Capital offence

IT'S been a fractious 2012 at Holyrood, with particularly ill-tempered clashes between the SNP and Labour. Unspun was hoping for a game of football at the trenches, or something like that, over the festive period. No such luck. "EMBARRASSMENT AS LABOUR WIPE OUT ENTIRE EDUCATION POLICY", (its capital letters) thundered an SNP press release issued at 9.37am on Christmas Day.

All in it together

LIKE most legislation, the Scottish Government's proposed new law allowing gay couples to marry is technical and complex.

But surely not so complex it required the following clarification, offered by Health Secretary Alex Neil in answer to a parliamentary question from Greens leader Patrick Harvie: "Marriage will continue to be open to opposite sex couples."

If you wondered why, Mr Neil added: "This is in line with Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights which provides that 'men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family, according to the national laws governing the exercise of this right'."

Hogmanay forever

ANOTHER unnecessary clarification, you might think, comes from the SNP's Bruce Crawford. "Hogmanay will continue under independence," he says reassuringly. Don't believe those nasty scare stories about leaving the UK is really what he's getting at, of course.

Another 'frist'

EDUCATION Secretary Michael Russell faces fresh embarrassment over his spelling.

In a letter of apology for misleading Parliament a few weeks ago he referred to the "Frist Minister".

Now he's blundered in a press comment on why the Scottish Government is following Westminster's lead and making teachers pay more into their pension schemes.

According to the offending release he said: "We believe the pension reform should be taken forward in partnership with pubic sector workers and not imposed by the Treasury."

Logo ticks the box

THE new Scottish Conservative emblem – you know, the one that looks like the X Factor logo – has been declared a success by the party hierarchy. Well, not a disaster at least. "There have not been members of the public complaining about it so far," says a source, "unlike the last time – with the tree."

It all adds up now

EVER wondered how many Scottish Parliament tartan pens were flogged in the Holyrood gift shop in 2012? Neither had we. Hats off, anyway, to the parliament's diligent press officers for counting all 2400 of them.

And the 5000 postcards, 1000 guidebooks and 1000 bars of tablet purchased by 345,021 visitors.