When it comes to any future referendum, Jeff warns that “…meek conformity will be a factor”. Robin McAlpine makes an argument for a crowd sourced constitution for a new independent Scotland…

And if it comes to it, John Kay advises people to think carefully before considering the set up of a separate Scottish currency, even, and maybe especially, one that it is pegged to the English pound…

On Bright Green Scotland, Adam Ramsey warns against the danger social media facilitating a radical clique rather actual social action…

And Guesting on the same blog, Dr Paul Cairney examines a new Lord Ashcroft funded poll that show different forms of questions on any future independence can make a difference of up to 8%…

In her podcast, Leslie Riddoch talks about social action in Barra…

Guesting at the Caledonian Mercury, Blair Jenkins, a Fellow of the Dunfermline based Carnegie Trust argues that “charitable foundations and civil society associations find a way to invest in support of honest and high-quality news media”.

Madly social points out that for all the bad press we get, bloggers are still being sought out for their, erm, audience and credibility…

Gordon Darroch too has a bone to pick with the media, over the Andrew Wakefield MMR  and the crude and continuous misreporting for well over a decade and a half… and on the subject of anti science, Jim Sillars is taking some flak from Scots Renewables for a recent column in the Scotsman (presumably following another column in the Hollyrood Magazine)…

And if anyone thought Belfast and/or Israel/Palestine has the premium on fences, Wulf has news for you:

Greece is pittin up a fence on its Turkish border – short notandum here. The EU isnae pleased (nae surprise there than) – the apparachniks will ay be howpin tae mak Turkey pairt of the EU, ower the deid body o democracy if necessar.

Kerry has some great pics from the recent Celtic Connections 2012 in Glasgow recently…

Misssy M is worried about some highly undemocratic plans to take the Victorian gentility of Aberdeen’s Union terrace and turn it into something altogether less sedate. But never mind, here comes Donald Trump to save Scotland… or he could if it wasn’t for those damned offshore wind farms…

And shock, horror, Brian Taylor reports that the Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick has banned singing at Holyrood…

*Delete as  appropriate…

Probably the biggest single controversy in the Scottish blogosphere last week surrounded the decision to cancel First Minister’s Questions in respect of the tragic loss of life in the North Sea helicopter crash.  Why? Lord George Foulks MSP weighed in with the accusation that Salmond was just playing politics.

Kezia thinks he was right:  ”without an FMQs today, we will have to wait three weeks before the First Minister of a minority government is held accountable before Parliament again and I, respectfully, don’t think that was the right call.”

And at the Steamie, David Maddox notes that if the SNP had had their way, then a whole day’s business would have been cancelled:

“So while it was appropriate to mark the sad deaths of those 16 men, politicians should remember that life has to go on and that they should remember the living, in particular the children who are our future.”

It’s hard to find too many others who entirely go along with that. Indeed, Subrosa questions Labour’s sincerity and wants to know where all the Scottish Labour MPs were  when Jim Murphy made his Westminster statement?

Political Dissuasion thinks Salmond played it subtly and well, but argues that “FMQs, like PMQs, makes f*** all difference”… And Jeff thinks that Labour should have muzzled its lordly attack dog on this sombre occasion… A case, suggests ‘theageoffdobama’, of letting the sleeping attack dog lie…

Newbie blogger Sean thinks “the only person playing politics with this tragedy, has been the noble lord”…

And on the subject of MPs expenses there are a number of useful angles. Not least Stephen, who exposes an inveterate prejudice amongst English (or in the case of Guido, Irish) Tory bloggers, and points out that not everyone lives above the London shop (unlike some Labour husband and wife teams).

Bernard hopes that this experience will dispense with the notion that if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear from state invasions of privacy:

 Jacqui Smith’s embarrassment over her husband’s viewing habits will fade. But this should be another reminder that the government’s pledge that increased state power is all OK because it’s in the hands of ‘the good guys’ who are competent and never act stupidly is somewhat hollow.

Yousef argues that “if you think your salary is too low then there is a debate to be had”, but that seems to be the one thing everyone is ducking at the moment…

There was some lively discussion of the G20 protests in London. Some, like James, were not impressed with the police tactics in London. David noted that the G8 was not disrupted at Gleneagles where the security cover was, but elsewhere. Kevin thought the cops got it about right. 

On the politics of the thing, Mr Farty saw only shades of the undead… Whilst Ideas of Civilisation viewed the protest as a mere proxy for real and direct action to alleviate global poverty. Oh yeah, and Frank Luntz got it wrong, again…

Bucket of Tongues disclosing once again what a flat earth journalists work on these days…

And elsewhere:

* Michael Russell writes a good blog as he swaps the early morning haar of Edinburgh for the various delights of a Scottish new world…

* Neil reckons that “algae production of oil at commercial levels is going to work & fairly soon too” (you, or certainly I, heard it here first)…

* Jeff has a pop at Tom Harris for wanting to be anything but an MP…

* Kevin Williamson celebrates the Declaration of Arbroath

* Advanced Media Watch on the Scottish parties refusing to share a platform with the BNP..

* Yousuf Hamid on Sandi Thom…

* Cabalamat on the standard of GCSE science exams..

* Holyrood Patter has had enough and strikes back on a less than sassy SAAS.. 

* Indygal closes Indygal in Europe… but opens another blog…

* Malc asks if Chris Harvie had a point after all when he made those comments about Lockerbie…

* Mr H on the new Parliamentary Standards Commissioner…