God Save The Quine

David Petrie (now Tory MSP for the Highlands and Islands) and Maureen Watt (now SNP MSP for NE Scotland) will be sworn in today, replacing Mary Scanlon and Richard Lochhead respectively. Maureen Watt intends to break new ground, by being the first MSP to take the oath in Doric, after taking it in English (hence the headline).

Meanwhile, allegations of dirty tricks abound in Moray, with the LibDems misquoting an article in the local paper to turn a simple report into an endorsement, and the fiasco that is Mary Scanlon's campaign. Firstly, none of her printed materials mention the fact that she's a Tory (I've checked the copies of the leaflets on her website). Secondly, her campaign has involved leaflets that claim to be a hand-written letter from local independent Councillors endorsing her. The problem is, the Councillors didn't write them, and they don't agree with the letters' contents. Not only that, they've sent letters to the wrong places, and sent some of them in the name of people who isn't a Councillor for the relevant ward (in some cases they aren't a Councillor at all!)

So not only is Mary Scanlon's campaign trying to con people, they're getting everything wrong. They're lying and they're incompetent! Doesn't make her and her team a very attractive prospect, does it?