Well, I’m feeling rather fond of Salmond these days. At least he’s trying something different. And even if things are turning into Brigadoon musicals (as said what’s her face in The Times this morning), at least he’s getting people into the culture. And if he’s actually a human being, well then doubly good.

What I don’t get about this latest donations scandal is a) we’ve BEEN through this with Blair and his gang, b) it doesn’t seem to be worse, and c) why Mr Bean?

The John Deere 2040 was good fun, and the Massey Ferguson when I was a kid.

Top Gear last night featured a Vauxhall designed in Australia and featuring a 6 litre American engine. The verdict was that what it lacked in sophistication it made up for with sheer play value (thought that’s not what they call it).

WOT: Anyone here every ride in a Rolls? I riden or driven in a Chevy, Ford, Chrysler, VW, FIAT, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Willis, Morris, Sunbeam, Austin, Lotus, Triumph, Shelby, Ferrari, DeLorean, never a Rolls tho. Nor a Lada, nor Yugo or that paper-MaShay East German number with the 2-cycle engine.

Damn, also included AMC :) Javelin, Gremlin, Pacer Wait: Out of order.. SAAB, Volvo are they cars?

Also off the list: Maserrati, Lamboughini

I’d trade ‘em all for one big-valve Europa.

By one of those ghastly synchronicities, it turns out that Labour’s leader in Scotland, Wendy Alexander (protegee of Gordon Brown) seems to have done much the same thing during her campaign to become Labour leader here. Sending a personal letter from her home address to a donor’s home address in (old) Jersey is most definitely an indication of a somewhat inexact approach to what the law requires.

By way of contrast, I’ve just got back from a couple of St Andrew’s day events, a debate and a bit of a hooly with fireworks in Princes St Gardens. Alex Salmond was there and looking full of the joys.

But, somehow, Salmond’s just more authentic, more human than many other MacPoliticians. The St Andrew’s day holiday was the idea of an MSP called Dennis Canavan, who was too left-wing for New Labour so stood as an independent and won by huge majorities. Mr Canavan has over the years endured impossible tribulation, losing one son some years back and then the other two, both grown up, within months of each other last year. He’d remarried a few years back, and was there at the party in the tent with his five year-old son. Salmond saw Canavan, hugged him and then squatted on his haunches to talk to the little boy for at least three or four minutes. All of this was off-camera, and hardly anyone saw it, and there certainly wasn’t a vote in it for Salmond (with whom I also disagree). But that moment of basic humanity, well, it impressed me. Any fool politician can kiss a kid on camera, but to talk to one when nobody’s filming is, er, human.

Oh, and the fireworks were truly spectacular.