Christine Grahame is SNP MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale

Brexit

By the time you read this undoubtedly it will have moved on. A Withdrawal Agreement Bill may end up being law or withdrawn by the Tory government. If withdrawn you could be reading this facing a General Election, and yes I know that’s the last thing you and I want in November and the weeks running up to Christmas. There that’s another word you will soon be sick of hearing and more of that later. As for David Mundell and that handshake with Trump I have news for him, you need a lang spoon to supp with the deil. Speaking of supping, his solution that we should drink more here give me strength or a large nip or two but that won’t be enough. Do you remember him threatening to resign if the Common Fisheries policy continued beyond 2020, if there was a Border in the North Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK (a Red Line for him!). In the end he didn’t need to resign because Boris sacked him unceremoniously. Just the man to save Scots whisky.

Independence

While saving our whisky industry, DM attacks calls for Scotland to be an Independent nation in the EU. You’ll have had your referendum then. Never mind that central to undermining the 2014 campaign was that an Independent Scotland would be out of the EU and at the back of a very large queue if it wanted to rejoin! I think had we known then what we know now, dragged out against our will having voted 62 per cent Remain, it might have been a different story. By the way the whisky industry, our farmers, our NHS workforce and so on, would not be under threat from a predatory, amoral and vindictive US President whom I recall DM was happy to welcome here. Just keep that image in the forefront of your mind.

Christmas

Deep breath needed. The shops, the telly are already awash with Christmas stuff. Ads for toys, stores with Christmas lights jostling for a spot with pumpkins and Halloween garb. Soon Easter eggs will displace the fairy lights. How simple it was in my youth, not yesterday I confess. Each season was clearly defined. Easter was for eggs, October was for tumshies (predecessors of the American import of pumpkins) November for bonfires, sparkles and squibs and the odd Roman candle and Christmas was well, for Christmas. I feel a Brexit-free campaign coming on.