Well, with Glasgow East being out of the way, there I was enjoying my lunchtime pint and wondering whom to mention first when the following extraordinary sentence leapt out of the Financial Times:

As we negotiate stiff gates and aggressive dogs, I talk to the living embodiment of new Conservatives – with a name that Private Eye would kill to have conceived: Anastasia Beaumont-Bott.

And sure enough, here she is, still with a Morningside accent according to the FT.

The FT may be a tad confused to hear about a blog entitled Adam Smith was a Socialist, although perhaps not, for the paper itself is a bit pinkish nowadays in more ways than one. Anyway, ASWAS writes about a different Fifer who may have his coat on a shoogly nail.

Meanwhile, Mr Eugenides mentions Mr Brown’s, err, lady friend. And in an earlier message Mr E sent our justice minister greetings from the land of the Edinburgh of the South. The justice minister should read this from I Dream of Haggis. Tory Councillor Jim Millar (with black belts in Karate and Kickboxing) also has suggestions for the minister. Less legislation please

Will warns us not to underestimate Cathy Jamieson in the latest running of the Scottish Labour Leadership Stakes. I wonder whom Ewan Aitken supports? Cybernat hears from yer actual voters while Lib Dem Councillor Fraser Macpherson explains that his party no longer sees eye to eye with their one-time partners. Here’s what Love and Garbage has to say.

Like others, I thought that Jeff was already a member of the SNP. Now he is. I wonder how Mr Macwhirter casts his vote.

A widely covered story this week concerns the forthcoming rebranding of Scotland’s trains. North to Leith has a go at George Foulkes. Understandably. And Indygal tells us that it was all Labour’s idea anyway! Our esteemed editor also joins in the fun. Staying on matters transportational, 1st Lady thinks that the Edinburgh tram chaos meme is rather overdone. Probably correct, and without it what would taxi drivers have to moan about? Two Doctors is pro-tram. Over in the other place Shuggy is concerned about English driving manners.

Bill Clinton once famously said: It’s the Economy, stupid. And it still is – even in Scotland – as Neil Craig points out. Kinglear tells us about the problems faced by those who could actually grow the economy. Calum Cashley isn’t impressed with Labour’s own internal financial workings and Scottish Unionist responds.

Meanwhile, from airlines to owls, Richard Havers keeps us informed about things that fly. For life’s not all about politics: it’s red hot on Arran and who wouldn’t like to own an island near Islay? What, no distillery… Then there’s this story from the Borders? What’s the world coming to, eh? And Ideas of Civilisation thinks that British scientists should be put to better use.

I used to work in the advertising industry and noted this from Bill Cameron about government ad campaigns. According to Adopted Domain, the Greens could promote themselves better by not sounding posh! Perhaps they just need a Mayfair advertising agency…

Stephen Glenn informs us that it’s Not Just Football Clubs that Overspend for Success. Stephen’s actually writing about political parties but I can’t help drawing readers’ attention to my hometown team’s stunning victory in their first outing against the big boys.

Finally, in a warning to all bloggers, we should note this:

A 2,000-year-old computer found in a Roman shipwreck was mainly used for asserting worthless classical opinions, scientists have learned.

No 27 is from David Farrer of Freedom and Whisky.

Let’s start with a funny one. The LibDem leaflet that I just received says they’ll provide “more Bobbies on the beat”. Now we know why!

Needless-to-say, this week’s Scottish Roundup is mainly concerned with the forthcoming Holyrood and local elections. And don’t forget that saying: “All politics is local”. Cameron Rose blogs about a burst water valve in south Edinburgh, there’s “Election Fever” in Pilton and, over in Paisley, Councillor Kelly – no not that one, I mean this one – is helping the police with, I suppose, their enquiries.

One of the week’s main stories was mentioned by Mr Eugenides on Wednesday. There are supposedly plans for a separate Scottish Conservative Party and the usual official denials suggest to me that the story may well be true. Bishop Hill makes this observation:

Scotland, the country, needs to be cut free. Then it can go through the pain that will cure it of its delusion. Try socialism. Try it again. Then try it some more, and if that doesn’t work then keep on trying it just a few more times. The turmoil and despair that this will create will act as a kind of mask so that when a radical new free market approach is announced, nobody will recall that a long-forgotten party called the Conservatives were advocating just such a policy many years before, not that they were widely reviled for it by the very people who now declared it the road to redemption.

I fear that he’s correct. But when the people finally demand a free-market Scotland some of us will take a morbid pleasure in saying:”Ye ken noo!”

And what would such a party be called? The Rev I. M. Jolly suggests the “Freedom and Whisky Party”.

OK, but what about “THERESAMOOSELOOSEABOOTTHISHOOSE“, which obviously stands for:

The Highland Electoral Reform Executive Seeking A More Opportunity-Orientated Social Environment Leading to Optimal Organic Supply-side Effects Augmenting Business Operation Over The Totality of Holyrood and Inspiring Stronger Healthier Organisation Of Scottish Enterprise

Meanwhile, some Scots Tories have gone further as this article by Clive Schmulian demonstrates.

I do not support most of the SNP’s policies and remain a supporter of conservative values, however I will be casting my vote on the single issue of independence.

A century or so ago some of us libertarian-minded folk would have been voting for the Liberals. But look what they did to Neil Craig. Doesn’t this sound better than Gordon Brown?

Back in the Holyrood campaign 1820 has some Rules for Unionists, Bill Cameron is worried about electronic vote counting, Councillor Burns gets a leaflet from Sarah (me too), Tartan Hero isn’t happy about what the Bogey Man has done to our pensions (me too), Right for Scotland will be supporting UKIP, SNP Tactical Voting writes about the Greens, and Leyton is being stalked by Nicola Sturgeon.

Talking of “Right for Scotland”, that’s also the title of a piece by Scots and Independent on the Scottish Tory question.

Down in London (as pointed out by Holyrood Chronicles) the Times proclaims in full “No shit Sherlock” mode that:

The Scottish electorate should be aware that a vote for Mr Salmond would be a very substantial step towards leaving the United Kingdom.

Can’t we bloggers get paid for scoops like that?

Not everything going on in Scotland this week is about politics – in the ideal world there would be hardly any politics at all. Over on Arran, there’s a new paper that has a blog. Kinglear explains why I have so many maps in my house/car/briefcase. And Havering On discovers an unusual new angle to Edinburgh’s role as Unesco City of Literature.

Finally, I’ve heard from Google that I’ve earned $46 in advertising revenue from my own blog. Still keeping the day job(s)…

Nominations for future editions should go to scottishroundup@gmail.com.