Sketch: Same old Salmond bite behind mask of calm

A NEW Alex Salmond appeared in front of the Dispatch Box yesterday. Gone was the barnstorming rhetoric, aggressive gesticulation and ranting high-octane delivery.

Instead, we were treated to a softly-spoken First Minister, exuding an air of reasonableness across the chamber.

Perhaps he was trying to impress a watching Ed Balls - aye, that'll be right.

Of course, it was just a mask and behind the still, small voice of calm there was bite.

Faced with an Iain Gray's assault on the SNP's NHS record, Salmond rallied with a blizzard of statistics to back up his argument that his government was looking after the sick.

As Gray attempted to put the boot in, the First Minister even chided the Labour leader for being "Mr Angry". Quite a display of chutzpah from a politician whose own parliamentary performances can be like a bellowing bull pawing the ground in readiness for the charge.

Gray, Salmond said, would be better advised by "putting forward reasoned arguments backed up by statistics".

Then it was Annabel Goldie's turn to produce some health statistics. Her contribution provoked an unusually taciturn response from Salmond that was notable only for its lack of reasoned arguments backed up by statistics.