Fag Packet.

"Tory MSPs were accused by a Scottish Government minister yesterday of drawing up a plan for temporary jails on the back of a “fag packet”. Communities Minister Fergus Ewing rejected a call to commandeer old hospitals or military bases to ease the strain on Scotland’s overstretched prisons."

Mr Smith is tempted to say that the SNP Government should know a lot about ideas dreampt up on the back of a fag packet. Witness their plans, rejected by the Scottish Parliament, for banning under twenty one year olds from being able to buy alcohol from off sales premises.

Quick fixes.

The Herald diary says "FERGUS Ewing, Community Safety Minister, says the Scottish Government is taking a fresh look at how to tackle the country's drug problem. But he stressed a long-term solution would be needed, saying: "This is one of the greatest problems facing us as a nation - it's a long-term problem, we need long-term solutions - not to look for quick fixes." Hmmm, I would have thought those quick fixes were exactly the problem."

It would appear that Mr Ewing's boss' legendary "misspeaks" (one Mr Kenny MacAskill), are beginning to now rub off on Mr Ewing.

£770,000.

The Scotsman says "SNP managers last night vowed to do all they could to reduce the party's debt after newly released figures showed the SNP has more than £770,000 outstanding in loans, mortgages and overdrafts."

This year the SNP Scottish Government will administer a budget of £30 billion and yet they can't make their own books balance.

In another article, Mr Smith notes that SNP Government Minister Fergus Ewing made a donation to the SNP of £6,000 according to the latest set of figures from the Electoral Commission. Must be nice to have a spare six grand lying about.