Brian Taylor

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Does Holyrood have a power of veto over the Great Repeal Bill? Could the Scottish Parliament block Brexit? Bluntly, no.

The issue arises once more because there is discourse again over the prospect that the Brexit bill might require an accompanying Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) at Holyrood.

That is because departing from the European Union impinges upon powers - such as justice and agriculture - which are devolved to Edinburgh.

In the Commons today, the new Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, confirmed that the prospect of an LCM was under active consideration by the UK government.

In the Scottish Parliament today, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was "unthinkable" for Holyrood and the Scottish Government to be sidelined. She urged a unity of purpose among MSPs.

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There is a scene in the film "Blazing Saddles" where the townsfolk are discussing a threat to their tiny settlement in the American West.

In keeping with the painfully satirical tone of the movie, one contribution - which consists of an inaudible and incomprehensible rant - is characterised and praised as "authentic frontier gibberish".

She talks, apparently, of nothing else. Independence, that is. It has become, we are told, an obsession. To the extent that she has become a one trick pony.

Of whom do we speak? Of Ruth Davidson, she who leads the Conservatives in Scotland. Or, more precisely, the caricature of RD as elegantly drawn by the first minister, she who leads the devolved bits of Scotland.

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With the exception of backgammon, I have little patience with games of chance, especially if cash transactions are involved.

Plus, backgammon is more properly a game of skill: a beginner can win a single game, over the piece an expert will triumph.

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Despite briefly studying theology at university, it is not often these days, in truth, that I contemplate the divine.

However, I was drawn by the reaction of the Kirk to this remarkable election.

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David Mundell says Theresa May is still the best person to lead the country into Brexit negotiations.

She may recover, of course, but last night she scarcely sounded up for that fight.

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Is the word "clype", I wonder, included in the lexicon of parliamentary terms? I only ask because it has featured en passant in the contention over the alleged chat between Nicola Sturgeon and Kezia Dugdale.

Actually, there is another reason for inquiring. Which is that the Presiding Officer, Ken Macintosh, seemed decidedly zealous in excluding certain words today.

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There was, it should be said, a formulaic feel to First Minister's Questions. That is not remotely surprising, given that we are but a week away from the UK general election.

This is not the time for subtlety. It is time to deliver core messages, volubly and repeatedly. In Scotland, the SNP are the current champions, defending 56 out of 59 Scottish seats at Westminster.

The late, great comedian W. C. Fields had an aversion to appearing on stage with certain characters.

He apparently refused to go on immediately after the Marx Brothers on the understandable grounds that their blend of anarchic humour discombobulated the audience for anything else.

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Jollity is pretty well compulsory these days at party political events. Among the activists, that is. The wicked media sit in stoical, sceptical silence, occasionally taking notes and checking that the hall clock is right.

Of course, in days long gone by, even the party apparatchiks were immune from outbursts of glee.