on. In Shetland, he was reduced to borrowing a joke from an old friend of his – the late Roy Gronneberg, a Nordic scholar and a founder member of the Shetland branch of the SNP.

Addressing Shetlanders, Salmond remembered that Gronneberg had designed the Shetland Flag (based on the Scottish Saltire but in the shape of a Nordic cross) for the 500th anniversary of the islands severing their ties with Norway and switching its allegiance to Scotland.

Salmond recalled that Gronneberg described this occasion as the “500th anniversary of Scotland becoming part of Shetland”.

So, what’s shakin’ at Holyrood these days?

EVERYONE knows that the utterings of politicians should be taken with a pinch of salt. That is going to become a wee bit harder for those dining with MSPs in the parliamentary canteen where from September salt cellars are no longer going to be present on tables.

This cull of the condiments is being undertaken as a part of a health drive.

Drumlanrig: Jean Urquhart | Ruth Wishart | Cameron