Crackerjack

Gordon "Crackerjack" Jackson QC MSP (Lab, Glasgow Govan) has announced that he's going to stop practising law so that he can concentrate on passing it in the Scottish Parliament.

This is where I would, ordinarily, heap praise on someone for realising that the Scottish Parliament needs to be taken seriously by its members if it's ever going to be taken seriously by the people. Unfortunately, Jackson does not deserve that praise. Even if he does carry out his pledge to quit as a lawyer, the people of Govan will have to wait until the Summer to get a full-time Constituency MSP (although, he does have to finish the work he started, to be fair to him).

However, I have serious doubts about how seriously we can take this announcement: he made it before in 2001. And it comes following reports that he was in danger of being de-selected for the 2007 Elections, and after an exchange of letters with Margaret Curran.

In any case, Jackson (or Labour's replacement candidate) will almost certainly have to face a challenge from SNP Deputy Leader Nicola Sturgeon. And I would lay very short odds on Sturgeon winning the seat.