MURMURS reverberating through the hallways of Holyrood that Labour MSP Tom McCabe covets the Enterprise portfolio of outgoing Liberal Democrat MSP Jim Wallace could be closer to the mark than one would think. Since Wallace announced that he would be stepping down as Scottish LibDem leader and giving up his enterprise and Deputy First Minister posts to boot, speculation has been rife about a successor for party leader.
But whoever wins the top LibDem job is not guaranteed to also be capped as minister of enterprise and lifelong learning. The rumour mill has been churning that the Labour camp of the coalition wants to install one of its own brethren on the economic development beat and that McCabe is jockeying for position. Given Scotland's lacklustre productivity performance against the rest of the UK and many other competing Western economies, you would think that McCabe would be running in the opposite direction.
But the minister for finance and public service reform couldn't keep the smile from his face when he was cornered by the Sunday Herald outside a conference in Edinburgh and asked about his enterprise ambitions. "That's not really for me to comment, " he grinned. "These are the decisions of the First Minister and so left to him." So is Labour wanting to take the enterprise portfolio? Again, no denials - just a reference that it was the First Minister's decision. Should we take that as a "Yes" then, Tom?
Suits you sir, but a thong may be wrong
M&S chief Stuart Rose's stint as a model for his own clothes (he forsook his usual pounds-2000 bespoke suits for a pounds-79 M&S one for the company's results briefing) strikes the Diary as a capital idea. Why don't other bosses follow suit, so to speak?
BMW chief Helmut Panke could leather a car into a wall while wearing a crash test dummy suit to prove its safety; Boots boss Richard Baker could deliver his results in a cake of make-up, and Rupert Murdoch could announce his results as a graphicsheavy news bulletin. Let's just hope, for chief executive Jacqueline Gold's sake, that Ann Summers never joins in.
How politics can drain one's energy
THE Aberdeen weather did its share of work promoting renewable energy last week. Malcolm Wicks, the latest UK energy minister, visited an oil field on his way to a renewable energy conference last week. "As the weather rapidly worsened and I was looking at being stuck on the rig for two weeks, " Wicks said, "I started feeling very positive about renewable energy." Who knew a haar could be so handy?
Meanwhile ex-energy minister and now ex-MP Brian Wilson was asked at the conference what his title now was.
"I am an ex-politician, " he said, adding somewhat wistfully: "and there is nothing as ex as an ex-politician."
Not all winners kissing cousins
THE Diary was delighted to hear the announcement on Thursday evening that Lloyds TSB chief Susan Rice had been selected as Scottish Business In The Community's ambassador at the organisation's dinner.
We were chuffed, not just because La Rice is an all round good egg, but because it enabled the Diary to put aside the cynical feelings that we had been harbouring as the award winners were announced.
The winners of award after award were community schemes run by ScottishPower and Bank of Scotland.
Now we also know from first-hand personal experience that some of these schemes do indeed make quite a contribution to the community, particularly in relation to employability, which was the night's big theme.
But our unease came from the fact that the two big corporate sponsors of the whole shebang were none other than HBOS and ScottishPower.
If the organisation wants to really make a contribution and not just be a PR boon for those who put their hands in their corporate-sponsorship pocket then the awards really have to be seen to be a tad more independent.
And while they are at it, they might want to have another think about the companies that make a contribution being given "big ticks".
When you speak of "a business with big ticks", as the MC on the night Russell Wardrop of Kissing With Confidence did, you really do have to ensure your diction is absolutely crisp.
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