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

Today

  • Defiant May set for a hard Brexit 
  • Minister refuses to discuss cuts at SNP-led council 
  • MSPs mark card of exam body 
  • UK minister launches Scots ‘tax haven’ review 

06.00 BBC Today headlines

May to give clear signal she does not want ‘partial membership’ of EU … Labour Brexit spokesman says UK should stay in Customs Union … China’s president to defend globalisation in Davos speech … Police in Turkey arrest main suspect in New Year’s Eve attack … Report raises safety fears over Notting Hill Carnival … Last man to walk on moon, Gene Cernan, dies at 82. 

07.00 BBC Good Morning Scotland

May ... Brexit minister Michael Russell to lead debate at Holyrood today ... Number of Democrats to boycott Trump inauguration rises to 26 after attack on civil rights campaigner ... MSPs criticise SQA over mistakes and unclear guidance ... Search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight suspended ... Karen Gillan back in Scotland to make first film as director. 

Front pages

The Herald:

In The Herald, political editor Michael Settle says the hard Brexit-leaning speech to be given today by Theresa May will set Whitehall on a collision course with Holyrood. 

The National pictures Nicola Sturgeon, with the question she asked on Sky News yesterday: “What kind of country do we want to be?”

The Express declares: “At last the news we’ve been waiting for - we will get clean break from the EU”.

The Times says the PM will make immigration a priority, while the Telegraph reports she will announce the UK quitting the single market but will be less explicit on the customs union. 

The FT says the May speech will test currency market nerves. 

The Mail says the Scottish SPCA has bought shares in Shell, which lab tests animals, and BP, blamed for the environmental disaster after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 

The Herald: The Evening Times cues up a double page spread on the shooting outside a school in Glasgow. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Camley finds Theresa May trading kitten heels for kicking boots as she readies for Brexit talks.  

FFS: Five in five seconds

What’s the story? 

A Labour MSP has taken a swipe at a Labour lord. 

Labour in-fighting? Surely not. 

It was a gentle swipe. 

Explain?

Jack McConnell, aka Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, appeared before the Commission on Parliamentary Reform at Holyrood yesterday with fellow former First Minister, Henry McLeish. Lord M said he favoured limits on the time served by regional list MSPs, selected by their parties, who would otherwise have “jobs for life". Read Herald political editor Tom Gordon's full report of the hearing here.

Who took exception?

Neil Findlay, the Labour list MSP for Lothian. The former leadership contender tweeted:

An end to the matter?

Not quite. When Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visits Scotland on Friday to make a speech on the constitution he is expected to call for the unelected Lords to be replaced by an elected Senate. In short, no more "peerages for life".

Afore Ye Go

The Herald: Local MSP Michael Russell has intervened in the Mull ambulance dispute

"No, but I think it certainly does focus the mind very substantially.”

Scottish Brexit Minister Michael Russell is asked if indyref2 will inevitably follow if Theresa May announces a hard Brexit in her speech today. UK and Scottish ministers are due to meet on Thursday at the Joint Ministerial Committee for further Brexit talks. A debate on the EU also takes place at Holyrood today. BBC Good Morning Scotland

Despite reports to the contrary, some are not holding out much hope Mrs May will be crystal clear on Brexit.

We'll be the judge of that, Nigel

The Herald:

26%/24%/20%

The “trust ratings” for the three Brexiteers - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox. Respondents in the annual Trust Barometer survey conducted by public relations firm Edelman were asked how much they trusted individuals to “do what is right” on Brexit. When it came to parties, the Tories were on 28%, the SNP on 22%, and Labour 25%. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

A Scottish Conservatives spin doctor writes.

The Herald:

"Michael Foot would never have done that stunt - never in a million years.”

Labour MP Mary Creagh to Michael Gove on his “second job” as a journalist, a trade also practised by the late Labour leader, above. BBC2 Daily Politics. Scott Barbour/Getty Images. Meanwhile, Mr Gove's interview with Donald Trump, and the picture he posed for later, continued to amuse Twitter.

Mr Gove's wages caused comment, too.

The Herald:

One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Woman Warrior, The Golden Notebook

Among the books President Barack Obama loaded on to a Kindle to give his daughter Malia, as revealed in a New York Times interview outlining how reading had helped him during his presidency. Darren Hauck/Getty Images

The FM, also a keen reader, was in agreement.

Read it and weep?

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