Drumlanrig: David Cameron

David Cameron issued his plea on Friday. Picture: PA

THE last thing David Cameron intended to do when he made his tub-thumping speech on British patriotism at the Olympic Park in London was to expose bitter splits within the Better Together camp.

Unfortunately, from the Prime Minister’s point of view, that’s exactly what he did in the Scottish Parliament.

Cameron’s voice was booming out of the TV set in the Tory section of the building – disturbing those trying to work elsewhere.

The Labour spindoctor Alan Laing tweeted to his Tory opposite number Adam Morris: “Turn down the speech a bit will you? I can hear it at my desk.”

Morris’s response was: “You might learn something.”

“I very much doubt it,” was Laing’s swift retort.

Cup runneth over

PLAYING Politics are a musical cabaret act, whose satirical ditties cast some much needed good humour on the independence debate. The night before the Calcutta Cup, the duo of Annie Gunner Logan and Vic Rodrick had one of their more challenging gigs – a massive Edinburgh University Rugby Club reunion at the Sheraton Hotel.

Their normal repertoire of subtle and witty songs pricking the pomposity of the Scottish political scene, was rather lost on an over-refreshed audience of 300 ageing juveniles. Showing admirable fortitude, Playing Politics led the Edinburgh graduates, who included several former Scottish internationalists, in rousing renditions of some of their favourite rugby songs.

In a lovely touch, Playing Politics refrained from singing the really filthy ones like The Ball of Kirriemuir or If I Were the Marrying Kind.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all – except perhaps the England rugby team, who happened to be staying in the hotel and were trying to get a good night’s sleep before the big game.

Handsome introduction for toast master

FOR those still hungover from the Robert Burns season, the ebullient SNP MSP Chic Brodie was in good form when he recounted one joke told at his expense at a supper at a bowling club in Ayrshire.

As he waited to toast the lassies, the MSP got a splendid introduction. The chairman told the assembled company that some research had been done into the origins of Chic’s name.

“Brodie”, the guests were told, was Pictish for “strong and handsome”. This put a smile on the MSP’s face, until he was informed that the Pictish for “Chic” happened to be “nae very”.

Drumlanrig: David Cameron | Chic Brodie