Mike Rumbles says Brexit will increase the price of Irn Bru

I love this story from the Aberdeen Evening Express:

Scots face a “Brexit Irn Bru tax”, with the cost of importing soft-drink ingredients already rising sharply following the vote to leave the European Union ... the Liberal Democrats have warned. 

The cost of a two-litre bottle of Irn Bru could rise by 6p if just half of the beverage’s secret formula is affected by Brexit-related inflation, MSP Mike Rumbles said. 

Manufacturers are already seeing higher inflation for raw materials since the Brexit vote, he said. 

Inflation for imported soft-drink ingredients jumped 6.3% between June and July compared to only 1% between May and June.

Wars have been fought over less.

Lord Bonkers' Diary: The enthronement of Tavish Scott

Wednesday

To Holyrood to congratulate Tavish Scott upon his election as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. There is something of an Apostolic succession to his assumption of this eminent position: Scott used to work for Jim Wallace, who, in turn, began his political career carrying Laura Grimond’s shopping; and Laura, you will recall, was the wife of Jo Grimond, whom some historians believe to have been present when Joseph of Arimathea landed at Budleigh Salterton, bringing with him the tenets of Liberalism on tablets of stone.

When one adds to this weighty heritage the Scots’ predilection for politicians with either two surnames or two Christian names – one thinks of Menzies Campbell, Russell Johnston and Nicol Stephen – then, despite the obvious appeal of someone called Ross Finnie, his victory was assured.

Incidentally, when I arrive at the Scottish Parliament, I am asked if I know Mike Rumbles. “Yes,” I reply, “I am afraid he does.”

People who like This Sort of Thing should now read:

• Monday: Expelled from China
• Tuesday: Brain Cotter fails to catch fire

Tavish Scott reshuffles his team

The Press Association reports:

Newly elected Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott has announced a reshuffle of his backroom team.

Leadership rival Mike Rumbles has been appointed chief whip, having previously been rural affairs and environment spokesman. Ross Finnie, also a contender for the top job, remains party health spokesman.

Glasgow MSP Robert Brown becomes justice spokesman, taking over from Margaret Smith who moves to education. But former leader Nicol Stephen will not have any shadow brief in the new team.

J. Arthur MacNumpty has further details and some reasoned comment.

Scots Lib Dem leadership election: It's a three-horse race

Those of us observing this contest from south of the border have got the impression that is is a shoo-in for Tavish Scott over Mike Rumbles and Ross Finnie.

But The Scotsman suggests the situation may not be so simple:

Insiders say it is unlikely any of the candidates will get the 50 per cent of votes needed to win on the first count, which means the person with the fewest votes will drop out and his supporters' second preferences will prove crucial. The Finnie and Rumbles camps say there is still the possibility of a surprise outcome.

One source says: "If it had just been Mike against Tavish, it would have been the same result as last time – but Ross entering the race turned it into a real three-way competition."

In my experience second preferences rarely make such a difference, particularly in elections with so few stages. But let's go on with the gossip:

Sources say Mr Scott was less than pleased when he discovered Mr Finnie was standing against him. Mr Finnie is the Lib Dems' most senior ex-minister, having served in Cabinet for the full eight years of the Labour-Lib Dem coalition, and in the same post, where he won praise for his handling of Scotland's foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Mr Finnie's campaign theme has been the importance of traditional Liberal values of individual freedom and civil liberties.

Oh yes, and Ross Finnie is known as "Captain Mainwaring" because of his resemblance to the Dad's Army character.

Good news from Scotland

The Scotsman reports that Liberal Democrat backbenchers at Holyrood have defeated an attempt by the leadership to impose stricter discipline on them:

It is understood the party leadership was unhappy about Aberdeenshire MSP Mike Rumbles’ opposition to the Executive’s antisocial behaviour legislation, when he argued strongly against new powers of dispersal for the police.

The question is why the leadership was supporting this legislation in the first place. Yes, sharing power always involves compromise. But, viewed from a distance, it is hard to see that the Liberal Democrats have acted as a brake on Labour's more repressive policies at Holyrood. If anything, the Scottish Executive seems to have pursued this agenda even more enthusiastically than its counterpart at Westminster.