Tribune – Comment, news and reviews from Britain's democratic left

Was it a “purple plotter”, an Orange Booker or a Tory diehard? Or was it one of the coalition’s spin-doctors or advisors?

Viewers of BBC television news have been trying to work out the political affiliation of the rat seen scurrying by Number 10 Downing Street earlier in the week.

Opposition MPs must, of course, tread carefully in their characterisation of such creatures, especially after Harriet Harman was forced to apologise for calling Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander a “ginger rodent”. Quite who was most offended – redheads, rodents or Mr Alexander – has never been fully clear.

“Gorgeous” George Galloway this week offered to end the so-called “heavyweight deficit” at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, that he has identified, by tendering his own services.

The 56-year old, who represented a Glasgow constituency for 18 years as an MP, is standing on the city’s regional list in the May elections. Mr Galloway, a man who has always had an exceedingly high opinion of himself, called the current crop of Holyrood politicians – with the honourable exception of SNP leader Alex Salmond – “stumblebums who would think being called a non-entity was a compliment”.

The man whose career arguably never really recovered from his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in which he impersonated a cat said, with all due modesty, he intends to bring “a touch of class” to Holyrood.