Crisis? What crisis? For SNP politicians, the message seemed to be Keep Calm and Carry On.

Except, of course, for those who didn’t and instead set about briefing their contacts in the media about the damaging and frustrating fissures emerging in the wake of Salmondgate.

The only evidence of unity on show over the whole affair has been across Thursday morning's news-stands where the near-universal message was that the SNP is divided.

It was "Fury Over Eck Cash Please – SNP CIVIL WAR" from the Daily Record, the paper which broke the story about misconduct allegations being levelled against the former First Minister.

"SNP faces split over Salmond Sex Claims" thundered the Scottish edition of The Times of London, with its tabloid sibling The Scottish Sun splashing with the headline "SNP ministers told … Stay Away from Eck".

The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, proclaimed "Split in SNP as MPs back Salmond’s legal fund".

The i – sister paper of The Scotsman – claimed there was a "Backlash as Salmond raises £85,000 for legal fight".

The Scottish Daily Mail's coverage described a "bitter civil war" which the paper said was threatening to "split the party in two".

And the Scottish Daily Express, following suit, ran the headline "SNP DESCENDS INTO CIVIL WAR" on its front page. Just in case it wasn't clear, the sub-deck added: "Sturgeon hits back over Salmond’s cash appeal."

Our own front page said the SNP was "on the brink of civil war", as political editor Tom Gordon set out the background to the story about Salmond's legal fight and provided insights from those at the top of the party.

The National, however, chose to go against the grain and quote Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, in a front page which said: "Party is ‘Pretty United’ over Salmond."

Read that again – "Pretty United".

Maybe there’s a split of opinion even on that?