Drumlanrig: Tricia’s Haig | Fife wifey | Pat’s picket

Prime Minister David Cameron meets with Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick at the Scottish Parliament. Picture: SWNS

Tricia breaks out the Haig, with Beckham offside

Tricia Marwick was more loquacious when it came to the lashings of whisky which had been produced courtesy of Diageo.

David Beckham’s Club Haig Whisky was dished out to the gathering of thirsty journalists, MSPs and spinners. Marwick refused to recognise the Beckham connection and insisted on referring to the drink as Club Haig, which, she pointed out, was distilled in her constituency in Markinch.

It should come as no surprise that Marwick was not in the least bit star-struck by the thought of David Beckham. She knows all about Beckhamesque footballing legends. Her brother-in-law is Rab Morris, a stalwart of the great Forfar Athletic side of the 1980s.

Classy Fife wifey refuses to spill beans on Cameron

A social highlight of the week was the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists Association Burns Night drinks reception at Holyrood.

The presiding officer Tricia Marwick was in sparkling form at the event held in the “White Heather Club” – aka the MSPs’ restaurant.

Having hot-footed it from hosting a private meeting with David Cameron at Holyrood, Marwick knew the hacks would be desperate to know what they had talked about.

Marwick (right), the MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, was to disappoint them, however. She explained that as a “Fife wifey”, she was “too classy” to reveal the contents of a confidential conversation.

It’s OK, Patrick, the picket ends before the bar opens

THE Green MSP Patrick Harvie is known as a deeply principled politician. Hence it came as little surprise to see a Harvie press release announcing that the Greens would be showing support for last week’s PCS trade union strike.

Green MSPs would not be crossing the picket line formed outside the Scottish Parliament building last week, it said.

The press release took care to mention that the PCS members would be on strike “during the working day”. That enabled Harvie to enter Holyrood after the picket had gone at 5pm – just in time for the real ale reception in the Garden Lobby that evening.

Sir Jamie rues failure of his repopulation strategy

SIR Jamie McGrigor, that dashing Old Etonian son of Argyll, led a debate in parliament last week on a subject close to his heart.

Sir Jamie is most concerned about the declining population in Argyll and Bute.

Leading a debate for the Tories, Sir Jamie (left) was quick to point out that he had done his best to reverse this worrying trend.

“I have had six children in Argyll and Bute,” he said, before adding somewhat ruefully: “It is one thing to have them, but it is quite another to keep them there.”