Whither Holyrood?

So Nicol's on his way. It makes a pleasant change for a major political figure to leave office on such positive terms. He is a likeable figure and an effective politician, and has managed to keep arguably the broadest church in Scottish politics united and (mostly) purposeful.

His departure will change Scotland. The Lib Dems very much frame the terms of the debate at Parliament in Labour's ideological absence, counterbalancing the strong Tory pull on a weakly anchored SNP.

We know Mike Rumbles is standing, a heavyweight who will play Salmond at his own game and often win. Having shored up the vote in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, he would similarly increase Lib Dem votes at the margins, and satisfy some of the more maverick councillors, but he may not be choice number one for core voters. Those with strong social democratic or liberal principles may find him too much of a realist.

That said, his stance on the constitutional referendum is arguably more liberal than Liberal Democrat policy to date, and his suspicion of the entente with Labour has in part been vindicated. He is also highly entertaining, particularly when sparring with Patrick Harvie.

My favourite would probably be Tavish Scott who is certainly a detail man, but who is quick on his feet and eminently credible. In a sense he would be the continuity choice, and bearing in mind current Lib Dem strength relative to Labour, he is an attractive proposition. He would, like Nicol, be a serious opposition leader brandishing statistics and letters and Rawl's Theory of Justice if necessary to highlight flaws in Salmond's bluster.

Other options include Liam McArthur and Jeremy Purvis, but both would probably benefit from a little more cellaring.

Of course, the dynamic at Holyrood will now change dramatically with Wendy and Nicol gone.

The Holyrood classroom: Salmond-Curran-Tav-Goldie?
Though unlikely to make exciting headlines this is probably Salmond's nightmare and the best combination for policy debates. Salmond could end up with the dunce's hat on.

The Holyrood cricket match: Salmond-Gray-Tav-Goldie?
Quite a well-matched contest in which the status quo would be maintained, but bitty and uninteresting with Gray opening the attack. Salmond the slogging batsman and Tav and Gray mixing bamboozling leg-breaks and erratic medium pace respectively. Goldie may sometimes come across as the umpire, but more often as the commentator.

The Holyrood rugby match: Salmond-Kerr-Rumbles-er, Goldie?
Salmond's favourite prospect. Noisy, male, and entertaining. Annabel will probably benefit from being aloof.

The Holyrood fist fight: Salmond-Jamieson-Rumbles-Goldie? Eek!
Throw Cathie Jamieson into the mix and it will be more unpredictable, more shrill, more ideological, and even more entertaining. Still on Salmond's terms, but with fewer rules, and Annabel would be incited to swing her handbag.