Mr Hutcheon ... again.

The vitriol-packed comment pieces from the Sunday Herald's Political Editor Paul Hutcheon have previously been highlighted by Mr Smith on this blog, but Mr Hutcheon went quiet for a while. But Mr Smith is happy to say that Mr Hutcheon is now back and in full flood in a piece on the Edinburgh Accomodation Allowance Scheme used by the Members of the Scottish Parliament.

"Spare a copper for MSPs ... MSPS LAST week earned their salaries by publicly debating genuinely important issues such as rape, eating disorders and the rights of wheelchair users. But in private, they moaned about a subject close to their hearts: protecting their state-funded mortgage payments. In party group meetings, tea-room chats and behind-closed-doors bitching sessions, MSPs complained about the imminent reform of their much-loved Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance (EAA) ... Don't believe the folk who say politicians are only in it for themselves: this overlooks the fact that they are trying to fill their families' boots as well. If the past five days are anything to go by, they are at their most animated when their own financial self-interest is questioned."

Do any of our politicians still talk to Mr Hutcheon given his trenchent and well earned commentary on their real political concerns?

Welcome back.

Mr Smith was wondering what had happened to Sunday Herald Political Editor Paul Hutcheon and his welcome blasts at the political establishment at Holyrood. He went quiet for a while but came back to life with a loud bang in a column in this week's Sunday Herald entitled, "Holyrood ill-serves everyone but MSPs."

"... Don't read any further if you are expecting any solutions: I've nothing to offer, except to say we are stuck with the current batch of MSPs for decades. However, a few haphazard thoughts spring to mind. Number one: if we halved the number of MSPs from 129 to 65, the clocks would not stop. Number two: if MSPs' allowances were reduced by 60%, nobody in Scotland would be worse off. Except for the politicians. Number three: imagine a Scotland in which ordinary people, encouraged by a government that promoted personal responsibility, did not depend on politicians to improve their lives. In other words, the notion of voters as empowered citizens, rather than clients of a government that hands out free prescriptions and other rewards to people who behave themselves."

Welcome back Mr Hutcheon, we have missed you. But you had better be careful, Wendy Alexander will be offering you a job at this rate.

Winning friends.

Another pat on the back for Sunday Herald journalist Paul Hutcheon for revealing the undisclosed practice of some of our MSPs in issuing "access all areas" passes for the Scottish Parliament to lobbyists and party friends.

Mr Hutcheon reports, "Around one in five MSPs has given a "regular visitor" pass to either an interest group, a party colleague or an organisation that has given money to their party ... Twenty-four MSPs have given individuals or organisations regular visitor passes, nearly 90% of which have gone to lobbyists, party colleagues or donors."

Amongst those MSPs and individuals named in the article are some rather interesting ones, but suspects there are many more names still to be published by Mr Hutcheon which go beyond the "usual suspects."

Mr Smith is reminded that the founding principles of the Scottish Parliament at its establishment were that it was to be "open, accessible, transparent and accountable." Nice to see that at least some MSPs are getting the "accessible" bit right then, but then again perhaps some are allowing too much access by the wrong people?

Too much red meat Mr Hutcheon?

Mr Smith has noticed over the last few weeks that perhaps the Sunday Herald's Political Editor, Paul Hutcheon, is eating too much red meat these days. Last week he called for a "cull" of Scottish MEPs in rather impolite terms and this week he turns his ire on Jack McConnell following his resignation as Scottish Leader of the Labour Party.

In an article, Paul comments: "A leader without a legacy... Of all the compliments paid to Jack McConnell last week, the most phoney was how he had helped "steady the ship" of devolution in 2001. According to this argument, the Scottish parliament was out of control and on the verge of implosion. Then Jack showed up and made everything right ... McConnell's key achievement was in how a man of limited ability rose to the top job in Scottish politics, a feat which reflected his core principle: the ruthless pursuit of his own interests. Like a climber who reached the summit of Everest but forgot his flag, McConnell put his energy into reaching the top without ever having a plan once he got there. He forgot that leadership was a process, not an event."

Mr Smith thinks Mr Hutcheon should perhaps be reviewing the red meat content of his diet, but we await next week's victim with trepidation.