Another website, another blog. Thought the launch of my new site might be the appropriate time to re-launch my blog from a previous life. Hope you like the site. Time will tell as far as the blog is concerned. Watched First Minister’s Questions this afternoon. Here’s a confession – I quite like Alex Salmond personally. That’s not a view shared by most of my colleagues on the Labour benches. I mean, he’s shamelessly opportunistic and utterly cynical, and when he’s criticised in any respect he’s utterly ruthless in response (his attack on me at FMQs last December. for instance, when I had the temerity to stand up for the British Transport Police after Kenny McAskill attacked them). But he’s actually quite personable and good company over a late night whisky. And there’s no doubting his ability. Having said that, he blustered his way through FMQs today. For all the criticism aimed at Wendy Alexander in recent months, she cornered him quite successfully on the Scottish Executive’s plans to introduce a "local" income tax.