FMQs becomes pre general election Mexican standoff - but are voters even listening?

dailyrecord.co.uk:

With a general election looming, every First Minister’s Questions now is like a three-way Mexican standoff.In the middle you’ve got the newly installed SNP sheriff John Swinney, fatherly, experienced, maybe slightly out of practice.Douglas Ross of the Tories is on the right, the rash hothead who it seems might pop off any moment.

On the left, Labour’s Anas Sarwar, who fancies the top job and is ever probing for the sheriff’s weaknesses.Questions abound.

Are their guns duds? Do they have the aim of Star Wars stormtroopers? And is anyone normal even watching this tete-a-tete-a-tete?Both the main opposition parties are convinced they’re onto a winner by attacking Swinney on the Michael Matheson iPad scandal, so they duly did so again.After the MSP’s astonishing £11,000 data roaming bill, an irate Ross understandably asked: "In what other walk of life would Michael Matheson still be in a job?”The problem for Ross, to paraphrase Bruce Banner, is he’s always irate - and he got himself in hot water with the sheriff’s sheriff, Holyrood presiding officer Alison Johnstone.As Swinney explained that he accepted the 27-day ban of Matheson endorsed by parliament, an excitable Ross yelled, “But not by you!”This earned a stern rebuke from Johnstone who said she was “extremely frustrated” at Ross’ interruptions.The Tory boss stood up pink-faced and was forced to say “I apologise” to his sworn enemy.

That grinding sound you could hear was, I think, Ross’ teeth.In his defence, he’s not the only one wondering why the FM has blown up this story by defending his pal so vigorously.Back to our three blokes and their duelling pistols, Sarwar was up and used Matheson’s status as ex-Health Secretary to segue into questions about the state of our