Voting and the fun it brings

News from London - Gordon Brown, Prime Minister and big chief of the London Parliament, got a telling off from the Speaker of the House of Commons - he's the referee down there and called a foul when Big Gordo accused Davie Cameron of telling porkies about the report into the mess over the voting at the Scottish Parliament election in May.

Give wee Duggie Alexander his due here, he said sorry for making a mess. Good on you Douglas - you won't often hear me saying that.

In Edinburgh Alex Salmond, First Minister and big chief of the Scottish Government, said he accepted all the recommendations of the Gould Report. Good on you as well, Alex.

In other news, Richard Lochhead, Scotland's Agriculture Minister (well, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, but he's the fermers' meenister) laid out details of a compensation package for Scottish farmers over the foot and mouth outbreak, juggling an already tight budget to find money to keep farmers in business.

You'll remember that the London Government was meant to pay out compensation but changed its mind when Gordon Brown decided not to call the election. English farmers still got their money but Scottish farmers lost out. I hope Hillary Benn takes a leaf out of Douglas Alexander's book, apologises and pays up - that would be the honest thing to do.

I'm hearing a rumour about Edinburgh's Tram project (due to come before the council tomorrow). Developers building near the tram have to pay a fee towards the tram costs. It seems that there's a school building which has to pay the fee - taking money from school pupils to pay for Labour's vanity project. It never ceases to amaze, does it?