Drumlanrig: Would you offer a job to a used politician?

It's tough out there. One former Lib Dem MSP who got bumped out of parliament thanks to the SNP landslide in May was back at Holyrood last week.

The MSP had recently gone for a vacancy, only to discover that five other victims of the great Holyrood purge of 2011 were also on the shortlist. We are sad to report that none of them ended up getting the job.

SOUTER FACES ONLINE BATTLE TO 'KEEP THE K'

For political anoraks with a taste for nostalgia, it is interesting to see that the Section 28 furore has been resurrected in an online petition objecting to Brian Soutar's knighthood.

The SNP donor and Stagecoach boss (below), you may remember, funded the "Keep the Clause" campaign to keep Section 28, which banned schools from teaching children about homosexuality. Nearly 6,000 people have signed the petition calling for Sir Brian's knighthood to be withdrawn. Signatories include Green MSP Patrick Harvie and Olympic Gold medallist Matthew Mitcham. Perhaps Sir Brian should launch a rival "Keep the K" campaign.

FIRMS BITE OFF MORE THAN THEY CAN CHEW

The world of public relations, however, keeps on charging ahead. Public Affairs agency Weber Shandwick plans to hold a business breakfast next month on what the new Scottish Parliament means for your business. The breakfast goes on from 9am to 6pm, according to the agency's press notice. Crikey - even for free-loading conference junkies, bacon and eggs at tea-time is a bit much.

BIAGIA RAISES TOAST TO REAL ALE CAMPAIGN

Raise a glass to Marco Biagi, the new SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central, who appears to have a less po-faced attitude towards the demon drink than some of his Calvinistic colleagues.

Biagi has put down a parliamentary motion congratulating the Campaign for Real Ale on its 40th anniversary and commending this weekend's Scottish Real Ale Festival in Edinburgh.

According to Biagi, below, the festival has an "impressive range of Scotland's ales and ciders" and looks forward to Camra's continued success in promoting "greater appreciation of traditional, beers, ciders and perries". Given the SNP's support for minimum alcohol pricing, Biagi took care, however, to note the festival's "responsible prices".