The National:

ALEX Cole-Hamilton is having a tough old time of it. Not only has he supposedly got the most difficult job in politics, he’s also been absolutely savaged by some SNP MSPs on Twitter.

The nightmare began for the Scottish LibDem leader after he took a potshot at the Scottish Greens over independence and pensions.

In an attempt at satire, he wrote: “‘The remainder of the UK will pay your pensions after Indy, because there’s a pot you’ve been paying into…

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“‘…On the other hand there might not be... who knows?!

“‘Am I boring you? Then let me tell you about those Confederate US civil war widows…’”

The reference was to Ross Greer’s noting of the interesting quirk of pensions after the fall of the confederacy, which led to some rather ill-judged attacks from the Scottish Tories. What a surprise for the Scottish LibDems to take the same line!

Alongside his little satirical monologue, Cole-Hamilton shared a short video of two birds engaged in what seems to be a mating dance.

SNP minister Maree Todd - who has been a target of Cole-Hamilton’s rage in the past - responded: “Is this video a Freudian slip?”

If that was too subtle an attack, Gillian Martin, the SNP MSP for Aberdeenshire East, stepped in to ensure there were no misunderstandings.

Martin wrote: “A video of a preening, vain, pay-attention-to-me male of the species assuming those around him are blown away by his brilliance, you say?”

That proved popular with other SNP representatives, with the comment being “liked” by MP Alan Brown, MSP Michelle Thomson, and the minister Maree Todd herself.

Elena Whitham, the SNP MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, replied with a GIF doubling down on Martin’s savage attack.

As yet, Cole-Hamilton hasn’t found a comeback. He’ll probably be bedridden for a week after that.