Some are known to enjoy a drink on the train home to Glasgow on a Thursday night, the end of the long parliamentary week.

Now two Labour MSPs and former ministers have taken to ordering a couple of "Gail Sheridans" from the ScotRail refreshment trolley - in honour of the miniature bottles favoured by Tommy's missus.

The local government committee's findings, published yesterday, have sparked a bitter war of words between the parties.

More of that later. First, a look at some of the conclusions.

The 55-page report says Alex Salmond showed "exceptionally poor judgement" over his role in Donald Trump's application for a £1billion golf resort in his Gordon constituency.

To recap, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill wants two things to ease the growing pressure on Scotland's overcrowded jails.

First, he wants to let prisoners out of jail, with an electronic tag, six months before they are due for release instead of four-and-a-half months under present HDC rules.

Second, he wants to extend the scheme to include long-term prisoners - those serving over four years - for the first time.

He was due to speak at the conference dinner but pulled out on Friday evening.

Some Lib Dems, including a party spokesman, were under the impression he was ill.

But according to his constituency office he had to rush back to London to oversee work on his house which had run into problems.

His wife, Sarah, was out of the country, so no more Aviemore for Charlie.

He was facing flak for calling them the scruffiest people in Europe and bizarrely blaming Sir Tom Hunter for selling them shellsuits.

But yesterday he said his words were "a challenge" to young people.

He suggested - and I think I followed his argument here - that young people train as renewable energy engineers because North Sea oil is running out.

He told me: "And do remember - and no-one on your newspaper did - that I wrote the standard history of North Sea oil, so I know what I'm talking about."

He also said of young people: "They've got their problems. I would say I don't want to be aggressive towards them."

And he insisted sportswear "doesn't seem to be working" as Scots were the most obese nation in Europe.

Any more gaffes from the professor (and it would be a brave man who bet against that) and Alex Salmond will come under real pressure to sack him as one of his parliamentary liaison officers.

The controversial SNP MSP landed himself in hot water this week with ill-judged comments on Scotland's young people - the scruffiest in Europe - and the town of Lockerbie - "a dump".

But his outspoken style will come as no surprise to those unfortunate souls who have waded through his regular blogs.

The tweed-wearing professor rails against modern life week in, week out.

Alexander received vital backing from the Prime Minister at the weekend for her plans to look afresh at the devolution settlement 10 years on.

Vital because she has staked her political credibility on the move.

The report says one of the taskforce's successes has been its "Vulnerables Team," set up to "provide support to those vulnerable to involvement in ASB".

Let's enjoy that one more time: "those vulnerable to involvement in ASB". That would be "neds," "thugs" or "yobs" in the real world.

Or did they, in the words of Tory finance spokesman Derek Brownlee, walk into "an elephant trap of their own making".

Or were they trying to be too clever by half - and just ended up looking confused?

The contest was won by Jack McConnell - who has been offered a job as Britain's next High Commissioner to the African country - and his team from Holyrood Magazine.

He reassured them that the start-dates for the Navy's biggest warships has not been put back because of pressure on the MoD's tight budget.

The excuse - let's face it, that's what it is - is the appearance of a magnificently garish pottery cockerel in a newspaper's office at Holyrood.

The statuette, and a matching hen, have taken pride of place on top of a filing cabinet.

They used to belong to former Glasgow Baillieston MP Jimmy Wray and were the "star" prize in a raffle at a Labour bash before the 2005 election, when the former boxer stood down from Westminster.

It's great they have finally gone on display.

To recap. The government proposed some pretty big increases at the start of a consultation last year. They were justified on the basis they would allow councils to cover the costs of running the licensing system.

It could not have got off to a worse start for them.

Minutes before Salmond sat down in committee room one, Trump took to the airwaves to heap praise on Scotland's "amazing" First Minister and the "great service" his government has done by keeping his plans for a £1billion golf resort alive.

Papers released under Freedom of Information laws show the government struggled to find a minister to host the event on October 15 last year.

Governors and agriculture chiefs from a number of Mid West states were in Scotland on a fact-finding trip.