Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere. 

Today

  • Festivals director hits at ‘poisonous’ rhetoric of Brexit talks
  • Managers accused of passing buck on debt
  • Councils say Holyrood keeping them in dark over Brexit
  • Transport minister issues contract warning after rail chaos

06.00 BBC Today headlines

Judge rules that wish of child dying of cancer to have body frozen should be respected … Survivors’ association withdraws support for independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in England … Trump holds informal talks with Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe … Lithuania warns Russia may test US before Trump takes power … MPs urge scrapping of air passenger duty … 100th anniversary of the final day of the battle of the Somme. 

07.00 BBC Good Morning Scotland headlines

Transport minister visits stations after rail chaos ... Government inequality adviser says answer to inequality is 'taxing the rich' ... Japan's PM Abe says he can build relationship of trust with Trump ... Section of M74 between junctions 4 and 5 to be closed from midnight till Monday 6am for works. 

Front pages

The Herald:

Exclusive: In The Herald, arts correspondent Phil Miller talks to Fergus Linehan, the director of the Edinburgh International Festival, about the impact of Brexit talks on the world’s biggest arts festival. 

Exclusive: The National reports on a new method of calculating the finances of an independent Scotland which suggests the country could start with deficit on par with rUK. 

“SNP expenses gravy train” is the headline in the Mail, which says Alex Salmond has spent £48,471 on travel since May 2015, reports the paper - more than any other MP.

The Herald: The Evening Times reports that Glasgow is to double its spending on pothole repair. 

Leonardo DiCaprio’s visit to an Edinburgh restaurant helping the homeless features in the Sun, Record, Mail and Express. See Afore Ye Go. 

A dying child’s wish to have her body frozen is the lead story in the Times and Telegraph. The 14-year-old, who had cancer, wanted her body stored cryogenically in the US until a cure could be found. 

“Berlin dashes Downing Street hopes of easy path to Brexit” is the splash in the FT following its interview with German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble. See FFS, below. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Camley finds there is no masking the fear over Brexit’s impact on the Scottish arts scene. 

FFS: Five in five seconds

What’s the story? Theresa May is in Berlin today for a Quint meeting. 

Quint? A Nato grouping of the big four European powers, plus the US. Also in attendance will be US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande and Italy's Matteo Renzi. 

On the agenda? A certain new US president; maintaining sanctions against Russia over Ukraine; Syria; Isis; and Brexit.

Brexit? Having read today’s FT, Theresa May will no doubt take the chance of a chat with Mrs Merkel. In the paper, Germany’s finance minister, Wolfgang Schauble, below, warns the UK could still be paying into the EU till 2030. “Until the UK's exit is complete,” he says, “Britain will certainly have to fulfil its commitments. Possibly there will be some commitments that last beyond the exit ... even, in part, to 2030.” Mr Schauble also said there was no compromise to be had on freedom of movement, insisting “there is no a la carte menu”, and the UK would have to stick to existing international rules on offering incentives to bring business to the UK. 

The Herald:

A tense meeting then? Hardly. More sorrow than anger, since this is likely to be Obama’s last get-together with US leaders while he is still president. 

Picture: Adam Berry/Getty Images

Afore Ye Go

The Herald:

"This is complete nonsense.”

A spokeswoman for Tony Blair responds to suggestions that the former PM could be being lined up as an adviser to Donald Trump. The story started when Mr Blair was spotted in a New York restaurant with the Republican president-elect's influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, tipped as a possible White House chief of staff. PA. Adam Bettcher/Getty Images for Starkey Hearing Foundation

The Herald:

"I didn't vote. I abstained."

Rise's Cat Boyd, appearing on BBC Question Time from Stirling last night, is asked by David Dimbleby how she voted in the EU referendum. Some members of the audience jeered, and one said: "We’re sitting here listening to your opinion, you didn’t have an opinion, you didn’t give it at the referendum.” There was also criticism on Twitter, below. 

The Herald:

"I am sorry for the disruption that was caused this morning and also sorry for this disruption that any passenger faces on any day of the week.”

Nicola Sturgeon, in response to a question from Labour’s Kezia Dugdale,  apologises for ScotRail’s performance after a train breakdown in Edinburgh caused travel chaos. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Ross McCafferty feels commuters' pain. 

History does not yet relate whether the bunny that met the MSP for Orkney was named Harvey.

The Herald:

“[She is someone] who is willing to fight for her values. The Germans should appreciate her”.

President Obama praises German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to Berlin. AP Photo/Michael Sohn.

From author and chronicler of the Roman Empire, Robert Harris.

The Herald:

“Hillary Clinton has not been tried, but there are those who want to drag her for the next three years. It will not stop until they find a reason to put her in jail. That would be a travesty.”

The Rev Jesse Jackson calls on President Obama to grant a blanket pardon to Hillary Clinton. Even though the Democrat candidate has not been charged with anything, a favourite chant at Trump rallies was “lock her up”. USA Today. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Deloitte was home to the consultant whose memo on preparations for Brexit, or the lack of them, led to embarrassment for the UK government this week. From the FT's Jim Pickard. 

The Herald:

"Three men in a boat, without the oars.”

Shadow Commons leader Valerie Vaz’s description of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexiteer MP Jacob Rees-Mogg and Brexit Secretary David Davis. Above, Rees-Mogg at a Bagpuss pop-up shop in London.  Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

The Herald:

“A spectacular piece of cad-on-cad behaviour.”

Paula Lester of Country Life Magazine on Michael Gove’s decision to stand against Boris Johnson for the Tory leadership. The magazine has published a guide to the modern cad. WPA Pool/Getty Images.

Strictly’s Ed Balls shows Today’s Nick Robinson how to dance Gangnam-style.

Thanks for reading. See you Monday. Twitter: @alisonmrowat