At the beginning of the week, I genuinely thought that things couldn’t get any better than this:
But then I saw this...
It’s been another busy week on the campaign trail, beginning with a chaotically shouty leaders debate (another one? who’s counting...) on the BBC’s Sunday Politics Scotland.
With polling on Monday showing that the SNP had almost doubled their lead over Labour, Ed Miliband’s manifesto launch had some uncomfortable consequences for Jim Murphy, in terms of senior shadow cabinet colleagues appearing to contradict his position on spending in Scotland.
Murphy insisted he was still in charge on Tuesday, then launched a blistering attack on the Tories whose manifesto seemed to commit to an English rate of income tax, with serious consequences for (what’s left of) the Smith consensus and putting the bad into EVEL.
Off the election hamster wheel for a moment, on Wednesday Edinburgh University came a step closer to divesting from fossil fuels. And there were dolphins, always a welcome sight whatever your political leanings, although there increased prevalence around the Scottish coast is probably more to do with the reasons why we need divestment in the first place.
The Scottish Tory manifesto launched on Thursday with David Cameron warning that the SNP would be “the chain to Labour’s wrecking ball”. Later that evening, he failed to make an appearance in the TV debate that saw Ed Miliband excluded from the above group hug, but broadly assessed as the winner. You can read our blow by blow coverage of his face-off with Sturgeon over SNP support for Labour post-election here.
Jim Murphy told us why Glasgow man was still in his sights as he prepared to launch his own manifesto on Friday.
Nick Clegg visited Aberdeenshire to encourage Labour and Conservative supporters to lend him their votes to keep out the SNP, in particular the former first minister.
I missed Clegg but found Alex Salmond as I reported from the campaign trail in Gordon.
Oh, and I spoke to Irvine Welsh about class, Class As and Scottish independence.
That’s about all from me for this week. You know the drill BTL.
