Beware of political fringe at this year’s Festivals

THERE seems to be a glut of shows at this year’s Edinburgh Festivals offering politicians the chance to clamber onstage.

Well, there are at least four, plus a one-off chat from Jeremy Corbyn. This is more than adequate for our purpose, which is to ponder whether the average show is now such a pig-in-a-poke rip-off that spending an hour with a politician seems a good deal by comparison; or that Scots are so traumatised after four years of elections and referendums that we might conceivably have fallen prey to Stockholm syndrome, where the victim learns to love their captor, and willingly pay to watch politicos relive press conferences and policy announcements from their glorious past.

Politicians seem increasingly drawn to showbiz. Exhibit 1: the alacrity with which Michael Portillo started chasing trains around for the BBC. Exhibit 2: Ed Balls Gangnam-Styling on Strictly.

Meanwhile, America is reaping the bounty of electing the star of The Apprentice as President; Trump now treats White House staff as if he was still on the show. Every week, someone gets fired.

When you’re a parliamentarian, it’s easy to imagine yourself as a rapier wit, especially when your party mates offer back-up ‘ho-hohos’ in the house, like a bunch of department-store Santas. book now. Probably no journalists though; Eck likes to bar them.

By hosting two author events, the SNP’s current leader smartly gets the best of both worlds: a platform without having to answer any awkward questions herself, useful given that most of Miss Sturgeon’s policy defence is patterned on the pharaoh who ruled after the one in the book of Exodus: cattle death since the famine is at an all-time low. We’ve seen less fiery hail. And levels of pestilence has been kept to an acceptable minimum.

Admittedly, none of these performances has quite the same allure of other political shows that could be coming our way…

It Was Funnier In My Head: Pete Wishart discusses his Twitter career. Waiting for Godot: John Nicolson and Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh wait patiently for a call from Nicola. Alex Salmond’s Civic and Joyous World Tour; after success in Edinburgh, Eck begins a global comedy tour. Starting with: ‘Have you heard the one about oil at $113 a barrel?’