Holyrood Sketch: Winter is coming in. Throw another �Barnett direct-consequential� on the fire.

Winter is coming in. Throw another "Barnett direct-consequential" on the fire.

It might not do much for your heating bills, but it will keep Alex Salmond warm.

First, though, a heated exchange between the First Minister and Cathy Jamieson, Labour's leader of the week. Which is to say that Ms Jamieson was heated. Mr Salmond ranged between tepid and frosty.

Well, you would be too, wouldn't you, if one of your councillors had been photographed spending quality time in Pakistan firing off AK47s? If your prize Nationalist MP for Glasgow East had then described flabbergasted reactions to such recreations as "thinly disguised racism" you might be downright frigid.

None of this was First Ministerial business. Ms Jamieson knew it. The Presiding Officer knew it, and said as much twice.

Mr Salmond was only too glad to be reminded of the fact. But when did a nicety ever inhibit an opposition?

Two things were going on. First, Labour wanted to punish the SNP over the specific controversy of the councillor, the assault rifle, and a mere two-month party suspension. Ms Jamieson was not forensic, exactly, but the point was scored.

The second thread was woven deep. Nationalism of Mr Salmond's variety has fought hard against racism. Continually it faces the charge that to be a Nationalist is in some bizarre sense to be racist by definition.

Yet here we had John Mason, Nationalist MP, throwing the very charge around. Complicated.

Mr Salmond was blunt enough. "I believe that everyone in this country is a real Scot," he said. That should answer any charge. It does not, however, explain an AK47.

The First Minister turned with relief, it seemed, to Annabel Goldie and the Tories. As ever, she had her joke. Mr Salmond wondered if there would a Scottish Secretary for much longer, if London has its way. "After the next election there will be," said a Tory feasting on optimism.

Her main attack, as last week, was on taxation, that filthy vice. I summarise. So, then, wee First Minister mannie. You've got £281m to subsidise your daft local income tax. How far would it go to cutting the council variety?

Mr Salmond didn't have an answer to that; Ms Goldie did. He reminded us that he has frozen council tax and that this is, quaintly, "a considerably good start", or possibly an exceedingly good cake.

Not £150 a household though, is it, as Ms Goldie more or less responded.

Hers was the glory of hard, though disputable, figures.

What she meant was that a £281m subsidy every year would guarantee her tax cut every year, or at least until those scientists in Switzerland smash the laws of sums.

Personally, I await phase three of Ms Goldie's assault. I expect her to ask Mr Salmond what he proposes to do with that supposed £281m when his local income tax plan is ground into the parliamentary dust. We shall see.

For now, we had Tavish Scott, the latest face of Liberalism, on fuel poverty. Mr Salmond was more concerned with the sufferings of Scotland - "pro rata", you understand - at the hands of the power companies.

Perhaps he was hoping to generate more heat than light.

London having "acted" - if "wrap up warm" counts as a plan - Mr Scott wished to know if the Scottish government also has "a programme of action ready to go".

The very idea.

The First Minister would like some of those "Barnett-consequentials" (he meant money) first, the better to stoke his boiler.

He does have a plan.

Everyone has a plan. Gives you a warm glow just thinking about it.