Drumlanrig: Scottish Greens | Alex Salmond

WORD from the Good Ship Yes is that the Scottish Greens have been made aware that the bridge is now being commanded fully by the SNP, and that if they want to help out, they should go and scrub the deck or whatever.
Alex Salmond. Picture: Jane BarlowAlex Salmond. Picture: Jane Barlow
Alex Salmond. Picture: Jane Barlow

This comes with the pro-independence camp keen to provide clear, retail-friendly reasons to vote Yes that don’t involve getting rid of the Queen, or floating a groat. The Greens have now said they intend to set up their own organisation campaigning for independence where they will be free to say what they like. Let a thousand flowers bloom and all that.

No dreaming as Taylor finds time for song

FOR those hardy enough to still be up, it will live long in the memory. Thursday night’s victory for Labour in the Dunfermline by-election will go down in folklore as the occasion when BBC Scotland’s political editor Brian Taylor (above) burst into song. Goaded by presenter Glenn Campbell, he warbled his way through The Road And The Miles To Dundee. To those bleary-eyed viewers who were still up at the time, no you weren’t dreaming. It really did happen.

Editions slipped as Salmond shows up

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Alex Salmond’s last ditch appearance on Dunfermline doorsteps to drag out SNP support minutes before the polls closed caused panic among hacks. News of Salmond’s appearance filtered through as they grabbed some food after filing copy for their first editions based on their prediction that Labour was heading for a comfortable victory. Salmond’s presence, they concluded, meant the SNP must be in with a chance. Stories were changed to reflect a “knife edge” by-election for second edition. When the ballot boxes were opened, Labour was clearly in front, so their original stories were dug out for the later editions.

Rising through the Holyrood ranks

Cara Hilton’s Dunfermline victory has meant rearranging the offices in the Scottish Parliament so that she can work next to her Labour colleagues. Margo Macdonald was banished to the upper floors and word that she was furious to be given the boot from her mobility scooter friendly office soon fizzed around Holyrood. A quick phone call to the doyenne of Scottish politics revealed this was far from the case. “Ach, the new office is only a couple of handsprings up the stairs,” said the former PE teacher. What’s more, she felt sorry for Hilton (above) who will have to endure a “hellhole” of an office, which has a window looking out on to a brick wall four feet away.