Sketch: Honesty prevails in Holyrood… but sometimes the truth hurts

IT WAS MSPs’ first chance to see Labour leader Johann Lamont after her “Truth” speech of earlier in the week.

“What I will say will not always please you, but what I say will always be honest and true and how I genuinely see it,” she told parliament. Naturally, a large part of parliament decided she was completely mad.

They included Nicola Sturgeon, standing in for the Ryder Cup-watching Alex Salmond, who was clearly relishing the opportunity to dole out a few of her boss’s trademark sarcastic cuffs to the head against Pollok’s finest. Soon she was “gently reminding” (copywrite: A Salmond) Ms Lamont about the way of things. This included the fact that the SNP had walloped Labour off the park last year by promising to protect the very freebies that the Labour leader now thinks should be reviewed. It then got personal.

The Sturgeon household was raking in more than 200k, noted Ms Lamont – shouldn’t she pay for her own prescriptions? Ms Sturgeon hit back, noting that after Ms Lamont’s speech on Tuesday, Tory MSP Murdo Fraser had tweeted: “Good to see Johann Lamont warming to Tory policies”. “Poster girl for the Tories!” declared Ms Sturgeon.

And then, the biggest insult of all; Ms Lamont was a “new Blair!” Ms Lamont shook her head regretfully. Labour MSPs shuddered at the prospect. Not three straight election victories and an entire generation in power? It was worse than they thought. This one will run.