First Minister’s Questions analysis: Odd debate reveals politics behind Murdoch row

A second week at First Minister’s Questions piecing over the bones of the Murdoch affair - a choice of subject matter which may not just have jarred with the public, but also party activists who are spending today preparing for tomorrow’s council elections.

The odd sight of opposition parties demanding a Scottish inquiry, with the SNP resisting it, hinted at the politics behind the row.

The three opposition parties are aiming to show Mr Salmond has something to hide. They have so far fallen short - but the First Minister’s insistence that he will tell the Leveson inquiry, not the parliament, as to whether his phone has been jacked looked strange.

It has prompted claims that the SNP is engaged in news management, hoping to ensure that, when he goes to Leveson, the focus is on his phone being hacked, not his relationship with Rupert Murdoch.

Mrs Lamont had some good lines, held her own, and gave as good as she got.

But with the First Minister swotting aside both Ms Davidson and Mr Rennie on the same issue, he came away with a win.