AMERICA prides itself on having a society where it’s claimed “anyone can become president.” In Scotland, since 2007, our motto has been: “Anyone just did become a minister”.

Not for nothing is environment minister Roseanna Cunningham known as “Republican Rose”. She decided, some time ago, to reject Home Office advice that for security reasons, two public paths through the Balmoral Estate should not be publicised. “Based on the information currently available to me, I am therefore minded to proceed on the basis that these two paths should be included in the adopted Cairngorms National Park Authority core path plan,” she wrote in response to the Home Office advice.

Fortunately, Home Office minister David Hanson wasn’t prepared to play fast and loose with HM’s safety and warned Ché Cunningham that he would over-rule her on national security grounds if she didn’t cave. Her whacky plans constituted “a security risk to the Queen and her immediate family,” he told her.

She duly caved.

What kind of person allows her own republican principles to reject security advice as it affects the Royal Family? What a shocking way for any minister – and even at Holyrood they are Her Majesty’s ministers, whether you like it or not – to behave.

Inevitably, Big Eck’s response at First Minister’s Questions was to shout and smirk a lot. Oh, and launch an investigation into the leak that resulted in the Daily Record scoop. Fair enough. A leak inquiry is exactly what an administration formed by any other party would do. But no-one does defensive shouting and arrogant smirking quite like Alex.

The irony, of course, is that Republican Rose is the reason Alex is where he is. In 2004, following John Swinney’s resignation as SNP leader, Alex gave an undertaking that under no circumstances would he consider returning to lead his party. Then the reality sunk in that his preferred candidate, Nicola Sturgeon, would be thumped in a head-to-head contest with Roseanna. So he was persuaded to throw his hat into the ring, standing on a ticket with Nicola as his deputy.

Blind loyalty to a ministerial colleague aside, I doubt if he would shed any tears if Roseanna ended up falling on her sword over this latest SNP farce.