Paris... or Albania?

THE conveners of Holyrood’s committees had their regular meeting the other day. One lively item was a request from the European committee to visit Paris in the spring. Nat MSP Joan McAlpine, pictured, was asked why she and her colleagues wanted to go.

There’s an election on, she replied. But there are also elections in Romania and Albania, observed Labour’s Neil Findlay. “Why not go there?”

We hear Ms McAlpine’s crestfallen look was almost as memorable as that of the SNP’s Bruce Crawford, who could barely contain his laughter. However the Euro-jaunt was approved in “le fin”.