AS winter arrives, things have turned decidedly frosty in Edinburgh Western, where LibDem Holyrood candidate Alex Cole-Hamilton is making hay out of the SNP’s grief over Michelle Thomson.

After crowing on Twitter last week, his SNP rival for the seat Tony Giugliano immediately blocked him for his impertinence.

Satisfying in the short-term, perhaps, but not too bright strategically, as it usually helps to know what your enemies are doing.

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MILD-MANNERED shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn caused yet another headache for Jeremy Corbyn this week when he indicated he would back air-strikes against Isis in Syria despite opposition from his leader.

The Leeds Central MP, son of Tony, effectively challenged Mr Corbyn to sack him and other shadow cabinet rebels if they vote to support David Cameron on the issue.

His fellow Labour MPs have come up with a phrase to describe Mr Benn's newly-acquired membership of the awkward squad: "The nice man cometh..."

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AT the Westminster launch of BBC journalist Iain Watson's behind-the-scenes book on the Labour General Election campaign, Labour MP Gloria del Piero urged all those present to buy what she said was a thrilling read. "And a traumatic one," she added.

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A 'NEW' scheme was launched this week in East Dunbartonshire by public health minister Maureen Watt, encouraging drinkers to order wine in a smaller 125ml measure.

The initiative, which introduces a third size alongside the traditional small 175ml and large 250ml sizes, is designed to promote responsible alcohol consumption. Around 100 licensed premises in the area had signed up, we were told, when the item attracted prominent coverage on BBC news bulletins.

We can only assume an identical nationwide initiative - which was launched by Ms Watt's predecessor Michael Matheson in January 2014 - did not result in a clamour among wine lovers for their thimblefuls of claret. But top marks for recycling.

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JUST what term did Nicola Sturgeon use to insult Labour's Richard Simpson this week at First Minister's Questions? Most heard 'idiot', after her microphone was left on picking up her candid remarks, although well-placed sources insisted Ms Sturgeon had merely called the former hospital consultant "an ignorant oaf".

But which of the two terms in the running were more insulting? According to Herald readers, almost two-thirds would rather be called "an idiot" by the First Minister, with only 38 per cent favouring "ignorant oaf". Perhaps the spin doctors should have kept their mouths shut.

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ALEX Salmond’s decision to unveil a portrait of himself while his fellow MPs debated Syria on Thursday sent Nat spindoctors into overdrive.

As the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesman was accused of rampant vanity, his press office insisted he had been needed in Edinburgh to host a reception for veterans.

However the reception ended six hours after the Syria statement, giving Eck ample time to attend both events. Mind you, if he’d done that, he would have been unable to gaze again on his own gorgeousness.

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THE plot thickens in West Lothian, with the Labour-run local council in dispute with SNP ministers over a charity on its patch.

The Government commissioned an apparently damning report into governance issues at Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian, which is chaired by a prominent SNP councillor, but has so far refused to release it to local authority.

Unspun hears that the council was abruptly 'uninvited' from the charity's annual awards night on Wednesday just hours before it was due to begin - despite being the main sponsor of the event.

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JOHN McTernan, Jim Murphy's former chief of staff, is as popular as he ever was with Labour MSPs.

The spin doctor, whose presence was described as "beyond toxic" among Edinburgh parliamentarians, has carved out a new niche as a less-than-flattering Corbyn critic after getting his jotters from Holyrood.

"John McTernan will say anything in the media for money as he is virtually unemployable," blasted Neil Findlay, who Mr Murphy beat to the poisoned chalice of the Scottish Labour leadership in 2014. Ouch.