[Abernathy]

I’m thinking there must be a good deal more yet to come out about Peter Murrell. It surely can’t be a mere coincidence that his missus has also just quit as the party’s leader.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I’m thinking there must be a good deal more yet to come out about Peter Murrell. It surely can’t be a mere coincidence that his missus has also just quit as the party’s leader.

The lack of a transition might suggest that. Then again, independence is stuck in polls and in political process, so Sturgeon might have just had enough, like Harold Wilson. I suppose that It's not surprising Murrell might follow.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The arithmetic in this sounds sub-optimal. What sort of national energy company does £31m buy you? Bournemouth spent £45m in January on two players, so I'm guessing not very much of one.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Kate Forbes running on "smaller, more focused government". Her "socially conservative" views aren't the half of it.

[Bones McCoy]

Forbes will extend the party's appeal to a demoographic who'll never vote for them.

[Tubby Isaacs]

In fairness to her, I suppose nobody at this time is going to be telling the public they're going to shell out for a load of extra tax. Sir Keir certainly isn't. But Forbes has gone a fair bit further. There's certainly a place for a tough talking finance minister who can keep markets relatively happy, but this doesn't seem like obvious SNP leadership stuff.

[Abernathy]

I saw Forbes being interviewed by Kuenssberg, and to be fair, she seemed articulate, intelligent, and capable. Just a shame she kicked off her campaign with an admission of being, in essence, a homophobic bigot(albeit camouflaged as deeply held religious credo). She spun that as just being up front and honest, but I just cannot see how she can overcome that in a progressive 21st century Scotland.

[Tubby Isaacs]

About all she could do was make a virtue of "I'm honest, I support some nasty shit because church". I think it would be quite a hinderance to leading the UK Tories, let alone the SNP. I would think Yousaf will win and keep her as finance minister. She may not approve of sex before marriage, but she's provided good support to single parents, which is exactly what the SNP should have been doing for 5 years with the powers it got on benefits from the "betrayed vow".

[Youngian]

Humza’s been blue sky thinking with his spads

[Yug]

Free football club membership. Even for those who don't want it.

Why do some people think everyone on the planet is interested in football? When we were kids me and several of my friends were much more interested in running and riding our bikes than kicking a ball around, so would have told him where to go on that one. And, believe it or not, there are still people out there, some of them children, who aren't interested in football.

[Bones McCoy]

Free football club membership. Even for those who don't want it.

Why do some people think everyone on the planet is interested in football? When we were kids me and several of my friends were much more interested in running and riding our bikes than kicking a ball around, so would have told him where to go on that one. And, believe it or not, there are still people out there, some of them children, who aren't interested in football.

In Glasgow "Throw the weans a ba'" has traditionally served for a lack of structured youth policy.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Humza’s been blue sky thinking with his spads

I don't think this is too bad actually. Scotland isn't short of fat kids and there are community benefits to this.

Doubtless lots of good work happens anyway, but Government can promote and fund more of it. It has to be a bit careful it doesn't overdo the political photo ops though. Unlike David Cameron's Big Society,

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ash is right, I think, that iScotland would not any time soon be able to turn down oil revenues. So I give her some rare credit for her position. But this sounds suspiciously like greenwashing.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Spectacularly insane stuff.

[kreuzberger]

A brown chap from the Southside of Glasgow as Scotland's FM gives me all manner of positive shivvers.

Time was when offspring qualifying as "only" as an optometrist or a vet brought shame upon Pollokshields Muslim families. Humza Yousaf has just ratcheted that up a notch or three.

[Oboogie]

Humza Yousaf is the first Muslim leader of a European country (possibly of a Western country?) that's an achievement he has every reason to be proud of.
Also, I'm struck by the fact we have a Hindu PM, a Muslim Mayor of London and now a Muslim Scottish FM. Anyone predicting that, as little as ten years ago, would have been laughed at.

[Watchman]

But it will reawaken the “Enoch was right” brigade

[Bones McCoy]

But it will reawaken the “Enoch was right” brigade

Far more of those in Scotland than the SNP is happy to admit.
But nothing close to a majority.

Bring'em on, let 'em vent, watch the tories pander to their "legitimate concerns".

[Bones McCoy]

[Abernathy]

I note that Forbes has today spat the dummy and walked out because Yousaf wanted to her to take the job of Rural Affairs.