With the First Minister jetting in and out of New York to frown about climate change, Shona Robison was left in charge at FMQs.

The deputy FM did not disappoint. She was easily as shouty and uninformative as her boss.

Either the Tories were swine or Labour were swine for reminding her of Tories.  

She reckoned the Scottish Tory leader was particularly awful, though so do his MSPs.

Mr Ross criticised Mr Yousaf’s comment in the Big Apple that the North Sea would no longer be the oil and gas capital of Europe as Net Zero took priority.

The SNP’s slogan used to be “It’s Scotland Oil” now it’s “Just stop oil”, he said. 

Why was the First Minister “talking Scotland down”?

Ms Robison said Mr Ross was “brave” getting climatey the day after Rishi Sunak “pulled the rug” from Net Zero.

“He should be ashamed to stand side by side with Rishi Sunak on that matter.”

And what about Liz Truss, she asked, more or less at random.

Mr Ross backed her a year ago, now he'd backed Mr Sunak.

“That is the company that Douglas Ross keeps,” Ms Robison harrumphed.

History will judge if any of this made sense, and history will surely scratch its head.

With the SNP benches getting rowdy and the Tories getting riled, Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone demanded an end to the “somewhat robust” rammy.

“Thank you,” said Ms Robison. “I’ve never allowed a man to shout me down in my life and I won’t make any exception for Douglas Ross.”

Fairness be damned. It was a genuine zinger. The Nats were delirious, Mr Ross bilious.

It took Angus Robertson, the Cabinet Secretary for Angus Robertson, to revive him. 

“Mr Robertson,” the PO growled after more noise. “I ask you, please, to remain silent.”

Mr Ross was delighted. “Angus Robertson’s shouting didn’t put me off when I beat him in 2017, and it doesn’t put me off now.” So he had one good moment. 

Labour leader Anas Sarwar was far better at needling Ms Robison, recalling her inglorious time as health secretary and then swerving onto looming council tax hikes.

Mr Robison gabbled about being being “absolutely committed” to ending delayed discharge, just like she was committed when she promised to end it in, er, 2015.

As for the government’s own plan to raise council tax by up to 22.5% on the well off: “Let me say this about the council tax multiplier consultation. It is a consultation.”

Finally, Tory Brian Whittle did his dinger at some SNP sledging and pulled a Father Jack face that is now all over the internet. 

It was as nuts as every other week. Ms Robison is clearly a safe pair of hands.