Orcadian Column, 29/10/2026

Hands up who would love to have been at Glaitness nursery on Monday morning for Gregor Corse’s contribution to ‘show and tell’? Even just to see how he managed to squeeze it all in before the bell rang for ‘going home’ time!

The photos of Gregor and his mum, Iona’s trip to London last week to attend the Pride of Britain Awards were the very definition of ‘feel-good factor’. Whether it was as the red-carpet treatment; meeting his snooker hero, Stephen Hendry; or appearing live on Good Morning Britain, Peedie Gregor took it all in his stride. Throughout, his trademark grin turned the great and the good of the entertainment industry to putty in his hands. So it’s now official: the Pride of Orkney is the Pride of Britain and Gregor has shiny new trophy to prove it. 

Someone who endured a less successful week was Amanda Bland. Not perhaps as much of a household name as Gregor at this stage, but Ms Bland has been capturing headlines of her own over recent days as she became the first of Reform’s MSPs to leave the Holyrood group. 

Competing narratives over why have emerged with Reform spin doctors quick to criticise their former colleague as a nightmare to work with and for, evidenced by a high level of staff turnover in her office since May’s election. In response, the newly ‘independent’ Ms Bland denounced Reform as a ‘misogynistic boys club’. Both accounts have a compelling ring of truth to them.

Moreover, Amanda Bland may be the first Reform MSP to abandon ship but she surely won’t be the last. From observation, some in the group often look appalled at what their colleagues are saying in the Chamber. Overall, the party has proved utterly clueless, preferring stunts and gimmicks to holding Ministers effectively to account or representing the interests of those they were elected to serve.

Meantime, Ms Bland’s defection has instantly gifted Scottish Labour the role of ‘official Opposition’ as the second largest party with 17 MSPs to Reform’s 16. It’s a further shot in the arm to newly-elected Holyrood leader, Michael Marra who also announced his rejigged Shadow Cabinet this week. 

Michael has been a close friend of mine for many years, despite being an avid Dundee United fan. So, I’m pleased that during his first month in the role he has shown himself to be sure-footed with a good political antenna. Michael would also accept that he’s been lucky, with his election coinciding with Andy Burnham replacing Sir Keir Starmer and enjoying something of a honeymoon.

The UK Government’s decision last week to ‘green light’ the Jackdaw gas field has also allowed Michael to highlight his strong support for the development, while contrasting it with the First Minister’s more equivocal position. Caught between different factions within the SNP, John Swinney was unable either to welcome or condemn the decision, making him look both evasive and indecisive.

That said, a decision on the much larger and more controversial Rosebank oil and gas field has yet to be made. It’s hard to see how this would be compatible with the UK’s climate change commitments. It will also expose the tensions that similarly exist within the Labour Party.

Before then, of course, there is the tricky matter of a UK Budget to navigate this week. As I write, and in a break with recent tradition, there have been few pre-publication ‘leaks’. Other than vague promises about ‘everyday fixes’ to help households and businesses with cost-of-living pressures; a commitment to support ‘bloody-nosed entrepreneurs’; and the need to bridge an existing £5bn ‘gap’ in pledges made on defence spending, the Chancellor, John Healey has appeared keen to manage expectations.

To date, this approach has enjoyed some success, with financial markets responding reasonably calmly. However, it all feels extremely fragile with dark fiscal clouds still very much overhead. Moreover, the Chancellor will be under pressure within his party and rightly from households and businesses across the country, desperate for more ‘breathing space’ on energy, transport and other costs, to produce at least a few rabbits from his red box-shaped ‘hat’. 

Whatever Mr Healey has to say, his ‘show and tell’ certainly won’t match the joy of Peedie Gregor’s.