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

Front pages

The Herald:

Exclusive: In The Herald, education correspondent Andrew Denholm reveals chaos at the Scottish Funding Council over what to do with £50 million in unspent reserves. 

“Sturgeon demands truth on Trident” is the splash in The National. Inside, Kevin Pringle, former senior special adviser to Alex Salmond, tells reporter Kathleen Nutt the “Yes” side could win a vote in 2018. “May accused of covering up Trident failure” is the Guardian’s take on the story. 

The Mail says reoffending has risen sharply among violent offenders and sex criminals who were given community service instead of being sent to jail. 

The Times says Scottish councils are reluctant to take more asylum seekers unless the Home Office provides greater support. 

The Telegraph says a new trade deal between the US and UK could make it easier for workers to travel between the two. 

The FT leads on Theresa May’s industrial strategy, which includes appointing “champions” to successful sectors such as pharmaceuticals. 

The Herald:

Exclusive: in the Evening Times, Vivienne Nicoll reports on regeneration plans for a derelict part of Glasgow. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Camley detects a new special relationship in the air. 

FFS: Five in five seconds

The Herald:

What’s the story? A new screen star makes its debut in T2 Trainspotting - the Scottish Parliament. 

Eh? Filming took place at Holyrood with the characters Renton and Sickboy (Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller). The whys and wherefores we cannot say as it would be a spoiler, but it is not the first time the paths of Trainspotting and Scottish politics have collided. 

Explain? The original, 1996, Trainspotting was credited as playing a part in Scotland’s cultural and political awakening. Then there was the story of one young politician, Nicola Sturgeon, accompanied by Charles Kennedy, “skiving off” one afternoon from a conference in Melbourne, Australia, to catch a screening of the newly released film. T2’s director, Danny Boyle, who once called Trainspotting “Scotland’s Star Wars” remains fairly tickled by that. “To have the nation’s leader proclaim such pride in the original film makes you think ‘Oh my God, what have we done?’”

Other links? The Scottish Government/National Lottery/Creative Scotland gave the film £500,000, the largest grant of 2016-17. Among those thanked in the closing credits of the film, which had its world premiere in Edinburgh last night, are Edinburgh, Glasgow and West Lothian councils, the PR firm Charlotte Street Partners, the Scottish Parliament, Scotrail, the Scottish Prison Service and Transport Scotland. 

And the next screen role for the Scottish Parliament? It’s waiting by the phone. T2 Trainspotting is out on Friday.

Afore Ye Go

The Herald:

“Whenever there is something that I find unacceptable, I will say that to Donald Trump.”

Theresa May, heading to Washington this week to see Donald Trump. PA

The Herald:

“Trump already refers to her as ‘My Maggie’ but the question remains is whether he is a Ronnie to her?”

What Mr Trump calls Mrs May, according to the Sunday Express. Getty Images

The Herald:

“We shall overcomb.”

Plenty of witty placards were on show at a women’s march against Donald Trump on Saturday. The protests in cities around the world, including Edinburgh, attracted an estimated 2.5 million people. At the London march was the artist Grayson Perry, who joked: “This is a liberal love-in. You can’t get a babysitter in North London.” Victoria Jones/PA Wire

The Herald:

“This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration – period – both in person and around the globe."

Sean Spicer, the new president’s press secretary, attacks the “dishonest media” for saying the crowds at Mr Trump’s inauguration were a third the size of those who turned up to see Obama take the oath of office first time. Mr Spicer’s claims came despite visual evidence to the contrary (see below). Alex Wong/Getty Images

Twitter had fun with Mr Spicer's estimating skills:

And 'Vladimir Putin' had to have his say on Saturday Night Live. 

The Herald:

“Alternative facts”

What Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Spicer was supplying, adding: ”There's no way to really quantify crowds.” The show's host, Chuck Todd, countered: "Alternative facts are not facts. They are falsehoods." NBC Meet the Press. Mark Wilson/Getty Images 

The Herald:

"From what the Government says there was a minor glitch with the missile and they're quite happy with the missile. In which case go ahead and let people know, otherwise we're a bit rather like the Soviet Union used to be, or like North Korea or China, where they won't admit to things going wrong when you're actually testing them to see if they do or don't go wrong.”

Labour peer and former senior Royal Navy officer Admiral Lord West on a failed test of the Trident nuclear deterrent weeks before a Commons vote on the system’s future. Theresa May, when being interviewed by Andrew Marr, would not say if she knew of the failed test before the vote. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The Herald:

“I have used the extra time to take up shooting again. I find that when I shoot a few 'Borises' and 'Michaels' I feel a whole lot better.”

David Cameron tells a dinner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers accountants in Davos last week about life after Downing Street. Mail on Sunday. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

The Herald:

“You are trying out the Rover 800 tomorrow at Chequers to familiarise yourself with the car before the test drive in front of the cameras at Downing Street.”

Private papers released today by the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust reveal officials were so afraid of the then PM pranging the car they let her practise beforehand in the seclusion of Chequers. Telegraph. Getty Images

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