Cheeky Monkey.

Mr Smith read with interest the insight story of the Labour Party campaign in the Glasgow East by-election, from Brendan Perring in yesterday's Sunday Times. But Mr Smith also noticed that the print version of the story in Scotland was entitled "desperate days for Labour" whilst in the online version on the Sunday Times' own website this became "they would have employed a monkey."

Mr Smith isn't sure whether the change is an attempt to play up the likelihood of an SNP victory in Glasgow East or an even bigger attempt to downplay Mr Perring's background.

Mr Perring complains that he'd "spent £100 on petrol driving party members around the constituency in my own car, but when I asked if I would be reimbursed, I was told Labour didn’t do that." Never mind. Mr Smith is sure that the Sunday Times will have well rewarded Mr Perring for his 2,100 word insight into the Labour campaign.

Believe.

Which one do you believe?

"A YEAR after leading the SNP to a historic election victory, Alex Salmond is still enjoying a strong personal standing among Scots, according to an exclusive poll for the Scotland On Sunday. The poll was commissioned to mark the first anniversary of the Holyrood elections, and provides a unique insight into what Scotland thinks of Salmond."

Or from the Sunday Times ...

"ONLY three of out ten Scots would trust the First Minister Alex Salmond to look after their wallets, according to a new opinion poll."

Mr Smith thinks the Sunday Times has got it very wrong. Alex Salmond is after all First Minister, not UK Chancellor. Even if he was UK Chancellor Mr Smith suspects Mr Salmond would do better in the ratings than the current incumbent Mr Darling. Even if Scotland was independent Alex Salmond wouldn't personally be holding the purse strings. And isn't all of this very academic anyway given that last May Alex Salmond was elected First Minister and leads and administration which will spend over £31 billion this current financial year, without having to raise one penny of it from any Scottish taxpayers?

Wendy's 7%.

So, according to the Sunday Times only 7% of Scottish voters want the likely Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Wendy Alexander MSP, to be Scotland's First Minister.

Their opinion poll suggests that Wendy's 7% rating compares with SNP Leader Alex Salmond's 38% approval rating, former Labour Leader Jack McConnell's approval rating of 10%, Conservative Leader Annabel Goldie's rating of 7% and Lib Dem Leader Nicol Stephen's 5%.

Now some political traditionalists might think that such a poor rating was good enough reason not to have Ms Alexander get the "top job," but the reality is that it is probably too late for those sorts of thoughts to enter the minds of the 40 odd of Labour's 46 Members of the Scottish Parliament who are apparently supporting Wendy's election. The die is cast ... but perhaps it's still not too late Labour people?