Shovelling egg
LORD Advocate Frank Mulholland was using diplomatic language when he turned on Business Secretary Vince Cable for communicating with his Liberal Democrat colleague, Advocate General Lord Wallace, about the prospects for prosecution of senior RBS figures. "The Advocate General has no role in the investigation or prosecution of crime in Scotland," he sniffed. His deputy, Solicitor General Lesley Thomson, was less circumspect, saying: "I hope Vince has a very large shovel to get all that egg off his face."
Das Tweet
ANGUS Robertson, Generalfeldmarschall of the SNP's Westminster Korps, has been getting his lederhosen in a twist regarding the triumph of Bayern Munich over the once mighty Barcelona, tweeting away in German. "Jetzt gleich im @ZDF: das Halbfinal-Rückspiel zwischen dem @FCBarcelona und dem @FCBayern live! #fussball," he told his followers. Which sounds much more dramatic than: "That's the match started on the telly."
Taxing problem
IT'S not just the big protests in Scotland. Some in the Coalition are now fearing the impact of the bedroom tax in their southern heartlands. One insider says he was relaxed until concerns poured out on the doorstep – from a woman who not only owned her own house but was also a pensioner. "When those who are exempt in two different ways think they might be affected, we have got a problem" he said.
Dear Stewart
YES Scotland communications boss Susan Stewart was doubly surprised to receive an invitation to a "special networking reception" this month with the Liberal Democrats ahead of their federal conference in Glasgow in September. For one thing, it began "Dear Stewart," and for another they clearly had no idea she is batting for the other side. She responded: "Delighted to accept the invitation, although somewhat surprised to receive it."
Girly option
THE Public Health Minister at Westminster, Anna Soubry, has bemoaned to Total Politics magazine that she fears she was allocated her portfolio on gender grounds. "Maybe I can make people realise that this is not a soft bloody girly option – it is a big serious job. I did sit there in the Cabinet room and think, 'Boss, you do know what you've just done? You've given public health to the girl again – except I'm not a girl, I'm a tough old bird'."
She was wearing a very fetching pink outfit on election night in 2010. Also, does her Holyrood counterpart Michael Matheson lie awake at night worrying he's in a girly job?
Inside track
AN INTERESTING take on Plebgate from cycling website Bikeradar, which by no means all of our political team follow. The site reports: "The rusty-chained, budget hybrid bike at the centre of a political controversy in which Andrew Mitchell, Tory MP, allegedly called police officers plebs has been put on eBay for a charity auction. The Reflex hybrid comes complete with sturdy pannier racks, a rear mudguard and wicker basket. Proceeds from the auction will be going to Nyumbani-UK, a charity providing care and support for children affected by HIV and Aids in Kenya." The bike eventually raised more than £10,000.
Unspun can be contacted at
unspun@theherald.co.uk or
twitter: @Unspunherald
Lowering the tone
Guests at the Friends of the Beatson annual sporting dinner at the Glasgow Hilton on Thursday were jokingly warned they faced £50 fines if mobiles went off during the speeches. Former Scotland rugby captain Andy Nicol was winding up when off went a ring tone – belonging to red-faced Lord Provost of Glasgow Councillor Sadie Docherty (dubbed "the madam here with the bling" by fellow guest Frank Bruno). Nicol quipped: "I can see her next expenses claim: £50, filed under miscellaneous."
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