Tearing up...

A day of high drama yesterday at Holyrood, with Iain Gray tearing up a copy of the SNP's manifesto. Not only did this demonstrate his outrage at the Government's blantant disregard for the voters in dropping manifesto commitments so quickly, it also showed that he is without a doubt the He-Man of Holyrood, the Prize Fighter of Parliament. Next week it'll be the phone book wot gets it.

I happened to be at Holyrood at the time on unconnected business and was watching the debate on the tv in the waiting area. I was struck by the fact that Iain Gray had got to Salmond. It wasn't obvious at first, but as you watched you could see that Salmond's bombast was a bit too bombastic, his hands a bit shaky and his impressive jowls a bit more, well jelly like. It wasn't a fatal blow - Scottish politics seems to be more a case of a death by a thousand cuts - but it rattled the Great One in a way that he likes to pretend never happens.

He shouted and he preened, he avoided the question and did his best to cover everything with that vague rhetorical approach that he calls humour, but ultimately he was a little bit shaken. Well done Iain Gray, let's hope for more of that in the coming weeks!