Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was probably dreading the third Holyrood leaders’ debate.
His campaign was marred by poor performances during the first two showpieces and dogged by criticism of past derogatory comments about travellers.
His manifesto backed a tax cut for millionaires and he was panned over a toe-curling rendition of an Atomic Kitten song.
Then the scandal broke over whether Boris Johnson said he would prefer to “let bodies pile high” than agree to a third lockdown.
Hardly the ideal backdrop for a live TV debate.
His four rivals - Nicola Sturgeon, Anas Sarwar, Willie Rennie and Patrick Harvie - looked like middleweights waiting to pounce on a flyweight.
Host Krishnan Guru-Murthy landed a blow in the first few seconds by quizzing Ross on Johnson’s alleged comments.
Sturgeon followed up with an attack on the “stench of sleaze” surrounding the Tory Government and she accused Ross of “hypocrisy”.
When Ross interrupted her, she slapped him down: “Maybe if you listen you will learn something.”
Sarwar described Johnson’s Government as the “biggest” threat to the Union while Harvie also had a kick.
Ross was then confronted over his opposition to gay marriage in 2014 - a stance revealed by the Daily Record.
The MP looked uncomfortable as he was forced to admit he had since changed his mind. Sarwar’s put down was cutting: “We are back to the same old Tories.”
Knocking lumps out of Ross made sense for the other parties. Tory-bashing fires up Sturgeon’s supporters, Sarwar wants to dislodge the Conservatives from second place, and Rennie is confident of wooing moderate Tory voters. It was another poor day in the office for Ross.
The rest of the debate produced heat rather than light. The SNP and Greens talked up indyref2, while the pro-UK parties warned of another referendum. The feeling of deja vu was overwhelming.
This tedious sparring symbolised the entire campaign. Parties have been preaching to the converted in order to shore up their core vote. Few people will have been persuaded to change their minds over the last three weeks.
The other takeaway is there was an obvious agreement on the outcome - Nicola Sturgeon will still be First Minister after May.
The exact details - such as whether the SNP will win a majority - are still to be determined, but none of the opposition leaders were pretending they would be in charge after the election.
The dial did not shift last night - a fact that will put a smile on the face of the First Minister.
