Parliament Says No.

From Atticus, "Charity begins at the parliamentary fees office, according to some MSPs' expenses claims. Alex Fergusson, Holyrood's £95,000-a-year Presiding Officer, appeared to be all heart when he placed an advert in his local paper congratulating the Dumfried and Galloway Befriending Project, a charity for disadvantaged children, on its 10th anniversary. When he tried to reclaim the £132.78 costs from taxpayers, parliament officials refused to pay. Him Mateher, the £80,000-a-year enterprise minister, tried to claim £28.91 for Christmas cards he had sent. He, too, was told where to get off."

Very enterprising Mr Mather. Mr Fergusson really should just know better.

Atticus also highlights that Matthew Marr, the former spin doctor to Scottish Labour Leader Wendy Alexander who was forced to resign after calling First Minister Alex Salmond MSP a "c**t" has decied on a change of career and has started training to become a teacher. He really didn't have anywhere left to go in public affairs.

Spin ... spin .... spin.

Mr Smith reads in PR WEEK that Brian Lironi, the former media adviser to Scottish Labour Leader Wendy Alexander MSP has got a new job working for the Leader of Glasgow City Council. But hang on .... didn't the previous incumbent of that post, Matthew Marr, go to work for Wendy Alexander following Mr Lironi's departure under a cloud, only to have to resign himself last week after he called First Minister Alex Salmond a rather derogatory name at the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards?

And there are still people who wonder why political communications is so often classed as "spin"? That is just people moving from one job to the next and passing each other in the process. Makes you wonder where Mr Marr will pop-up next.

Mr Smith is getting dizzy ....

Prat.

Mr Smith reads "A TOP aide of Wendy Alexander resigned yesterday after he swore at Alex Salmond as he picked up an award. Matthew Marr, the Labour leader's official spokesman, loudly called the First Minister a c*** after he was named Politician of the Year at a ceremony. Marr, 27, apologised after guests complained but quit yesterday after only two months in the job. He had taken over after Alexander's previous spokesman quit after just six weeks. Marr said: "When people make a mistake they should be prepared to take responsibility for it."

It makes you wonder about the calibre of people left involved with the Scottish Labour Party. The incident says a great deal about someone allegedly earning a salary of £60,000 a year in working for the Peoples' Party and about the judgement of Wendy Alexander in giving him a job in the first place.

Scottish Labour has really hit the skids since they lost May's Scottish Parliament elections. It will be a long way back. A starting point might not be to make "mistakes" which they don't have to. At the hands of people who took student politics too seriously.