Election eve exchanges at FMQs
- Published
Nicola Sturgeon clashed with Ruth Davidson on a Wednesday for once, thanks to Thursday's elections
In times of turmoil, one turns instinctively to Marx. Groucho, that is. "Those are my principles", the sage declared, "and if you don't like them, well, I have others".
Such appears to be the common, sceptical verdict of the populace upon the political classes. The Brexit endeavour has scarcely improved their opinion.
And such also appeared to be the view of the first minister, aimed in the direction of her principal opponent, Ruth Davidson of the Conservatives.
Nicola Sturgeon suggested that Ms Davidson was an Olympic standard competitor in the hitherto unrecognised sport of flip-flopping.
There she was, endorsing a Brexit project she once castigated, rejecting calls to stay in the single market - and, horror upon horror, "cosying up to Boris Johnson".
At which point, Ms Sturgeon's government deputy, John Swinney, smirked "cosy, cosy" in the general direction of the Tories.
But Ms Davidson was not downcast. She counter-attacked, accusing the FM of obsessing about indyref2 to the exclusion of all else.
And, presumably referring to Boris Johnson, the Tory leader asserted she had no problem dealing with Alpha Males.
Could, she inquired smoothly, the FM say the same? Ms Davidson's deputy, Jackson Carlaw, noted: "We'll find out soon." A reference, one presumes, to Ms Sturgeon's predecessor.
Ruth Davidson and Jackson Carlaw both made references to Ms Sturgeon's predecessor
It was sharp stuff. But somehow jovial too, with much grinning on both sides. Rather than tense drama, it had a touch of commedia dell'arte about it, with stock contributions and recognisable tropes.
Perhaps the exchanges were suffused with the surreal nature of contemporary politics. Elections tomorrow to the European Parliament - three years after the UK voted to leave.
Perhaps it was the endless gossip emanating from Westminster to the effect that the Prime Minister is under pressure to quit. OK, even more pressure. But serious pressure. From senior colleagues.
Part of that pressure involves disquiet with the prospect that Mrs May might be prepared to contemplate a Commons vote on the notion of a second Brexit referendum.
Some of her senior colleagues say that wasn't part of the planned approach. David Mundell, the Scottish secretary, is said to harbour concerns about a precedent for indyref2.
Theresa May is under serious and mounting pressure to resign
Smiling, tigerly, Ms Sturgeon asked about the PM's apparent shift. Where, she inquired ever so gently, did that leave the Scottish Tory strategy of resisting all referendums, European and Scottish?
(Incidentally, do you prefer the usage "referendums" or "referenda"? Remember that referendum is a Latin gerund, not a standard noun. Perhaps we should hold a popular plebiscite to find out.)
Ms Davidson argued that the real issue was whether a referendum, once held, was respected on all sides.
Others pitched in, of course. Labour's Richard Leonard asked about contracts for Scottish yards from water-borne wind farms. Offshore wind, he said, should not mean offshored jobs. Ms Sturgeon promised to do all she could.
For the Greens, Alison Johnstone urged additional support for cycling - and a reduction in the speed limit from 30 mph to 20.
No question this week for the Liberal Democrats. And, of course, no role at Holyrood for those other parties contesting the Euro Elections: the Brexit Party, Change UK and UKIP.
Your choice tomorrow.