Money for nothing
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak splashed the cash in Wednesday's Budget, leaving some Tories muttering about fiscal prudence and the highest tax burden since the 1950s. Ahead of his speech, an email to Tory supporters offered the chance to win a signed copy of the Budget. "You can enter as many times as you’d like with entries just £5 each," it added, slightly desperately. Alas, the fiscally prudent option is to decline.
Facing facts
Back in Holyrood, Tory MSP Sandesh Gulhane has been unsettling journalists with his "unnerving" habit of looking directly into the TV camera while speaking in parliament. Unspun hears party figures broached the subject with the GP-turned-politician, who explained it was because he wanted to talk to the people at home and not the First Minister. Admirable, Sandesh, but you can stop now. No one's watching anyway.
Viennese skirl
MORE on the literary travails of SNP Culture and Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson. As readers will recall, his new book on the history of Vienna has been panned in early reviews on Amazon. We will not dwell on it being called dull, dire and turgid by the unworthy and spiteful. Or pointless and drivel. Or “boring boring boring”. That’s not on. Recent crits have been gushing, however. One Luke Skipper “highly recommended” it as “littered with interesting observations and anecdotes”. Oddly enough, another Luke Skipper used to work with Mr Robertson in the Commons as the SNP’s chief of staff. Small world.
John the Apostle
HOWEVER the most glowing review came from one John Nicolson, which is also - in another spooky coincidence - the name of the SNP MP for Ochil. Amazon’s Mr Nicolson, who seemed remarkably well-informed on Mr Robertson’s previous career with the BBC in Austria, reckoned the book was “sparkling”, “pacy” and “engaging” with - haud me back - “numerous vignettes”. He then added: “Oh and ignore the jaundiced, unverified party political trolls posting fake reviews”. Alas, what to do when party sycophants post drooling reviews wasn’t covered.
Total Sturrocks
A PITY, as yet another five star review was posted by Archippus Sturrock, which is also the (admittedly very common) name of someone who works for SNP MP John Nicolson as an “adviser on cultural affairs” and press officer. In his first ever Amazon review, Mr Sturrock was dazzled by an “impressive work of literature and research”. He had no doubt it would “awaken wanderlust for the city” where some of history’s greatest figures were born. And some of the greatest backscratching too, by the look of it.
Stroke of Guinness
TALKING of political pals, Unspun noted a new cross-party group was approved this week by MSPs. The Holyrood CPG on Ireland was set up by Glasgow Cathcart Nat James Dornan, who will be its convener. On the application form, he said it would “promote the shared heritage and culture between Ireland and Scotland”. Besides the Irish language, Scots Gaelic and odd bits of Brexit, the group will apply itself to “St Patrick’s Day celebrations, the Six Nations Rugby Championship... [and] traditional music festivals”. So not just a jolly good idea, but a good idea for a jolly.
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